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 Simon Harris, TD; he is assisted by one Minister of State Robert Troy, TD.
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The Government of Ireland (Irish: Rialtas na hÉireann) is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the Taoiseach, the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the Oireachtas, which consists of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. Ministers are usually assigned a government department with a portfolio covering specific policy areas although provision exists for the appointment of a minister without portfolio.
The taoiseach must be nominated by the Dáil, the House of Representatives, from among its members. Following the nomination of the Dáil, the president of Ireland formally appoints the taoiseach. The president also appoints members of the government on the nomination of the taoiseach and their approval by the Dáil. The taoiseach nominates one member of the government as tánaiste, the deputy head of government. Like the taoiseach, the tánaiste and the minister for finance must be members of the Dáil.
William Thomas Cosgrave (5 June 1880 – 16 November 1965) was an Irish politician who served as the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1932, Leader of the Opposition from 1932 to 1944, Leader of Fine Gael from 1934 to 1944, founder and leader of Cumann na nGaedheal, from 1923 to 1933, Chairman of the Provisional Government from August 1922 to December 1922, the President of Dáil Éireann from September 1922 to December 1922, the Minister for Finance from 1922 to 1923 and Minister for Local Government from 1919 to 1922. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1921 to 1944. He was also a Member of parliament (MP) for the Kilkenny North constituency from 1918 to 1922.
His son, Liam, served as Taoiseach from 1973 to 1977.
The Chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State was a transitional post established in January 1922, lasting until the creation of the Irish Free State in December 1922.
The Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921 was passed by the Irish Republic's Dáil Éireann. The British government also required it to be passed by the House of Commons of Southern Ireland, and for a legal government to be established. Michael Collins became Chairman of the Provisional Government (i.e. prime minister). He also remained Minister for Finance of Arthur Griffith's republican administration.
Michael Noonan (born 21 May 1943) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2011 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fine Gael from 2001 to 2002, Minister for Health from 1994 to 1997, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1986 to 1987, Minister for Energy from January 1987 to March 1987 and Minister for Justice from 1982 to 1986. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1981 to 2020.
Noonan had been a member of every Fine Gael cabinet since 1982, serving in the cabinets of Garret FitzGerald, John Bruton and Enda Kenny. During these terms of office, he held the positions of Justice, Energy, Industry and Commerce, Health and Finance. When Fine Gael lost power after the 1997 general election, Noonan remained an important figure in the party when he became Opposition Spokesperson for Finance.
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste and Minister for Finance since 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence from January to November 2025. He has been leader of Fine Gael since 2024 and a TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011. A Cabinet minister since 2016, he previously served as a minister of state from 2014 to 2016.
Born in Greystones, Harris became politically active as a teenager, campaigning on behalf of children with autism and attention deficit disorder. He was elected to Wicklow County Council in the 2009 local elections. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2011 general election, becoming the "baby of the Dáil" at age 24, and was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 2014. Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in 2016, he was appointed Minister for Health. On the formation of the coalition government in 2020, he was appointed Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. From December 2022 to June 2023, he also served as Minister for Justice during the maternity leave of Cabinet colleague Helen McEntee.
The Department of Finance (Irish: An Roinn Airgeadais) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Finance.
The Department of Finance is responsible for the administration of the public finances of Ireland and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, including in particular, the collection and expenditure of the revenues of Ireland from whatever source arising.
Eoin MacNeill (Irish: Eoin Mac Néill; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1921 to 1922, Minister for Industries 1919 to 1921 and Minister for Finance January 1919 to April 1919. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1918 to 1927. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Londonderry City from 1918 to 1922 and a Member of the Northern Ireland Parliament (MP) for Londonderry from 1921 to 1925.
A key figure of the Gaelic revival, MacNeill was a co-founder of the Gaelic League, to preserve the Irish language and culture. He has been described as "the father of the modern study of early Irish medieval history".
Paschal Donohoe (born 19 September 1974) is a former Irish Fine Gael politician who served in the Irish cabinet from 2014 to 2025, most notably as Minister for Finance from 2017 to 2022 and from January to November 2025. He also served as President of the Eurogroup from July 2020 to November 2025. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin Central from 2011 until November 2025. In November 2025, he resigned as Minister for Finance, President of the Eurogroup, and as a TD, to assume a position as Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer at the World Bank.