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.

Fianna Fáil has led governments including parties of the centre-left ( Labour and the Green Party ) and of the centre-right ( the now-defunct Progressive Democrats ) and is often seen as a pragmatic party of the establishment.

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.

It emerged during the campaign that what Lenihan had told friends and insiders in private flatly contradicted his public statements on a controversial effort in 1982 by the then opposition Fianna Fáil to pressure President Hillery into refusing a parliamentary dissolution to then Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald ; Hillery had resolutely rejected the pressure.

A mainly centrist party, Fianna Fáil, typically receives 30 %- 50 % of the vote while opposition parties, traditionally the centre-right Fine Gael and the centre-left Labour Party, are comparatively weak.

( Nevertheless three opposition figures, including Fianna Fáil leader Charles Haughey, demanded to be put through to Hillery, with Haughey threatening to end Barber's career if the calls weren't put through.

While it looked as if co-operation between these parties would not be feasible a shared opposition to Fianna Fáil and Éamon de Valera overcame all other difficulties and the coalition government was formed.

In 1975 Fianna Fáil was in opposition and Haughey had achieved enough grassroots support to warrant a recall to Jack Lynch's opposition Bench.

Fianna Fáil in opposition opposed the bill.

In opposition, Lemass played a crucial role in re-organising and streamlining Fianna Fáil.

On 9 June 1994 Fianna Fáil lost two seats in the Mayo West by-election and the Dublin South Central by-election to the opposition Fine Gael and Democratic Left.

Fianna Fáil thus found themselves in opposition against a Rainbow Coalition.

For the first time the party now faced vigorous parliamentary ( if not entirely constitutional ) opposition in the Dáil, as Fianna Fáil also made significant gains.

Cosgrave remained active in opposition but he privately supported Fianna Fáil's referendum to abolish the system of proportional representation in June, 1959, which was defeated.

Nevertheless, Fianna Fáil went on to win the 1965 General Election and Fine Gael remained in opposition.

He played a key role in the Arms Crisis, when, as leader of the opposition, he pressured then Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, to take action against senior ministers who were involved in importing arms intended for the Provisional IRA.

When he got there, he was informed that a series of telephone calls had been made by senior opposition figures ( and some independent TDs ), including Fianna Fáil leader ( and ex-Taoiseach ) Charles Haughey, Brian Lenihan and Sylvester Barrett demanding that the President, as he could constitutionally do where a Taoiseach had ' ceased to retain the support of a majority in Dáil Éireann ', refuse FitzGerald a parliamentary dissolution, forcing his resignation as Taoiseach and enabling the Dáil to nominate someone else for the post.

O ' Malley had lost the Fianna Fáil whip in the Dáil in 1984 because of his support for the New Ireland Forum report and was finally expelled from Fianna Fáil early in 1985 for " conduct unbecoming " a member when he refused to support Fianna Fáil's opposition to the introduction of contraception.

The minority Fianna Fáil government introduced some of the economic reforms that the Progressive Democrats had recommended, Fianna Fáil was however largely supported by Fine Gael where the economy was concerned and so the Progressive Democrats had difficulty in being effective in opposition.

However the opposition Fianna Fáil withdrew from the agreement, thinking that it was being set up by the Government.

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.

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

These policies was started by the 1989 – 1992 Fianna Fáil / Progressive Democrat government, with the support of the opposition Fine Gael, and continued by the subsequent Fianna Fáil / Labour government ( 1992 – 1994 ) and Fine Gael / Labour Party / Democratic Left governments ( 1994 – 1997 ).