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.
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
NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Richard Mulcahy(1st time)22 January 19191 April 1919 1st DMCathal Brugha1 April 19199 January 1922 2nd DM3rd DMRichard Mulcahy(2nd time)10 January 192219 March 1924 4th DM1st PG2nd PG5th DM1st EC2nd ECW. T. Cosgrave 20 March 192421 November 1924 2nd ECPeter Hughes21 November 192423 June 1927 2nd ECDesmond FitzGerald23 June 19279 March 1932 3rd EC4th EC5th ECFrank Aiken9 March 19328 September 1939 6th EC7th EC8th EC1st2ndOscar Traynor(1st time)8 September 193918 February 1948 2nd3rd4thThomas F. O'Higgins18 February 19487 March 1951 5thSeán Mac Eoin(1st time)7 March 195113 June 1951 5thOscar Traynor(2nd time)13 June 19512 June 1954 6thSeán Mac Eoin(2nd time)2 June 195420 March 1957 7thKevin Boland20 March 195711 October 1961 8th9thGerald Bartley11 October 196121 April 1965 10thMichael Hilliard21 April 19652 July 1969 11th12thJim Gibbons2 July 19699 May 1970 13thJerry Cronin9 May 197014 March 1973 13thPaddy Donegan14 March 19732 December 1976 14thLiam Cosgrave 2 December 197616 December 1976 14thOliver J. Flanagan16 December 19765 July 1977 14thBobby Molloy5 July 197711 December 1979 15thPádraig Faulkner12 December 197915 October 1980 16thSylvester Barrett15 October 198030 June 1981 16thJames Tully30 June 19819 March 1982 17thPaddy Power9 March 198214 December 1982 18thPatrick Cooney14 December 198214 February 1986 19thPaddy O'Toole14 February 198610 March 1987 19thMichael J. Noonan10 March 198712 July 1989 20thBrian Lenihan12 July 198931 October 1990 21stCharles Haughey 1 November 19905 February 1991 21stBrendan Daly5 February 199114 November 1991 21stVincent Brady14 November 199111 February 1992 21stJohn Wilson11 February 199212 January 1993 22ndDavid Andrews(1st time)12 January 199315 December 1994 23rdHugh Coveney15 December 199423 May 1995 24thSeán Barrett23 May 199526 June 1997 24thDavid Andrews(2nd time)26 June 19978 October 1997 25thMichael Smith8 October 199729 September 2004 25th26thWillie O'Dea29 September 200418 February 2010 26th27th28thBrian Cowen 18 February 201023 March 2010 28thTony Killeen23 March 201019 January 2011 28thÉamon Ó Cuív20 January 20119 March 2011 28thAlan Shatter9 March 20117 May 2014 29thEnda Kenny 7 May 201411 July 2014 29thSimon Coveney(1st time)11 July 20146 May 2016 29thEnda Kenny6 May 201614 June 2017 30thLeo Varadkar14 June 201727 June 2020 31stSimon Coveney(2nd time)27 June 202017 December 2022 32ndMicheál Martin17 December 202223 January 2025 33rd34thSimon Harris23 January 202518 November 2025 35thHelen McEntee18 November 2025Incumbent 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)
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