Minister for Children, Disability and Equality

The office was created in 1956 as the Minister for the Gaeltacht. Its title and functions have changed several times, with the current title adopted in 2020.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2020/si/437/made/en/print|title=Children and Youth Affairs (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2020|date=13 October 2020|access-date=16 October 2020|website=Irish Statute Book|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017213429/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2020/si/437/made/en/print|url-status=live}} An office of minister of state for children existed from 2005 to 2011.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2006-04-04/speech/356/|title=Written Answers: Youth Services|date=4 April 2006|access-date=11 May 2025|journal=Dáil Debates|volume=617|issue=4|first=Brian|last=Lenihan|author-link=Brian Lenihan Jnr}}

Responsibility for the Gaeltacht was transferred to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2011{{cite ISB|year=2011|type=si|num=164|title=Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 |date=5 April 2011}} and to the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in 2025.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan="2"|Term of office

!colspan="2"|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Richard Mulcahy

|2 June 1956

|24 October 1956

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|7th

|-

|Patrick Lindsay

|24 October 1956

|20 March 1957

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|7th

|-

|Jack Lynch

|20 March 1957

|26 June 1957

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|8th

|-

|Mícheál Ó Móráin
(1st time)

|26 June 1957

|23 July 1959

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|8th{{•}}9th

|-

|Gerald Bartley

|23 July 1959

|11 October 1961

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|9th

|-

|Mícheál Ó Móráin
(2nd time)

|11 October 1961

|26 March 1968

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|10th{{•}}11th{{•}}12th

|-

|Pádraig Faulkner

|27 March 1968

|2 July 1969

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|12th

|-

|George Colley

|2 July 1969

|14 March 1973

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|13th

|-

|Tom O'Donnell

|14 March 1973

|5 July 1977

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|14th

|-

|Denis Gallagher
(1st time)

|5 July 1977

|11 December 1979

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|15th

|-

|Máire Geoghegan-Quinn

|12 December 1979

|30 June 1981

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|16th

|-

|Paddy O'Toole
(1st time)

|30 June 1981

|9 March 1982

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|17th

|-

|Pádraig Flynn

|9 March 1982

|11 October 1982

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|18th

|-

|Denis Gallagher
(2nd time)

|11 October 1982

|14 December 1982

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|18th

|-

|Paddy O'Toole
(2nd time)

|14 December 1982

|10 March 1987

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|19th

|-

|Charles Haughey

|10 March 1987

|11 February 1992

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|20th{{•}}21st

|-

|John Wilson

|11 February 1992

|12 January 1993

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|22nd

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan="2"|Term of office

!colspan="2"|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Michael D. Higgins
(1st time)

|12 January 1993

|17 November 1994

| {{party name with colour|Labour Party (Ireland)}}

|23rd

|-

|Bertie Ahern

|18 November 1994

|15 December 1994

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|23rd

|-

|Michael D. Higgins
(2nd time)

|15 December 1994

|26 June 1997

| {{party name with colour|Labour Party (Ireland)}}

|24th

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan="2"|Term of office

!colspan="2"|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Síle de Valera

|26 June 1997

|6 June 2002

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|25th

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan="2"|Term of office

!colspan="2"|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Éamon Ó Cuív

|6 June 2002

|23 March 2010

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|26th{{•}}27th{{•}}28th

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan=2|Term of office

!colspan=2|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Pat Carey

|23 March 2010

|9 March 2011

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|28th

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan="2"|Term of office

!colspan="2"|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Frances Fitzgerald

|9 March 2011

|7 May 2014

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|29th

|-

|Charles Flanagan

|8 May 2014

|11 July 2014

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|29th

|-

|James Reilly

|11 July 2014

|6 May 2016

| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}

|29th

|-

|Katherine Zappone

|6 May 2016

|27 June 2020

| {{party name with colour|Independent politician (Ireland)}}

|30th{{•}}31st

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan="2"|Term of office

!colspan="2"|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Roderic O'Gorman

|27 June 2020

|23 January 2025

| {{party name with colour|Green Party (Ireland)}}

|32nd{{•}}33rd{{•}}34th

|-

|colspan=6|

|-

!Name

!colspan="2"|Term of office

!colspan="2"|Party

!Government(s)

|-

|Norma Foley

|23 January 2025

|Incumbent

| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}

|35th

|}

{{Reflist}}

• {{official website}}

{{government of Ireland}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Children, Disability and Equality}}

Category:Government ministers of the Republic of Ireland

Category:Lists of government ministers of Ireland

Category:Ministers for children, young people and families

Minister