Editing Albert Reynolds (section)

=== Fianna Fáil minister ===
Reynolds was rewarded for his staunch loyalty by joining the newly elected Taoiseach Charles Haughey's cabinet as [[Minister for Posts and Telegraphs]]. He was appointed [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Transport]], making his brief one of the largest and most wide-ranging in the government. As Minister for Transport, Reynolds was involved in an incident in which [[Aer Lingus Flight 164|an Aer Lingus plane]] was hijacked by a disturbed former monk, with the hijacker's chief demand for the safe return of the aircraft and its passengers being that he should be allowed to reveal a religious secret, the [[Third Secret of Fatima]], which he claimed to have in his briefcase.<ref>{{cite web |title='81 plane hijacker reveals Fatima obsession |url=http://irishecho.com/2011/02/81-plane-hijacker-reveals-fatima-obsession-2/ |website=Irish Echo |access-date=5 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105132504/http://irishecho.com/2011/02/81-plane-hijacker-reveals-fatima-obsession-2/ |archive-date=5 January 2015 |date=16 February 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The incident was resolved in Paris with no injuries.

Fianna Fáil lost power following the [[1981 Irish general election|1981 general election]] but regained it again following the [[February 1982 Irish general election|February 1982 general election]]. Reynolds returned to government as [[Minister for Industry and Energy]]. He was responsible for developing the [[Dublin]] to [[Cork (city)|Cork]] gas pipeline.<ref>{{cite web |title=Albert Reynolds |publisher=Fianna Fáil |url=http://www.fiannafail.ie/content/pages/albert-reynolds/ |access-date=26 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226212218/http://www.fiannafail.ie/content/pages/albert-reynolds/ |archive-date=26 December 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> That government fell in late 1982, and Reynolds was back on the opposition benches. During the 1982–83 period, the Fianna Fáil leader, Charles Haughey, faced three no-confidence motions. Reynolds gave him his support at all times, and Haughey stayed in power.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

In 1987, Fianna Fáil returned to government and Reynolds was appointed [[Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment|Minister for Industry and Commerce]], one of the most senior positions in the cabinet, especially at a time when the government's top priority was economic recovery as the Irish currency was highly overvalued which was compounded by years of unsustainable borrowing and taxation being as high as 60%. In 1988, the Minister for Finance [[Ray MacSharry]] became Ireland's [[European Commissioner]], and Reynolds succeeded MacSharry.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}