Enda Kenny

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Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017. Minister of Defense from 2002 to 2017, Minister of Tourism and Trade from 1992 to 2017, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs from 1986 to 1987.

He has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency since 1975.

He is Ireland's longest-serving TD, making him the Dáil's incumbent Father. Kenny led Fine Gael to a historic victory in the 2011 general election, his party becoming the country's largest party for the first time when joining a coalition government with the Labour Party on March 9, 2011.

He became the first Fine Gael member to be elected Taoiseach for a second term in a row following the 2016 election, leading to the establishment of a Fine Gael-led minority government.

He was the first Taoiseach from Fine Gael since John Bruton (1994–1997) and the first tangoiseach of Fine Gael since Garret FitzGerald in 1982.

He was the longest-serving Fine Gael Taoiseach in April 2017 when he resigned as Taoiseach on June 2nd and announced that until a new leader was chosen in early June, he would resign as Taoiseach.

The then Minister of Social Protection Leo Varadkar was elected to replace Kenny as the Head of Fine Gael in the upcoming leadership race.

On June 13, 2017, he resigned as Taoiseach, but Varadkar took over the following day.

Kenny declared on Friday that he would not run for re-election in a general election on November 5th.

Early life

Kenny was born in 1951 in Derrycoosh, Islandeady, near Castlebar, County Mayo, and the third child of five of Mary Eithne (McGinley) and Henry Kenny. He was educated locally at St Patrick's National School in Cornanool N.S., Leitir N.S., and St. Gerald's College, Castlebar. He studied at St Patrick's College, Dublin, qualifying as a national teacher, and was an undergraduate student at University College Galway. He spent four years as a primary school teacher. He also played for Islandeady GAA, a local team.

Personal life

Since 1992, Kenny has been married to Fionnuala O'Kelly. The media has dubbed her as his "interruption weapon." O'Kelly is a first cousin of sitting Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly, who also served as a President of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). The O'Kelly family came from Kilcummin, near Killarney, County Kerry, and was first a member of the parish of Kilcummin. The couple have three children, Aoibhinn's daughter, and two sons, Ferdia and Naoise. The pair met in Leinster House, where O'Kelly worked as a press officer for Fianna Fáil. She later worked with Raidió Teilifs Éireann (RTÉ).

Kenny has scaled Mount Kilimanjaro and completed the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. He is a huge fan of his hometown Mayo GAA football team, as well as playing football for his hometown team, Islandeady GAA, of which he is the current club president. Henry, his father, was a member of the county team and received an All-Ireland medal in 1936. His grandfather was a lighthouse keeper.

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Career

Following his father, Henry Kenny, Kenny, being a Fine Gael TD in 1954, Kenny was exposed to politics from an early age. Since he began assisting his father with constituency clinics in the early 1970s, he became heavily involved in politics. Henry Kenny (who was at this time as the government's Parliamentary Secretary) died as a result of a brief war with cancer in 1975. Fine Gael wanted one of his sons to run as their nominee in the forthcoming by-election, and Enda Kenny was chosen. He was elected on the first count, 52% of the vote, and became the youngest member of the 20th Dáil, aged 24.

Kenny remained on the backbenches for almost a decade. He was first elected party spokesperson on Youth Affairs and Sport, then Western Growth; however, he failed to establish a national reputation as he remained more focused on constituency issues. When Garnet FitzGerald was first Taoiseach in 1981 and again in 1982, Kenny was left out in the cold. He was, on the other hand, elected as a member of the Fine Gael delegation at the New Ireland Forum in 1983. He spent time on the British-Irish Parliamentary Association later in life. He was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Labour and Education in 1986, with responsibility for Youth Affairs. Fine Gael was defeated in the 1987 general election, leaving Kenny and Fine Gael on the opposition benches for the next seven years. Despite this, his national profile was raised as he spent time on the party's front bench, including Education, Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht, and the Islands. For a short time, he was also the Chief Whip of Fine Gael.

