Brian Cowen (37) entered politics in 1984 at the age of 24, the youngest TD at the time, succeeding his father, Ber. One of the sharpest and most bellicose of Dail performers, the Offaly man has a tendency to portray himself as a bloodthirsty pit-bull, masking a pretty impressive intellect. His abrasive streak earned him the nickname "Fianna Fail's Gurrier in Chief".

One of his most famous quotes involves coalition and the PDs. "If in doubt leave them out", he said at an ardfheis in 1992. It obviously went down well. He is still the warm-up act and had them behind him as recently as last Saturday.

He is extremely sociable, a deadly mimic, with a sharp cynicism, who enjoys a drink. Colleagues say he is straight to deal with, but doesn't suffer fools easily. He has previously held two cabinet posts, Transport, Energy and Communications (landing straight into the Aer Lingus crisis) and Labour.

He graduated from UCD with a law degree in 1980. He is married to Mary Molloy, and they have two daughters.