Michael McGrathMinister for Finance

Michael McGrath is a TD for Cork South Central and is currently the Minister for Finance in the Government of Ireland. He previously served as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 2020 to 2022. 

Before entering national politics, Michael served in local government in Cork for eight years. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the first attempt in 2007 and has been re-elected in every election since. 

Michael secured a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Economics major) from University College Cork and went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in Cork City. Before going into politics full time, Michael held senior positions in both the private sector and public sector. He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and has served on that body’s Audit, Risk and Finance Committee. Michael has also undertaken studies with the London School of Economics and Political Science. 

In his time in Dáil Éireann, Michael has served on a number of Oireachtas committees including the Finance Committee, the Oireachtas Banking Inquiry, the European Affairs Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. 

As Minister for Finance, Michael is responsible for leading the Department in the achievement of the government’s economic, fiscal and financial policy goals, having regard to the Programme for Government. 

The Minister for Finance has a key role in decisions made across government, and is Ireland’s representative at the Eurogroup and Ecofin meetings of European Finance Ministers. 

As Ireland’s Minister for Finance, Minister McGrath is a Governor of a number of international bodies that Ireland is a member of, including the European Investment Bank, the IMF, the World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.