The Fianna Fáil-Labour Party government in late 1994 collapsed, but no general election was called. Rather, a Fine Gael-Labour Party (Democratic Left Party) or a Socialist Left coalition, "Rainbow Coalition," came to power. Kenny, the team's chief whip, was a key player in the team, which negotiated the government's agreement with the other parties prior to the formation of the new government. Kenny joined the cabinet and was named Minister of Tourism and Trade under Taoiseach John Bruton. During his time as Minister, Ireland saw a significant rise in the tourism industry and its international trade position. During Ireland's six-month Presidency of the European Council, as Minister, he chaired the European Union Council of Trade Ministers, as well as co-chairing a round of the World Trade Organization talks in 1996. Kenny's other accomplishments include the relaunching of the Saint Patrick's Day parade in Dublin and the successful negotiations to bring a stage of the 1998 Tour de France to Ireland. At the general election in 1997, the government was defeated, and Kenny returned to the opposition benches.

In 2001, John Bruton resigned as the head of Fine Gael after a vote of no confidence in his abilities. Kenny stood in the upcoming leadership race, promising to "elect the party." Michael Noonan emerged victorious in the final election (it is Fine Gael's tradition not to announce election results). Noonan did not assign a spokesperson to Kenny; this led him to accuse Noonan of sending a "dangerous note."

Fine Gael's worst parliamentary showing ever came in at 23 seats, a larger than expected result in the absence of 5% of the vote. Kenny came close to losing his seat, and even went so far as to plan a concession address. He took the third seat in the five-seat constituency in the end. On the night of the attack, Noonan resigned as the head of Fine Gael, sparking another leadership race. Members of the opposition party's protest against the snailing of the leadership race and the inability of the party to expand the vote to the members were held. It was said that conducting an electoral post-mortem was irresponsible to choose a leader before conducting an electoral inquiry.

Kenny has once more contested the leadership but has been largely successful on that front.

Kenny was accused of making racial remark after using the word "nigger" in a parody relating to Patrice Lumumba, the assassinated first Prime Minister of the Congo's Democratic Republic. Kenny wanted the event to be denied, and he had specifically asked journalists not to cite it, although the Sunday Independent newspaper reported his "chortling repetition of the offensive word." Both domestic and international race campaigners condemned him. When it became known that several of Lumumba's relatives, including a son and several grandchildren, lived in Tallaght, the situation was made even worse.

When reminiscing about an incident involving his friend David Molony's sudden death, Kenny apologized unreservedly but said there was no racist motive and that he was simply quoting what a Moroccan barman had said. However, what he said was widely believed to be politically indefensible, he said, was a tale that should not have been told in the company of journalists by someone aspiring to become the next Taoiseach.

Fine Gael outperforms expectations at the 2004 local and European elections, with Fine Gael's presence up from 4 MEPs from 15 from Ireland to 5 from 13. This was the first time Fine Gael had ever defeated Fianna Fáil in a national election since it failed to finish first in a national election since 1927 general election behind Cumann nGael, Fine Gael's immediate predecessor.

Five men from Kenny's Mayo constituency were jailed in July 2005 for opposing the Fianna Fáil-led government's proposals for the Corrib gas project. During general elections, one of the men, Philip McGrath, worked with Kenny as an election agent for Rossport. Kenny, unlike his fellow Mayo Fine Gael TD Michael Ring, was suspicious of supporting the men's position (Ring would later be required to follow the same policy). Shell to Sea, a campaign that was launched in an attempt to help the guys get back to the country and make the government reconsider its decision, has been postponed for fifteen months. "The law must be obeyed," Kenny said when Garda was brought to depose demonstrators with tactics that resulted in multiple hospitalizations.

Kenny called for the removal of compulsory Irish examinations from the Leaving Certificate examinations in November 2005. All the main Irish language organisations had condemned this. He was elected vice president of the European People's Party (EPP), the country's largest political party to which Fine Gael is a member. Fine Gael will be in government in Ireland within two years, he said in a speech to the EPP.

Kenny took a more radical approach to the cost of immigration, street crime, paedophilia, and homeowners' rights in the first half of 2006. A graphic representation of a mugging he had witnessed was sent to the Dáil in the context of a crime investigation, but it was later discovered in Kenya, not in Ireland.

Fine Gael decided to enter a pre-election alliance with the Labour Party in order to give the electorate an alternative coalition government at the 2007 general election, which took place on May 24. Following the 2004 European and municipal elections, the so-called Mullingar Accord was reached in September 2004. Following the election, the Green Party also expressed its displeasure with the formation of such a coalition government on the Internet. However, it will not sign a deal before the polling day, but it would not commit to one.

