The deputy leader of the Seanad is Seán Kyne of Fine Gael.

The Leader plays a similar role in the Seanad's procedure to that played by the Taoiseach in Dáil Éireann:[3] In the Seanad of the Irish Free State, there was no separate position of Leader.

[1] De Valera's Fianna Fáil government secured the abolition of the Seanad in 1936.

The standing orders of the new Seanad provided for the role of Leader to control the flow of business from the government.

[1][4] Maurice Manning noted in 2010 that recent Leaders had more influence with the government, leading to increased input by the Seanad into legislation.