From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Minister for Defence (Ireland)

Irish government cabinet minister

Summary

Irish government cabinet minister

Field	Value
post	Minister for Defence
insignia	Irish Department of Defence.png
insigniasize	225px
image	Helen McEntee in 2018.jpg
imagesize	200px
incumbent	Helen McEntee
incumbentsince	18 November 2025
department	Department of Defence
type	Defence minister
status	Cabinet minister
member_of
reports_to	Taoiseach
seat	Newbridge, Ireland
nominator	Taoiseach
appointer	President of Ireland
appointer_qualified	(on the advice of the Taoiseach)
formation	22 January 1919
inaugural	Richard Mulcahy
salary	€210,750 (2025)
(including €115,953 TD salary)
website

(including €115,953 TD salary) The Minister for Defence () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Defence. The current Minister for Defence is Helen McEntee, TD. She is also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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. 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.

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
Richard Mulcahy
(1st time)	22 January 1919	1 April 1919
Cathal Brugha	1 April 1919	9 January 1922
Richard Mulcahy
(2nd time)	10 January 1922	19 March 1924
W. T. Cosgrave (acting)	20 March 1924	21 November 1924
Peter Hughes	21 November 1924	23 June 1927
Desmond FitzGerald	23 June 1927	9 March 1932
Frank Aiken	9 March 1932	8 September 1939
Oscar Traynor
(1st time)	8 September 1939	18 February 1948
Thomas F. O'Higgins	18 February 1948	7 March 1951
Seán Mac Eoin
(1st time)	7 March 1951	13 June 1951
Oscar Traynor
(2nd time)	13 June 1951	2 June 1954
Seán Mac Eoin
(2nd time)	2 June 1954	20 March 1957
Kevin Boland	20 March 1957	11 October 1961
Gerald Bartley	11 October 1961	21 April 1965
Michael Hilliard	21 April 1965	2 July 1969
Jim Gibbons	2 July 1969	9 May 1970
Jerry Cronin	9 May 1970	14 March 1973
Paddy Donegan	14 March 1973	2 December 1976
Liam Cosgrave (acting)	2 December 1976	16 December 1976
Oliver J. Flanagan	16 December 1976	5 July 1977
Bobby Molloy	5 July 1977	11 December 1979
Pádraig Faulkner	12 December 1979	15 October 1980
Sylvester Barrett	15 October 1980	30 June 1981
James Tully	30 June 1981	9 March 1982
Paddy Power	9 March 1982	14 December 1982
Patrick Cooney	14 December 1982	14 February 1986
Paddy O'Toole	14 February 1986	10 March 1987
Michael J. Noonan	10 March 1987	12 July 1989
Brian Lenihan	12 July 1989	31 October 1990
Charles Haughey (acting)	1 November 1990	5 February 1991
Brendan Daly	5 February 1991	14 November 1991
Vincent Brady	14 November 1991	11 February 1992
John Wilson	11 February 1992	12 January 1993
David Andrews
(1st time)	12 January 1993	15 December 1994
Hugh Coveney	15 December 1994	23 May 1995
Seán Barrett	23 May 1995	26 June 1997
David Andrews
(2nd time)	26 June 1997	8 October 1997
Michael Smith	8 October 1997	29 September 2004
Willie O'Dea	29 September 2004	18 February 2010
Brian Cowen (acting)	18 February 2010	23 March 2010
Tony Killeen	23 March 2010	19 January 2011
Éamon Ó Cuív	20 January 2011	9 March 2011
Alan Shatter	9 March 2011	7 May 2014
Enda Kenny (acting)	7 May 2014	11 July 2014
Simon Coveney
(1st time)	11 July 2014	6 May 2016
Enda Kenny	6 May 2016	14 June 2017
Leo Varadkar	14 June 2017	27 June 2020
Simon Coveney
(2nd time)	27 June 2020	17 December 2022
Micheál Martin	17 December 2022	23 January 2025
Simon Harris	23 January 2025	18 November 2025
Helen McEntee	18 November 2025	Incumbent

;Notes

References

(3 March 2025). "Salaries".
(3 March 2025). "Salaries".
(18 December 2018). "List of Ministers and Ministers of State".
{{cite Irish legislation. (1954)
{{cite Irish legislation. (1924). Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924]]

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

ministers-for-defence-of-ireland department-of-defence-(ireland) government-ministers-of-the-republic-of-ireland lists-of-government-ministers-of-ireland government-ministries-established-in-1919 defence-ministries

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Minister for Defence (Ireland) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report