The 2011 Irish general election took place on 25 February 2011 to elect the 166 members of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. Held amid a sharp economic downturn and the eurozone crisis, the election swept Fianna Fáil from power on one of the largest swings in Europe since 1945 and resulted in a Fine Gael–Labour Party coalition with a record majority.
Traditionally Ireland's dominant party and in government since 1997, Fianna Fáil's support declined after the near-collapse of the banking sector in 2008. With the economy in a deep recession, Taoiseach Brian Cowen's Fianna Fáil–Green Party coalition passed four austerity budgets and became highly unpopular. The government collapsed following its application for an international bailout in late 2010, which saw the so-called Troika take control of state fiscal policy. Cowen resigned as Fianna Fáil leader days before the Dáil was dissolved.
