At the age of 17, Ahern joined Fianna Fail. He attended the Rathmines College of Commerce and the University College Dublin, from which he received a degree in accounting. In 1975, he married his wife, Miriam Kelly. They had two daughters. Ahern was elected to the lower house of the Irish Parliament (Dail Eireann) in 1977. He was representing a constituency in the Finglas area of Dublin's north side.
Moving on Up
Throughout much of the early 1980s, Ahern held a number of junior and senior level posts both within his party and in the Irish government. In 1980, he became Fianna Fail's Assistant Whip. Ahern held this position for one year, during which time he was also named party spokesperson on youth affairs. The following year Ahern became Assistant Chief Whip and Leader of the House for Fianna Fail. Along with assuming the role of the leader of the opposition party in the Dail Eireann, Ahern was named as a Minister of State at the departments of the Taoiseach and Defence and the government Chief Whip in 1982.
Ahern assumed the vice-presidency of Fianna Fail in 1983. He continued to hold this position for over ten years.
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