Coalitions are typically formed of two or more parties always consisting of one of the two biggest parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and one or more smaller parties or independent members of parliament.

Ireland has had consecutive coalition governments since the 1989 general election, excluding two brief Fianna Fáil minority administrations in 1994 and 2011 that followed the withdrawal of their coalition partners from government.

Before 1989, Fianna Fáil had opposed participation in coalition governments, preferring single-party minority government instead.

Irish coalition governments have traditionally been based on one of two large blocs in Dáil Éireann: either Fianna Fáil in coalition with smaller parties or independents, or Fine Gael and the Labour Party in coalition, sometimes with smaller parties.

The only exception to these traditional alliances was the first Government of the 27th Dáil, comprising Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party, which ruled between 1993 and 1994.

The Government of the 31st Dáil, though a traditional Fine Gael – Labour coalition, resembles a grand coalition, due to the collapse of Fianna Fáil to third place among parties in Dáil Éireann.

Canada, Ireland, and Portugal had right-wing political parties that defied categorization: the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ; Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Progressive Democrats in Ireland ; and the Social Democratic Party of Portugal.

In the past Dublin city was regarded as a stronghold for Fianna Fáil, however following the Irish local elections, 2004 the party was eclipsed by the centre-left Labour Party.

* Dick Roche ( Fianna Fáil, Ireland )

* Máire Geoghegan-Quinn ( Fianna Fáil, Ireland ): European Commissioner for Science and Research

Fine Gael is generally considered to be more on the political right in comparison to its more centrist rival, Fianna Fáil, but Fine Gael has never governed Ireland without the Labour Party, a social-democratic party on the centre-left of Irish politics.

This strategy was criticised by Fianna Fáil Minister for Children, Barry Andrews.

At the 2009 Local elections held on 5 June 2009, Fine Gael won 556 seats, surpassing Fianna Fáil which won 407 seats, and making Fine Gael the largest party of local government nationally.

Lowry, currently an independent TD, supported the Fianna Fáil – Green Party government in Dáil Éireann until March 2011.

Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party, more commonly known as Fianna Fáil () is a centrist to centre-right Irish republican and conservative political party in Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926.

Historically, Fianna Fáil has been seen as to the left of Fine Gael and to the right of the Labour Party and is generally seen as a classic " catch all " populist party-representing a broad range of people from all social classes with the belief in the coincidence of economic growth and social progress.

Since the formation of the first Fianna Fáil government on 9 March 1932, the party has been in power for 61 of the last 79 years.

Fianna Fáil joined the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party on 16 April 2009, and has sat in its associated Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament since the 2009 European elections.

Although the posts of leader and party president of Fianna Fáil are separate, with the former elected by the Parliamentary Party and the latter elected by the Ardfheis ( thus allowing for the posts to be held by different people, in theory ), in practice they have always been held by the one person.

The chart below shows a timeline of Fianna Fáil leaders and the Presidents of the Executive Council and Taoiseach.

The left bar shows all the leaders of Fianna Fáil, and the right bar shows the corresponding make-up of the Irish government at that time.

While there are a number of political parties in the state, the political landscape has been dominated for decades by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, historically opposed and competing entities, which both occupy the traditional centre ground.

In more recent history, the name Fianna Éireann has been used by a number of Irish Republican organisations.

Fianna Fáil (" the Fianna of Ireland "; sometimes rendered " the soldiers of destiny ") has been used as a sobriquet for the Irish Volunteers ; on the cap badge of the Irish Army ; in the opening line of the Irish-language version of the Irish national anthem ; and as the name of the Fianna Fáil political party.

The name Fianna Éireann (), also written Fianna na hÉireann and Na Fianna Éireann ( Irish: " Soldiery of Ireland " or " Warriors ' of Ireland ", named after the mythological Fianna ), has been used by various Irish republican youth movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

Prior to the setting up of Na Fianna in Dublin in 1909, it has now transpired that Lord Baden Powell had reportedly unsuccessfully sought the assistance of Patrick Pearse in setting up a branch of his Boy Scouts in Dublin.

This Liath has a son, Conán mac Lia, who becomes lord of Luchair and a marauder against Fionn and the Fianna.

The constituency has historically been a Fianna Fáil stronghold.