Fine Gael's leadership attempted to identify it as a center of the progressive center. Its policy efforts centered on value for money, consumer rights, civil partnerships, reform of public service, reward and enterprise, and preventative health care. The party attempted to reclaim its former role as a result of the state's law-and-order and a group committed to the state's institutions. Kenny introduced his campaign for a New Ireland at the Fine Gael Ardfheis in March 2007. The key aspects of this "deal" included: 2,300 more hospital beds, 2,000 more Garda's, tighter prison sentences, tighter jail sentences, tighter jail probation for prisoners, free health care for all children under the age of 16, and lower income tax. Many believed Bertie Ahern to have comfortably defeated Kenny in the pre-election Leaders' debate. Fine Gael had made major changes, increasing the number of seats by twenty-one votes to give a total of 51 seats in the new Dáil to a total of 51. However, Labour and the Greens failed to make gains, leaving Kenny's "Alliance for Change" short of a majority. Despite claims to the contrary, the Fianna Fáil vote in the Fianna Fáil increased to 78 seats and a third term in government for Ahern.

Responding to the banking crisis in County Cork, Kenny ordered the entire board of the Central Bank of Ireland's Financial Regulation section to resign on February 15, 2009.

An opinion poll published in The Irish Times on June 10, 2010, launched a challenge to Kenny's leadership of the party. According to the Ipsos MRBI survey, Labour Party had become the country's most popular political party for the first time, and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's support for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has decreased, as well as their leaders. Fianna Fáil support dropped by five points to 28 percent in January 2010, leaving the party on 17%, Fine Gael down four points to 28 percent, and Labour up eight points to 32 percent. Kenny's leadership went from 7% to 24%.

Following the failure of the party's deputy leader Richard Bruton to help him, he was dismissed by Kenny on June 14, 2010. On June 17, 2010, he also tabled a vote of confidence in his leadership. Nine members of the Fine Gael frontbench did not have confidence in Kenny to lead their party, according to Simon Coveney, Denis Naughten, Olwyn Enright, Olivia Mitchell, Fermington, Leo Varadkar, and Brian Hayes. Frontbench members, Denis Naughten, said Kenny did not have his approval and would not want him to abandon his motion of confidence and stand down in the interest of the party.

In December 2008, Vincent Browne chastised Kenny in The Irish Times for not having a grasp of the problems, especially economic ones.

The motion of confidence in Kenny was accepted. Varadkar and Bruton announced a major reshuffle of his party's front bench on July 1, 2010, naming Bruton, Coveney, O'Dowd, and Varadkar.

When speaking to reporters outside the party's headquarters in Dublin, Kenny said Fine Gael acknowledged the value of "the giving of hope and confidence to people through the taxation system." "The Fine Gael party in this election is the only party that has categorically said that no increase in income tax will be made during our time in office," he said. The country needs a strong government, not an administration that was relying on the help of Independents, according to him. "I believe that this is a time for a savvy and effective government." There isn't a time for government that could self-combust or is completely dependent on any mercenary Independents' decision. This is a people's decision.

During the campaign, there were several leaders debates on television. Enda Kenny, Michaél Martin, and Eamon Gilmore debated on RTÉ, RTÉ, and TG4, united by the three debates, featured Gerry Adams and John Gormley, along with other participants.

Kenny, on the other hand, refused to participate in the three-way leaders' debate by TV3, citing his dissatisfaction that Vincent Browne would chair the discussion. Browne, a well-known critic of Fine Gael and Kenny, is a well-known critic. Browne poured scorn on Kenny in 1982, claiming he was "purporting" to be a TD. Browne was coerced to make a public apology to Kenny after jokingly asking if Fine Gael wanted him to enter a darkroom with a pistol and a bottle of whisky. This was in reference to Fine Gael's position in the polls, where they came in second place to Labour and Richard Bruton's first leadership challenge to Kenny. Despite Browne's pledge to be substituted by a different moderator for the discussion if Kenny would appear, Kenny declined to participate in the leaders debate.

