He remained as leader of Fianna Fáil until 1959, when he retired after serving 21 years as head of government over three separate stints and after leading the party to eight general election triumphs.

Seán Lemass was the unanimous choice to succeed de Valera as leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach that year.

Ahern went on to become the most popular leader of Fianna Fáil in the modern era, guiding the party to three successive election triumphs and serving almost eleven consecutive years as Taoiseach.

[1] Cowen's tenure was characterised by a downturn in the economy, and he was effectively forced to resign as party leader in 2011 while remaining as Taoiseach.

Four candidates put their names forward in the subsequent leadership election, with former Foreign Minister Micheál Martin becoming the eighth leader of the party.

Previous Fianna Fáil deputy leaders, including Brian Cowen and Mary Coughlan, held this post from 2007 to 2011.

Following the resignation of Dara Calleary in August 2020, the position of deputy leader remained vacant until Jack Chambers was appointed in June 2024.