# Minister for Finance (Ireland)

The Minister for Finance (Irish: An tAire Airgeadais) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland. The Minister for Finance leads the Department of Finance and is responsible for all financial and monetary matters of the state; and is considered the second most important member of the Government of Ireland, after the Taoiseach.
The current office holder is Paschal Donohoe, TD. He is assisted by one Minister of State Robert Troy, TD.

## Overview

The Minister for Finance holds the second most important ministerial position in the Irish Cabinet after that of the Taoiseach. The minister is in charge of the Department of Finance responsible for all financial matters in Ireland. It is one of three positions in the government which the Constitution requires to be held by a member of Dáil Éireann, the other two being Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Ministers for finance who later became Taoiseach include Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds, John Bruton, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.
The department and minister are occasionally called the Irish Exchequer (or simply the Exchequer), a term previously used under the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland (disestablished in 1817).

### Budget

One of the most important aspects of the Minister's work is the creation of the annual budget which is delivered to the Dáil in a speech, which must be given before 15 October due to the Two-Pack agreement. In the budget, the minister details the government's spending programme for the coming year. The budget consists of:
* a financial statement to the Dáil,
* Budgetary measures (a list of budgetary changes detailing the cost/yield of same),
* Budget statistics, and
* financial resolutions.

## Minister for Finance since 1919

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Government(s) |
| Eoin MacNeill | 22 January 1919 | 1 April 1919 | Sinn Féin | 1st DM |
| Michael Collins | 2 April 1919 | 22 August 1922 | Sinn Féin | 2nd DM • 3rd DM • 4th DM • 1st PG |
| W. T. Cosgrave (acting) | 17 July 1922 | 21 September 1923 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin | 1st PG • 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC |
| Ernest Blythe | 21 September 1923 | 9 March 1932 | Cumann na nGaedheal | 2nd EC • 3rd EC • 4th EC • 5th EC |
| Seán MacEntee | 9 March 1932 | 16 September 1939 | Fianna Fáil | 6th EC • 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd |
| Seán T. O'Kelly | 16 September 1939 | 14 June 1945 | Fianna Fáil | 2nd • 3rd • 4th |
| Frank Aiken | 19 June 1945 | 18 February 1948 | Fianna Fáil | 4th |
| Patrick McGilligan | 18 February 1948 | 13 June 1951 | Fine Gael | 5th |
| Seán MacEntee | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | Fianna Fáil | 6th |
| Gerard Sweetman | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | Fine Gael | 7th |
| James Ryan | 20 March 1957 | 21 April 1965 | Fianna Fáil | 8th • 9th • 10th |
| Jack Lynch | 21 April 1965 | 10 November 1966 | Fianna Fáil | 11th |
| Charles Haughey | 10 November 1966 | 7 May 1970 | Fianna Fáil | 12th • 13th |
| George Colley | 9 May 1970 | 14 March 1973 | Fianna Fáil | 13th |
| Richie Ryan | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | Fine Gael | 14th |
| George Colley | 5 July 1977 | 11 December 1979 | Fianna Fáil | 15th |
| Michael O'Kennedy | 12 December 1979 | 16 December 1980 | Fianna Fáil | 16th |
| Gene Fitzgerald | 16 December 1980 | 30 June 1981 | Fianna Fáil | 16th |
| John Bruton | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | Fine Gael | 17th |
| Ray MacSharry | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | Fianna Fáil | 18th |
| Alan Dukes | 14 December 1982 | 14 February 1986 | Fine Gael | 19th |
| John Bruton | 14 February 1986 | 10 March 1987 | Fine Gael | 19th |
| Ray MacSharry | 10 March 1987 | 24 November 1988 | Fianna Fáil | 20th |
| Albert Reynolds | 24 November 1988 | 7 November 1991 | Fianna Fáil | 20th • 21st |
| Charles Haughey (acting) | 7 November 1991 | 14 November 1991 | Fianna Fáil | 21st |
| Bertie Ahern | 14 November 1991 | 15 December 1994 | Fianna Fáil | 21st • 22nd • 23rd |
| Ruairi Quinn | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | Labour | 24th |
| Charlie McCreevy | 26 June 1997 | 29 September 2004 | Fianna Fáil | 25th • 26th |
| Brian Cowen | 29 September 2004 | 7 May 2008 | Fianna Fáil | 26th • 27th |
| Brian Lenihan | 7 May 2008 | 9 March 2011 | Fianna Fáil | 28th |
| Michael Noonan | 9 March 2011 | 14 June 2017 | Fine Gael | 29th • 30th |
| Paschal Donohoe | 14 June 2017 | 17 December 2022 | Fine Gael | 31st • 32nd |
| Michael McGrath | 17 December 2022 | 26 June 2024 | Fianna Fáil | 33rd • 34th |
| Jack Chambers | 26 June 2024 | 23 January 2025 | Fianna Fáil | 34th |
| Paschal Donohoe | 23 January 2025 | Incumbent | Fine Gael | 35th |
* ↑ Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
* ↑ Also Minister for the Public Service from 1 November 1973, on the creation of the new department.
* 1 2 3 Also Minister for the Public Service.
* ↑ Also Minister for the Public Service from 20 January to 20 March 1987, after the resignation of the Labour Party ministers from government.
* ↑ Also Minister for the Public Service until 20 March 1987, when the functions of the department were transferred to the Department of Finance.
* ↑ Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 6 May 2016 to 27 June 2020.
* ↑ Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 27 June 2020 to 17 December 2022.