Kenny appeared in a three-party leader debate on RTÉ moderated by Miriam O'Callaghan, as well as a five-way discussion on RTÉ; this was a new format that involved all party leaders of the outgoing Dáil, including Kenny.

On TG4, he participated in a three-way debate in the Irish language with Micheál Martin and Eamon Gilmore.

On February 14, 2011, Kenny spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to address the Irish economy. Since Merkel's CDU Party and Fine Gael are both members of the center-right European People's Party (EPP), Kenny and Merkel have close political ties, and the order of surnames at EPP meetings is ordered by alphabetical order of surnames. The closeness between these two leaders is made even more vivid by the fact that Angela Merkel also supports Enda Kenny and Fine Gael during the 2007 election.

According to opinion polls released on February 23, 2011, sponsored by Paddy Power, the Irish Independent, and The Irish Times, Kenny would lead Fine Gael to its highest number of seats in the 31st Dáil to date, and that he will be elected Taoiseach.

Kenny led Fine Gael to a decisive victory in the election. The party gained 76 seats in the first decade of its 78-year history, making it the country's largest party. In comparison, Fianna Fáil suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in the country's history, with its representation down by 75%. Kenny himself led the vote in Mayo's Mayo constituency, with three others from Fine Gael elected alongside Kenny. Kenny declared that Fine Gael had "a massive endorsement" to rule at a win party in Dublin, and that the election marked "a turning point in Ireland's history." He told RTÉ that after what he described as "a democratic revolution at the ballot box," he was fully expected to become Taoiseach. Although there was some suggestion that Fine Gael will lead as a minority government, senior Fine Gael officials announced as soon as the election result was clear that they would likely enter a coalition government led by Labour Party members. Late on the night of 5th March 2011, Dublin Castle, Fine Gael, and Labour had officially agreed to form a joint government led by Kenny as Tánaiste and Taoiseach Eamon Gilmore as Tánaiste, with Labour being given four other seats in cabinet.

Kenny said that his first priority after taking office would be to renegotiate the terms of the bailout for Ireland, describing the original agreement as "a bad deal for Ireland and a bad deal for Europe."

The members of the 31st Dáil reconvenesd for the first time on March 9, 2011. Kenny was elected Taoiseach by a margin of 117-27. Kenny was given the seal of office by President Mary McAleese. On March 9, 2011, he also revealed ministerial candidates to his Cabinet. Kenny is the second-oldest person to take office for the first time in history, with Seán Lemass being the second.

Kenny appointed 15 junior Ministers on March 9, 2011. He also named a Minister for political reform and sent a letter to the Office of Public Works asking how he might approach ministerial transport. Only the current President, the Tánaiste, and the Minister for Justice and Equality would have Garda chauffeurs on March 15, 2011. All other Ministers will have to make use of their own transportation, with a mileage allowance and a commercial chauffeur as an expense. There was no information about the three government jets' continuing work. According to the media, this will bring the ministerial motor vehicle transportation bill down to €7,000,000 annually, more than the total annual tax contributions of 16,000 people on minimum wage.

Kenny slashed his own salary by €14,000 (a decrease of 7%). The new government has also decided to reduce the salary of senior Ministers. The Taoiseach's salary was reduced from €214,187 to €200,000. Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore's salary was reduced from €197,486 to €184,405. Ministers' salary was reduced to €169,275 (from €181,283), while Ministers of State were paid less, from €139,266 to €130,042. Kenny ordered the Gardai, the Ministry of Justice and Transport, as well as the Office of Public Works, to devise a scheme to minimize the amount spent on transporting Ministers and their teams by a budgetary measure.

Kenny attended his first European Council as Taoiseach in Brussels on March 11, 2011, his third day in office. He engaged in a tense debate with President Nicolas Sarkozy (which Kenny described as "a Gallic spat") over Ireland's marginally low 12.5% corporate tax rate, which EU politicians have criticized as a sign of more favourable terms for the Irish bailout. Kenny maintained his position on his refusal to update the corporate tax in his first Leaders' Questions the following week, announcing that his government would hold further state funds from Dublin banks until the EU agreed to new terms that compelled banks' senior bondholders to share the losses.

