James Gerard Collins was born in October 1938 in Abbeyfeale County Limerick. He was educated locally and at University College Dublin. After leaving college he became a teacher. Between 1965 and 1967 Collins served as assistant general secretary of Fianna Fáil. In 1967 he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil candidate. In 1970 he was appointed Minister for Posts and Telegraphs under Jack Lynch. During his tenure as Minister he introduced a law which prohibited organisations committed to violence from making media broadcasts. In 1972 he sacked the RTÉ authority becaused he felt that they disobeyed this order.
Between 1977 and 1981 Collins served as Minister for Justice. In March 1982 he became Minister for Foreign Affairs. He held this post until December 1982 when Fianna Fáil lost power. When Charles Haughey returned as Taoiseach in 1987 Collins was appointed Minister for Justice again. After the 1989 election he became Minister for Foreign Affairs. From January to June 1990 he served as President of the European Community Council of Ministers..
In 1991 he made a tearful plea to Albert Reynolds on national television asking him not to challenge Charles Haughey for leadership of the party. When Reynolds eventually became leader in 1992 Collins lost his Cabinet post. In 1994 he was elected a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Munster constituency. He was re-elected in 1999.