Bertie Ahern

Bertie Ahern
Ahern in 2006
11th Taoiseach
In office 26 June 1997 – 7 May 2008
President	Mary Robinson Mary McAleese
Tánaiste	Mary Harney Michael McDowell Brian Cowen
Preceded by	John Bruton
Succeeded by	Brian Cowen
Leader of the Opposition
In office 15 December 1994 – 26 June 1997
President	Mary Robinson
Taoiseach	John Bruton
Preceded by	John Bruton
Succeeded by	John Bruton
Leader of Fianna Fáil
In office 19 December 1994 – 7 May 2008
Deputy	Mary O'Rourke Brian Cowen
Preceded by	Albert Reynolds
Succeeded by	Brian Cowen
Tánaiste
In office 19 November 1994 – 15 December 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Dick Spring
Succeeded by	Dick Spring
Deputy leader of Fianna Fáil
In office 10 February 1992 – 19 November 1994
Leader	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	John Wilson
Succeeded by	Brian Cowen
Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht
In office 19 November 1994 – 15 December 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Michael D. Higgins
Succeeded by	Michael D. Higgins
Minister for Industry and Commerce
In office 4 January 1993 – 12 January 1993
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Pádraig Flynn
Succeeded by	Ruairi Quinn
Minister for Finance
In office 14 November 1991 – 15 December 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Albert Reynolds
Succeeded by	Ruairi Quinn
Minister for Labour
In office 10 March 1987 – 14 November 1991
Taoiseach	Charles Haughey
Preceded by	Gemma Hussey
Succeeded by	Michael O'Kennedy
Minister of State
1982	Government Chief Whip
1982	Defence
Lord Mayor of Dublin
In office 24 June 1986 – 26 June 1987
Preceded by	Jim Tunney
Succeeded by	Carmencita Hederman
Teachta Dála
In office June 1981 – February 2011
Constituency	Dublin Central
In office June 1977 – June 1981
Constituency	Dublin Finglas
Personal details
Born	Bartholomew Patrick Ahern (1951-09-12) 12 September 1951 (age 72) Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil (1965–2012; since 2023)
Spouse	Miriam Kelly ​ ​ (m. 1975; sep. 1992)​
Children	Georgina Cecelia
Relatives	Maurice Ahern (brother) Noel Ahern (brother)
Alma mater	College of Commerce, Rathmines
Signature
† Ahern resigned membership of Fianna Fáil in 2012 following the publication of the final report of the Mahon Tribunal, before rejoining the party in 2023

Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste and Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from November 1994 to December 1994, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994, Minister for Industry and Commerce in January 1993, Minister for Finance from 1991 to 1994, Minister for Labour from 1987 to 1991, Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence from March 1982 to December 1982 and Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1986 to 1987. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011.

In 1994, Ahern was elected the sixth Leader of Fianna Fáil. Under Ahern's leadership, Fianna Fáil led three coalition governments. Ahern is the second-longest serving Taoiseach, after Éamon de Valera. Ahern resigned as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008, in the wake of revelations made in Mahon Tribunal, and was succeeded by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen.^[1] In 2012, the Mahon Tribunal found that Ahern, while not judged corrupt, had received money from developers and the Tribunal disbelieved his explanations of those payments. Fianna Fáil proposed to expel politicians censured by the tribunal for "conduct unbecoming", but Ahern resigned his membership prior to the expulsion motion being moved.^[2]

In November 2016, Fianna Fáil announced that it had given Ahern the option of rejoining the party.^[3] He rejoined in February 2023.^[4]