The Central Bank of Ireland released the findings of its "stress tests" on Ireland's four remaining banks (Allied Irish Banks, Bank of Ireland, EBS, and Irish Life & Permanent) on March 31, 2011, indicating that the banks needed to raise an additional €24,000,000,000 to remain solvent. Despite his earlier promise, the government declared on the same day that the state would have the necessary funds to keep the banks afloat, with Kenny saying that seeking the money from bondholders would be neither "right or logical."

Kenny's government had been chastised for his government's decision, with the Irish Independent noting that "this is the fifth time Irish people have been told over the past two years that it will be the last penalty they will have to endure."

However, the first national opinion poll since Kenny's tenure as Prime Minister had increased since the election, from 36% to 39 percent, according to a plurality, who also expressed dissatisfaction with his rescue of the banks.

On July 21, 2011, Kenny reported that Eurozone leaders had reached an agreement that would lower Ireland's interest rate by 2% and extend the repayment term.

Kenny's government introduced a new job creation initiative on May 9, 2011, as well as a pledge to fund it by a 0.6% levy on private pension savings. However, public pension funds will remain unchanged. The pension levy caused immediate and widespread outrage, prompting Kenny to defend the proposal as "a modest start" and denied allegations that the government will next tax personal savings. However, the uproar surrounding the levy escalated on May 12, 2011, when Kenny confirmed that the owners of Approved Retirement Funds, the majority of whom were among Ireland's highest income earners, would not be included in the levy.

Kenny's government accepted a sequence of political reforms that kept to pledges made during the general election on May 3. The founding of a binding Constituency Commission in June 2011 was among the approved reforms; an act to establish a six-month time limit for holding by-elections in the Dáil; and a referendum on the abolition of the Seanad were set to be held in the second half of 2012. The promise to cut down to 20 TDs ignited some controversy and mistrust, owing to the Constitutional requirement that no less than one TD for every 30,000 residents, which would necessitates a minimum of 150 TDs, which means that the number of 166 TDs could have been reduced by 16 at most.

The Cloyne Report, which detailed the probe into reports of child sexual abuse by 19 priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, was published on July 13th. Among the report's conclusions was the finding that the overwhelming majority of reports concerning the diocese were not reported to the Garda; that the Bishop of the Diocese, John Magee, and others had refused to cooperate fully with the government's probe and had deliberately misrepresented his own response to the allegations; and that the Vatican had both refused to cooperate and advised the Diocese that the 1996 regulations were not binding; and that the Diocese's guidelines were not binding.

Kenny chastised the Vatican for its role in the investigation on July 20, 2011, saying that the intervention exposed "the inability, alienation, and elitism that dominates the Vatican's culture to this day." "The historic link in Ireland between church and state could not be the same ever more."

A high-ranking official in Ireland's Kenny's attack on the Vatican was unprecedented. The address was widely regarded as extraordinary, with the Daily Mail predicting that this was "the first time that Ireland's Parliament has openly chastised the Vatican rather than local church leaders amid the country's 17 years of paedophilism scandals." "The political classes have...lost their apprehensions, particularly of the once-impressive Roman Catholic Church," the Guardian wrote.

The Holy See issued a letter on September 3rd denying Kenny's assertion that the Holy See allegedly attempted "to destabilize an Inquiry in a democratic republic just three years ago, not three decades ago," the Holy See's response to Kenny's assertion that "the assertion that the Holy See attempted to "compromize an Inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic" is unfounded, not three decades ago, which Mr Kenny denied. Indeed, a government spokesperson confirmed that Mr. Kenny was not referring to any particular occurrence. "Those Reports [...] have no evidence to prove that the Holy See meddled in the internal affairs of the Irish state, or, for that matter, was involved in the day-to-day administration of Irish dioceses or religious synagies regarding sexual harassment issues."

The response reveals that the quotation was taken from the Instructions on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian, also known as Donum Veritatis (The Gift of the Truth), which was published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on May 24, 1990, and signed by the Congregation's then Prefect and Secretary. It is, therefore, not a private text of the then Cardinal Ratzinger Ratzinger but a Congregation official document.