: Dr. Hillery is regarded as a powerhouse of ideas, one of the few members of Fianna Fáil who has new policies and is eager to implement them.

FitzGerald has been scathing of the record of the Fianna Fáil led Government since 1997 on the economy and the national finances.

The foundation date has significance as Samhain: according to legend the day the Fianna fell from power.

Barry Andrews, a politician from the then governing Fianna Fáil party, questioned “ the wisdom of sending out 10 people with no sailing experience with just two qualified sailors .” He said the destruction of the ship “ shows that so-called reality television has gone too far, with people being asked to carry out challenges that are too dangerous .”

The Labour Party has served in government for a total of nineteen years, six times in coalition either with Fine Gael alone or with Fine Gael and other smaller parties, and once with Fianna Fáil, giving it the second-longest time in government of Irish parties, next to Fianna Fáil.

Cowen has brought record low levels of public support for Fianna Fáil, his government, and the Taoiseach himself.

The Fianna of the story are divided into the Clann Baiscne, led by Fionn mac Cumhaill ( often rendered as " Finn MacCool ", Finn Son of Cumhall ), and the Clann Morna, led by his enemy, Goll mac Morna.

When Éamon de Valera led Fianna Fáil to victory in the Irish Free State election of 1932, he began removing the monarchical elements of the constitution, beginning with the Oath of Allegiance.

* June 15 – In the Irish general election, the Fianna Fáil party, led by Taoiseach Charles Haughey, fails to win a majority.

Every year for twenty-three years at Samhain, the fire-breathing fairy Aillen would lull the men of Tara to sleep with his music before burning the palace to the ground, and the Fianna, led by Goll mac Morna, were powerless to prevent it.

Prominent civil society campaigns on the Yes side included Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Progressive Democrats, the Irish Alliance for Europe led by Professor Brigid Laffan and Adrian Langan, and Ireland for Europe led by Ciarán Toland.

O ' Mahony, who was a Celtic scholar, named his organization after the Fianna, the legendary band of Irish warriors led by Fionn mac Cumhaill ..

Fianna ( singular fian ) were small, semi-independent warrior bands in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology, most notably in the stories of the Fenian Cycle, where they are led by Fionn mac Cumhaill.

Tom Lyons, an ex internee, was the man who led this group and they were the forerunners of the Fianna that emerged after WWII.

The Border Campaign by the IRA began in December 1956 and it led to Na Fianna losing many of its members, especially in Dublin.

Instead of re-entering coalition with Fianna Fáil under Ahern, however, Spring led Labour into successful coalition negotiations with Fine Gael and the Democratic Left.

Thus the murder indirectly led to Fianna Fáil's forced entry to the Dáil and in August 1927 the government narrowly survived a vote of no confidence.

Nevertheless, the Fianna Fáil government, led by Éamon de Valera, still desired to replace the constitutional document they saw as having been imposed by the UK government in 1922.

However, the waspish Healy still could not help courting further controversy, most notably in a public attack on the new Fianna Fáil and its leader, Éamon de Valera, which led to republican calls for his resignation.

The challenge of addressing the national finances was made difficult by electoral arithmetic and a lack of support from the opposition Fianna Fáil party led by Charles Haughey.

The outcome was the first ever coalition government for Fianna Fáil, whose junior partner were the Progressive Democrats led by former Fianna Fáil TD Desmond O ' Malley.

By the time of the 1997 general election Sinn Féin stated that they would prefer a Fianna Fáil led government and the IRA resumed their ceasefire soon after Fine Gael lost the 1997 general election.

A Fianna Fáil – Progressive Democrat coalition led by Bertie Ahern came into power, with Bruton reverting to leadership of the opposition.

This led to a significant shift to the Progressive Democrats at the last minute, and many Fine Gael voters voted strategically for the Progressive Democrats to avoid a single-party Fianna Fáil government.

Fianna Fáil's political dominance was broken in 1948-51 and in 1954-1957, when coalitions led by Fine Gael ( descendants of Cumann na nGaedheal ), and including the Labour Party and Clann na Poblachta won elections and formed the government.

Poor economic growth and lack of social services led Sean Lemass, who succeeded the veteran Éamon de Valera as leader of Fianna Fáil and as Taoiseach in 1958, to state that if economic performance did not improve, the very future of the independent Irish state was at risk.