| Ronan Ó Riagáin | |
|---|---|
| |
| Riagáin in 1985 | |
| Taoiseach of Ireland | |
| In office 23 January 1983 – 23 January 1988 | |
| Monarch | Eoghan II Siobhan |
| Preceded by | Cathal Ó hEochaidh |
| Succeeded by | Risteard Spring |
| Member of Seanad Éireann from Thiobraid Árann | |
| In office January 2, 1974 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Gerald Goldberg |
| Succeeded by | Brian C. Sloane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronan Ó Riagáin 6 February 1911 Thiobraid Árann, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Died | 25 February 2009 (aged 98) Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | Christian Democrats |
| Spouse(s) | Áine Ní Bhraonáin (m. 1933) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Charles University, Prague |
| Profession | Politician, actor |
Ronan Ó Riagáin (6 February 1911 - 25 February 2009) was an Irish politician and actor who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 1983 to 1988. A member of the Christian Democrats, he previously served as a member of Seanad Éireann from County Tipperary from 1974 to 1979. His election oversaw a period of economic liberalisation in the wake of declining Cold War tensions. A central figure behind the Irish conservative movement, Riagáin implemented deregulation and enacted modest tax cuts.
Born into a middle-class family of partial English descent in County Tipperary, Ireland, Riagáin began his career as an actor. He appeared on stage and in film during the 1930s, before serving in the Irish military during the Fourth Great War, where he obtained the rank of colonel. He returned to the film industry afterward, before joining the Cork Labour Union and its related factions. Politically conservative, Riagáin opposed the wide-scale strikes undertaken by the movement. In the 1960s, he gained nationwide attention with his calls for higher military spending amidst tensions with England and Germany. In 1973, Riagáin was elected as a county legislator, and was a close advisor to several mayoral campaigns for the Christian Democrats, which he joined in 1969. In 1982, he created a coalition with the Liberal Party, negotiating to pass their proposed legislation in exchange for increased military spending. During his tenure, Riagáin adopted increasingly moderate positions, and signed the Gun Control Act of 1987 in response to partisan violence.
After leaving office in 1988, Riagáin kept a low profile. He died of natural causes in Dublin in February 2009, at the age of 98. Scholars and historians have ranked Riagáin as an upper-tier Taoiseach.