On December 4, 2011, Kenny delivered a television address to the nation ahead of the 2012 Irish budget's delivery. Budget 2012 "will be tough," he said, and "it must be." It would also shift Ireland to a manageable deficit of 3% of GDP by 2015. This was only the sixth time a Taoiseach addressed the country, highlighting the severity of the country's economic crisis in what Kenny described as "exceptional" circumstances. The show was Ireland's second-most watched television show of 2011, attracting a 1.2 million viewers.

A deal was struck with the European Central Bank in February 2013 in relation to the promissory note used to bail out the former Anglo Irish Bank. "A good day for the country and its people," Kenny said. He told the Dáil that as a result of the changes, there will be a €20 billion reduction in the National Treasury Management Agency's borrowing requirements in the years ahead, but he also cautioned that the deal was not a "silver bullet."

Kenny apologised in Dáil Éireann on behalf of the state's survivors of the Magdalene Laundries on February 19th. The government also told the estimated 800 to 1,000 surviving Magdalene women that a compensation scheme would be developed for them. However, by February 2014, no of the 684 applicants had received their mandated old-age pensions or health-care plans.

Kenny delivered his second address to the country on December 13, saying that the country was heading in the right direction and that the economy was beginning to recover.

Kenny reported to the Dáil in March 2014 that he had sent Brian Purcell, the Secretary General of the Department of Justice, to Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, the day before Callinan's abrupt departure from his position. According to Opposition leader Michel Martin, Kenny had effectively "sacked" Callinan. Kenny also said that he had been personally briefed by his Attorney General Máire Whelan on Garda surveillance, since Whelan did not wish to talk about the issue over the phone.

Following the resignation of Minister of Justice and Equality Alan Shatter, Kenny's support for him and his party dropped at the local and European elections in May 2014. At the annual Bloom Festival, Kenny was later discovered to be doing some "good dancing" at the Bloom Festival.

During leader's questions in the Dáil, Kenny was chastised for his ignorance of Wexford TD Mick Wallace's inability to speak Irish.

Kenny related a tale about a man with two pints in a hand in April 2015. "Two pints in a hand?" Sinn Féin's leader questioned him immediately on this. "Iris Whitehead was a model of courage and he was sober."

Kenny postponed leaders' questions in the Dáil on September 22, 2015, hoping to open Denis O'Brien-controlled Independent News & Media's new digital hub. Kenny had previously written a book about James Morrissey, O'Brien's long-serving spokesperson.

On October 13, 2015, Kenny's "punching gesture" while Mary Lou McDonald was speaking at a Dáil debate on the Budget attracted national attention. "A punching gesture is strange behavior to say the least, and I would not repeat this behavior," McDonald said later.

Kenny told a gathering of the European People's Party (EPP) in Madrid later this month that he had been told to have the army guarded ATMs during the economic recession. Opposition TDs were perplexed why he didn't disclose it to the banking probe, and Kenny was accused of "telling a tall tale." Kenny himself denied his own account by saying he had not been given a specific briefing on the subject. In early 2012, a Kenny spokesperson said it had been "informally discussed" in Government Buildings, but that minutes were not retained due to the sensitiveness of the information.

Kenny revealed on February 3, 2016 that he intends to petition President Higgins to dissolve the 31st Dáil. He told the Dáil before its dissolution that the 2016 general election will be held on Friday, February 26th.

Kenny announced that his local constituents were All-Ireland champion "whingers" at a Fine Gael rally in Castlebar, County Mayo, on February 20, 2016. He later told Galway's news that he was referring to local Fianna Fáil members.

Fine Gael gained 50 seats in the 32nd Dáil, 29 short of a total majority. Preliminary talks with Opposition Mcheál Martin, in the hopes of finding an agreement to help either Kenny, Fine Gael, or under a new leader to form a new government. After struggling to gain enough votes to elect a second term, Kenny resigned as Taoiseach on March 10, 2016. He and the cabinet served in a caretaker role until a new government was established.

As a caretaker Kenny, he travelled to Washington, D.C., as usual for Saint Patrick's Day. There was a rumor that he had told the Irish Embassy: "Bejesus, I wish I didn't have to go back and face what I have to face." On the annual visit of the Taoiseach to the White House, he also met President Barack Obama for the handing over the bowl of shamrock.

