The 1992 General Election saw Fine Gael lose seats, and led to the creation of a Fianna Fáil/Labour Government despite indications to the contrary from the Labour Party prior to the Election.

John Bruton

Fine Gael, however, was to find itself back in Government by the end of 1994.

This was largely due to the Fr Brendan Smyth controversy that erupted that year.

A file for the extradition of a priest, wanted in Northern Ireland on child sex abuse charges, was not speedily acted on by the then Attorney General, Harry Whelehan.

But the Fianna Fáil Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, appointed Whelehan as High Court President, despite the opposition of the junior Coalition partner.

As a result, Labour backed out of their coalition with Fianna Fáil, and the "Government of Renewal" , also known as "The Rainbow Coalition" - comprising Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left - was born.

The new administration effectively gave birth to the Celtic Tiger by successfully achieving:

• A huge reduction in the numbers unemployed and, by the time it left office, 1,000 new jobs every week
• A continuing reduction in taxes (including Corporation Tax - this attracted an unprecedented level of inward investment)
• A new emphasis on public enterprise, injecting a new ethos of "value for money" and "customer service" into public services.

The Rainbow Coalition also oversaw the introduction, finally, of divorce into Ireland when the people voted in favour of ending the ban on divorce in 1995.

On the international stage, John Bruton welcomed The Prince of Wales and US President Bill Clinton to these shores.

Thanks to Fine Gael and its partners in Government, Ireland became a more confident and more prosperous nation during these years.