Minister for Defence (Ireland)

Template:Short description Template:Use Hiberno-English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox official post The Minister for Defence (Template:Langx) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Defence. The current Minister for Defence is Simon Harris, TD.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

File:Department of Defence HQ Newbridge Co Kildare frontshot.jpg

The Department of Defence headquarters are in Newbridge, County Kildare

The department is responsible for the Irish Defence Forces. The Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 assigned the minister the additional title of Commander-in-Chief as the Chairman of the Council of Defence. The Defence Act 1954 removed this title, as a result of the reconstitution of the Council of Defence. The President of Ireland, a largely ceremonial role, is considered the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces.<ref>Template:Cite Irish legislation</ref> In practice, the Minister acts on the President's behalf and reports to the Irish Government. The Minister for Defence is advised by the Council of Defence on the business of the Department of Defence.<ref>Template:Cite Irish legislation</ref>

The Minister is assisted by a Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Thomas Byrne, TD.

Ministers for Defence since 1919

Name	Term of office		Party		Government(s)Template:Efn
Richard MulcahyTemplate:Efn (1st time)	22 January 1919	1 April 1919	Template:Party name with colour	1st DM
Cathal BrughaTemplate:Efn	1 April 1919	9 January 1922	Template:Party name with colour	2nd DMTemplate:•3rd DM
Richard Mulcahy (2nd time)	10 January 1922	19 March 1924	Template:Party name with colour	4th DMTemplate:•1st PGTemplate:•2nd PGTemplate:•5th DMTemplate:• 1st ECTemplate:•2nd EC
W. T. Cosgrave Template:SmallTemplate:Efn	20 March 1924	21 November 1924	Template:Party name with colour	2nd EC
Peter Hughes	21 November 1924	23 June 1927	Template:Party name with colour	2nd EC
Desmond FitzGerald	23 June 1927	9 March 1932	Template:Party name with colour	3rd ECTemplate:•4th ECTemplate:•5th EC
Frank Aiken	9 March 1932	8 September 1939	Template:Party name with colour	6th ECTemplate:•7th ECTemplate:•8th ECTemplate:•1stTemplate:•2nd
Oscar Traynor (1st time)	8 September 1939	18 February 1948	Template:Party name with colour	2ndTemplate:•3rdTemplate:•4th
Thomas F. O'Higgins	18 February 1948	7 March 1951	Template:Party name with colour	5th
Seán Mac Eoin (1st time)	7 March 1951	13 June 1951	Template:Party name with colour	5th
Oscar Traynor (2nd time)	13 June 1951	2 June 1954	Template:Party name with colour	6th
Seán Mac Eoin (2nd time)	2 June 1954	20 March 1957	Template:Party name with colour	7th
Kevin Boland	20 March 1957	11 October 1961	Template:Party name with colour	8thTemplate:•9th
Gerald Bartley	11 October 1961	21 April 1965	Template:Party name with colour	10th
Michael Hilliard	21 April 1965	2 July 1969	Template:Party name with colour	11thTemplate:•12th
Jim Gibbons	2 July 1969	9 May 1970	Template:Party name with colour	13th
Jerry Cronin	9 May 1970	14 March 1973	Template:Party name with colour	13th
Paddy Donegan	14 March 1973	2 December 1976	Template:Party name with colour	14th
Liam Cosgrave Template:SmallTemplate:Efn	2 December 1976	16 December 1976	Template:Party name with colour	14th
Oliver J. Flanagan	16 December 1976	5 July 1977	Template:Party name with colour	14th
Bobby Molloy	5 July 1977	11 December 1979	Template:Party name with colour	15th
Pádraig Faulkner	12 December 1979	15 October 1980	Template:Party name with colour	16th
Sylvester Barrett	15 October 1980	30 June 1981	Template:Party name with colour	16th
James Tully	30 June 1981	9 March 1982	Template:Party name with colour	17th
Paddy Power	9 March 1982	14 December 1982	Template:Party name with colour	18th
Patrick Cooney	14 December 1982	14 February 1986	Template:Party name with colour	19th
Paddy O'Toole	14 February 1986	10 March 1987	Template:Party name with colour	19th
Michael J. Noonan	10 March 1987	12 July 1989	Template:Party name with colour	20th
Brian Lenihan	12 July 1989	31 October 1990	Template:Party name with colour	21st
Charles Haughey Template:SmallTemplate:Efn	1 November 1990	5 February 1991	Template:Party name with colour	21st
Brendan Daly	5 February 1991	14 November 1991	Template:Party name with colour	21st
Vincent Brady	14 November 1991	11 February 1992	Template:Party name with colour	21st
John Wilson	11 February 1992	12 January 1993	Template:Party name with colour	22nd
David AndrewsTemplate:Efn (1st time)	12 January 1993	15 December 1994	Template:Party name with colour	23rd
Hugh CoveneyTemplate:Efn	15 December 1994	23 May 1995	Template:Party name with colour	24th
Seán BarrettTemplate:Efn	23 May 1995	26 June 1997	Template:Party name with colour	24th
David Andrews (2nd time)	26 June 1997	8 October 1997	Template:Party name with colour	25th
Michael Smith	8 October 1997	29 September 2004	Template:Party name with colour	25thTemplate:•26th
Willie O'Dea	29 September 2004	18 February 2010	Template:Party name with colour	26thTemplate:•27thTemplate:•28th
Brian Cowen Template:SmallTemplate:Efn	18 February 2010	23 March 2010	Template:Party name with colour	28th
Tony Killeen	23 March 2010	19 January 2011	Template:Party name with colour	28th
Éamon Ó CuívTemplate:Efn	20 January 2011	9 March 2011	Template:Party name with colour	28th
Alan ShatterTemplate:Efn	9 March 2011	7 May 2014	Template:Party name with colour	29th
Enda Kenny Template:SmallTemplate:Efn	7 May 2014	11 July 2014	Template:Party name with colour	29th
Simon CoveneyTemplate:Efn (1st time)	11 July 2014	6 May 2016	Template:Party name with colour	29th
Enda KennyTemplate:Efn	6 May 2016	14 June 2017	Template:Party name with colour	30th
Leo VaradkarTemplate:Efn	14 June 2017	27 June 2020	Template:Party name with colour	31st
Simon CoveneyTemplate:Efn (2nd time)	27 June 2020	17 December 2022	Template:Party name with colour	32nd
Micheál MartinTemplate:Efn	17 December 2022	23 January 2025	Template:Party name with colour	33rdTemplate:•34th
Simon HarrisTemplate:Efn	23 January 2025	Incumbent	Template:Party name with colour	35th

Notes

See also

• Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (Ireland)
• Minister of State at the Department of Defence
• Director of Military Intelligence (Ireland)

External links

• Template:Official website

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