Cosgrave, Liam (1920– )

Irish politician, Taoiseach (prime minister) 1973–77, leader of Fine Gael 1965–77. Cosgrave signed the ill-fated Sunningdale agreement of December 1973 with the British government and representatives of the moderate unionist and nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. The agreement, which proposed a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland, coupled with cross-border institutions to deal with security and common socioeconomic matters, collapsed under extremist unionist pressure in 1974. At home, Cosgrave was prepared to make few concessions to reformist opinion on the Republic's social legislation, and even fewer towards traditional republicanism. He presided over severely repressive legislation to curb the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the Republic, including the declaration of a state of emergency in September 1976.

The son of the first prime minister of the Republic of Ireland, William Cosgrave, Liam Cosgrave was born in Dublin and educated at St Vincent's College, Castleknock, and trained in law at the King's Inns, Dublin. A member of the Dáil from 1943–81, he was minister for external affairs 1954–57. In 1965 he succeeded James Dillon as leader of Fine Gael, and from 1973 headed a Fine Gael–Labour coalition government, the first non-Fianna Fáil government in 16 years. He resigned as leader when his party was heavily defeated in the general election of 1977.