On 29 April 2016, an agreement was reached with Fianna Fáil to recognize a minority government led by Fine Gael, and Kenny was elected Taoiseach again by a margin of 59 to 49 votes (with 51 abstentions) and established a cabinet. He became the first member of Fine Gael to seek re-election as the Taoiseach in the party's history. Kenny took over as Defense Minister from Simon Coveney, who was appointed Minister for Housing, Planning, Community, and Local Government.

Kenny said that the likelihood of a "Brexit" would cause a "significant problem" in keeping Northern Ireland's stability. If Britain were to leave the EU, the peace agreement in Northern Ireland could collapse, according to he. Theresa Villiers, the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, condemned this speech as "scaremongering of the worst sort"; she said that the Common Travel Area, which includes the United Kingdom and Ireland, would not be affected by Britain's departure from the EU;

Enda Kenny and British Prime Minister Theresa May met in Merrion Street, Dublin, on January 30th, 2017 to discuss the effects of Brexit on Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Following the 2016 general election, there had been calls for him to resign as the head of Fine Gael and, in effect, as the Taoiseach. Some backbench TDs lost faith in Kenny after hearing the emergence of sergeant Maurice McCabe's smear campaign. Following Kenny's return from the United States for the traditional St. Patrick's Day celebrations, he would announce his plans for a leadership change; however, Kenny said he would not stand down until the issues of Brexit and Northern Ireland's aftermath had been addressed, and that "you can't have no leaders in Northern Ireland; rather, what the agreed terms of reference for the [Brexit] negotiations are." He also stated that he and Prime Minister May were in agreement that no return to direct rule from Westminster will be achieved. Kenny should remain in office at least until June, according to Finance Minister Michael Noonan, when the next phase of EU Brexit talks was due to begin. Kenny revealed the following day that he did not want to stand down until May at the earliest and that he did not want to attend the European Council on May 29 to discuss Brexit's strategic planning.

Kenny declared his intention to resign as party leader on May 17th, 2017; as at midnight, he announced it on May 17th. He requested that the party end the recruitment process of his replacement by June 2nd, 2017 and said he would resign as Taoiseach shortly thereafter. Minister for Social Security Leo Varadkar was elected Leader of Fine Gael in the ensuing election. Kenny expressed his "deepest admiration" to Varadkar, saying, "this is a huge honor for him and I know he will dedicate his life to improving the lives of people around our world."

Kenny made his last trip to the United States as Taoiseach in early June 2017. On Thursday, while in Chicago on June 4, 2017, he was at Soldier Field for Irish rock band U2's appearance as part of their Joshua Tree Tour. Bono, U2's lead singer, dedicated their set "Trip Through Your Wires" to Kenny, saying, "The man we call Taoiseach," could imply the head of the household or something like that." The chieftain of our country is here tonight! "We'd like to celebrate our exemplary leader" he evoked.

Kenny resigned as Taoiseach on June 13, 2017. Varadkar nominated Varadkar to officially replace him as the Taoiseach in the Dáil on June 14th, 2017; the Dáil accepted his appointment. "The best prize that life has to offer is a chance to work hard at work that is worth doing," Kenny said in his farewell address to the Dáil. Kenny resigned as a Dáil leader after a standing ovation, he moved to President Michael D. Higgins. In his last act as Taoiseach, he told the President that Varadkar had been nominated as Taoiseach, and that the President should therefore request him to form a new government and appoint him as Taoiseach in accordance with the constitution.

Kenny was a wedding guest of Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer in Cork on December 29th. Kenny had "turned the sod" nearly two years ago, but the work was halted, but Kenny made it clear he was there to attend a marriage when he was approached by a reporter.

Kenny was named "Irish European of the Year" in June 2018 for "his contribution to promoting and strengthening Ireland's position in Europe during some of the most challenging conditions in our history" during the Brexit referendum, including the European Council's chairing and promoting our relations with the European Union.

Kenny had only voted in the Dáil on three occasions in 2019 (two of those elections taking place on the same day) and had missed 96% of votes that took place between June 2017 and July 2019. Out of a possible 400 votes, he had only voted 15 times in that period. Kenny's attendance in the Dáil had been recorded on 263 days during that period, according to the paper, he had claimed the full travel and accommodation allowance, which was in addition to his salary.

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