Following the 1965 general election, Gibbons secured promotion to the junior ministerial ranks under Seán Lemass, when he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance.

In August 1969, civil unrest in Northern Ireland boiled over and the Irish government were forced to act.

A government fund of £100,000 was set up to provide relief to nationalist civilians forced out of their homes by the Troubles, and Charles Haughey, as Minister for Finance, was given sole authority over this money.

[4] The Minister for Agriculture, Neil Blaney, allegedly made plans with Captain James Kelly to import weapons from continental Europe.

Haughey provided the money for the purchase from his civilian relief fund, and also tried to arrange customs clearance for the shipment.

He was never charged with any offence himself and was angry that a Dáil motion of confidence in the government effectively turned into a debate about him personally.

Following Fianna Fáil's huge triumph at the 1977 general election, Gibbons's tenure as an MEP ended and he returned to Jack Lynch's new cabinet as Minister for Agriculture.

In the resulting cabinet reshuffle Gibbons and Bobby Molloy lost their ministerial positions, as Haughey promoted backbenchers who had supported him.

Gibbons regained his seat at the February 1982 general election and voted against Haughey in the leadership challenge that was proposed by Charlie McCreevy.

Leaving Leinster House after the vote he was attacked by a number of Fianna Fáil supporters and forced to the ground.

[8][9] A few weeks after this incident Gibbons suffered a heart attack and was unable to vote for Haughey later that year in a no-confidence motion at which point the government fell.

[10] In 1986, Gibbons offered his support to Desmond O'Malley and the new Progressive Democrats, as he believed that there was no longer a place for him within Haughey's Fianna Fáil party.