Liam Cosgrave

Liam Cosgrave (Irish name Liam Mac Cosgair) (born April 13, 1920), served as the fifth Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland between 1973 and 1977. The son of W.T. Cosgrave (who served as the first President of the Executive Council from 1922 to 1932), Liam Cosgrave entered Irish politics, becoming a TD in Dáil Éireann in 1944, when his father retired. He retained his seat until his own retirement in 1981. Cosgrave served as Minister for External Affairs from 1954 until 1957. During his term as Minister, Ireland joined the United Nations.

Early Life

From an early age Liam Cosgrave displayed a keen interest in politics, discussing the topic with his father as a teenager before eventually joining Fine Gael at the age of 17, speaking at his first public meeting the same year. He was educated at Castleknock College. To the surprise of his family, Liam decided to seek election to the Dail in 1943 and was duly elected as a TD at the age of 23, briefly sitting in parliament alongside his father W.T. Cosgrave who had founded the State in the 1920s. Cosgrave rapidly rose through the ranks of Fine Gael, becoming a parliamentary secretary when the party returned to power in 1948.

Related Topics:
Fine Gael - Castleknock College - W.T. Cosgrave

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