Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (/ˌfiː(ə)nə ˈfɔɪl, -ˈfɔːl/ FEE-(ə-)nə FOYL, -FAWL, Irish: [ˌfʲiən̪ˠə ˈfˠaːlʲ] ⓘ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (Irish: Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian democratic political party registered in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Micheál Martin |
| General Secretary | Seán Dorgan |
| Chairman | Brendan Smith |
| Seanad leader | Lisa Chambers |
| Founder | Éamon de Valera |
| Founded | 16 May 1926 |
| Split from | Sinn Féin |
| Headquarters | 65–66 Mount Street Lower, Dublin, Ireland |
| Youth wing | Ógra Fianna Fáil |
| LGBT wing | Fianna Fáil LGBTQI+ Network |
| Membership (2020) | 18,000 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe[a] |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| European Parliament group | Renew Europe[b] |
| Colours |
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| Anthem | "We'll Be There" |
| Dáil Éireann | 36 / 160 |
| Seanad Éireann | 21 / 60 |
| European Parliament | 2 / 13 |
| Local government in the Republic of Ireland | 276 / 949 |
| Website | |
| www | |
^ a: previously a member of the Alliance for Europe of the Nations (2002–09) ^ b: Member of the EPD group from 1973 to 1984, the EDA group from 1984 to 1995, the UfE group from 1995 to 1999, the UEN group from 1999 to 2009, and the ALDE group from 2009 to 2014. | |
The party was founded as a republican party on 16 May 1926 by Éamon de Valera and his supporters after they split from Sinn Féin. De Valera and his followers were determined to take seats in the Oireachtas while Sinn Féin's policy was to refuse to recognise it. Since 1927, Fianna Fáil has been one of Ireland's two major parties, along with Fine Gael since 1933; both are seen as centre-right parties, to the right of the Labour Party and Sinn Féin. The party dominated Irish political life for most of the 20th century, and, since its foundation, either it or Fine Gael has led every government. Between 1932 and 2011, it was the largest party in Dáil Éireann, but latterly with a decline in its vote share; from 1989 onwards, its periods of government were in coalition with parties of either the left or the right.
Fianna Fáil's vote collapsed in the 2011 general election; it emerged in third place, in what was widely seen as a political realignment in the wake of the post-2008 Irish economic downturn. By 2016, it had recovered enough to become the largest opposition party, and it entered a confidence and supply arrangement with a Fine Gael–led minority government. In 2020, after a number of months of political stalemate following the general election, Fianna Fáil agreed with Fine Gael and the Green Party to enter into an unprecedented coalition, with the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rotating between the roles of Taoiseach and Tánaiste.
Fianna Fáil is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and of Liberal International. From February 2019 to September 2022, Fianna Fáil was in partnership with the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland.