Bertie Ahern

Ahern's father Con was born into a farming family near Ballyfeard, which is located near Kinsale, County Cork, in 1904.

His mother also came from a farming background and was from near Castledonovan, west County Cork.

Ahern's father, Con, initially left County Cork and went to Dublin in the early 1930s to train for the priesthood, but did not complete his studies with the Vincentian order.

He had fought in the Irish Civil War.

He was a supporter of Éamon de Valera and the Anti-Treaty IRA.

He was a member of the 3rd Cork Brigade of the IRA.

He remained a militant Irish Republican for decades after the War of Independence.

Ahern was born in Drumcondra, Dublin, the youngest of five children of Con and Julia (née Hourihane) Ahern, both natives of County Cork, who married in October 1937.

They settled at Church Avenue, Drumcondra, where they resided for the rest of their lives.

The other four children are Maurice, Kathleen, Noel and Eileen.

In Dublin, Ahern's father worked as a farm manager at All Hallows College, Drumcondra.

Ahern's brother Noel is also involved in politics and represented Dublin North-West in Dáil Éireann.

Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste and Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht from November 1994 to December 1994, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994, Minister for Industry and Commerce in January 1993, Minister for Finance from 1991 to 1994, Minister for Labour from 1987 to 1991, Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence from March 1982 to December 1982 and Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1986 to 1987.

Ahern first became involved in a Fianna Fáil by-election campaign in 1965, climbing lamp posts to hang election posters in Drumcondra.

During the campaign, Ahern met his political mentor and future Taoiseach, Charles Haughey.

Ahern became a member of Fianna Fáil at the age of 17, and in the 1969 general election he assisted with the election campaign in his constituency.

He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011.

Ahern's first ran for office during the landslide 1977 general election when Fianna Fáil formed the last single-party majority government with a 20-seat Dáil majority, the largest ever.

Ahern received 4,000 first preference votes in the newly created Dublin Finglas constituency and was elected with transfers from other candidates.

He was elected to Dublin Corporation at the 1979 local elections for the Cabra East–Finglas West local electoral area (LEA).

Con Ahern died in 1990.

He later switched to the North Inner City LEA before standing down before the 1991 local elections.

In subsequent elections Ahern became one of the highest vote-getters in the country.

In 1994, Ahern was elected the sixth Leader of Fianna Fáil.

Under Ahern's leadership, Fianna Fáil led three coalition governments.

Ahern is the second-longest serving Taoiseach, after Éamon de Valera.

Ahern's mother, Julia, died in 1998, aged 87 years.

Ahern was educated at St. Patrick's National School, Drumcondra and at St. Aidan's Christian Brothers, Whitehall.

He received his third level education at the College of Commerce, Rathmines, part of the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Ahern has claimed or it has been claimed by others in circulated biographies that he was educated at University College Dublin and the London School of Economics, but neither university has any records that show Ahern was ever one of their students.

He subsequently worked in the Accounts Department of the Mater Hospital, Dublin.

Ahern is an enthusiastic and vocal fan of sport.

He is a supporter of Dublin GAA and attends Dublin matches in Croke Park.

He also supports Manchester United F.C. and attends matches at Old Trafford and rugby matches at Lansdowne Road.

He appeared as a pundit on RTÉ Two's The Premiership programme in 2001.

Ahern resigned as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008, in the wake of revelations made in Mahon Tribunal, and was succeeded by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen.

In 2012, the Mahon Tribunal found that Ahern, while not judged corrupt, had received money from developers and the Tribunal disbelieved his explanations of those payments.

Fianna Fáil proposed to expel politicians censured by the tribunal for "conduct unbecoming", but Ahern resigned his membership prior to the expulsion motion being moved.

In November 2016, Fianna Fáil announced that it had given Ahern the option of rejoining the party.

He rejoined in February 2023.