Fine Gael

One of the two main political parties in the Republic of Ireland. Originally formed from the wing of Sinn Féin which supported the treaty of 1921. The party formed the first government of the Irish Free State but since then has frequently found itself out of office and as a result FG has held power for fewer years than FF. On those occasions when it has succeeded in going onto form a government (1973-77, 1981-82, 1983-87) the party has had to rely on the Irish Labour Party to form a coalition. Then from 1994-97 it was part of a coalition administration involving the Irish Labour Party and a smaller left-wing grouping, Democratic Left. During this period in office it was therefore closely involved in attempts to reach a political settlement in Northern Ireland. In contrast to its main rival in the Republic, Fianna Fáil, FG has traditionally viewed as being less strident in its attitude towards Northern Ireland.