Minister for Defence (Ireland)

Template:Short description Template:Use Hiberno-English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 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 Helen McEntee, TD.^[1] She 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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

Ministers for Defence since 1919

Denotes acting Minister

Name	Term of office		Party
Richard Mulcahy Template:Efn (1st time)	22 January 1919	1 April 1919	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	1st DM
Cathal Brugha Template:Efn	1 April 1919	9 January 1922	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	2nd DM • 3rd DM
Richard Mulcahy (2nd time)	10 January 1922	19 March 1924	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	4th DM • 1st PG • 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC
W. T. Cosgrave (acting)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Efn	20 March 1924	21 November 1924	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	2nd EC
Peter Hughes	21 November 1924	23 June 1927	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	2nd EC
Desmond FitzGerald	23 June 1927	9 March 1932	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	3rd EC • 4th EC • 5th EC
Frank Aiken	9 March 1932	8 September 1939	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	6th EC • 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd
Oscar Traynor (1st time)	8 September 1939	18 February 1948	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	2nd • 3rd • 4th
Thomas F. O'Higgins	18 February 1948	7 March 1951	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	5th
Seán Mac Eoin (1st time)	7 March 1951	13 June 1951	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	5th
Oscar Traynor (2nd time)	13 June 1951	2 June 1954	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	6th
Seán Mac Eoin (2nd time)	2 June 1954	20 March 1957	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	7th
Kevin Boland	20 March 1957	11 October 1961	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	8th • 9th
Gerald Bartley	11 October 1961	21 April 1965	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	10th
Michael Hilliard	21 April 1965	2 July 1969	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	11th • 12th
Jim Gibbons	2 July 1969	9 May 1970	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	13th
Jerry Cronin	9 May 1970	14 March 1973	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	13th
Paddy Donegan	14 March 1973	2 December 1976	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	14th
Liam Cosgrave (acting)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Efn	2 December 1976	16 December 1976	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	14th
Oliver J. Flanagan	16 December 1976	5 July 1977	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	14th
Bobby Molloy	5 July 1977	11 December 1979	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	15th
Pádraig Faulkner	12 December 1979	15 October 1980	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	16th
Sylvester Barrett	15 October 1980	30 June 1981	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	16th
James Tully	30 June 1981	9 March 1982	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	17th
Paddy Power	9 March 1982	14 December 1982	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	18th
Patrick Cooney	14 December 1982	14 February 1986	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	19th
Paddy O'Toole	14 February 1986	10 March 1987	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	19th
Michael J. Noonan	10 March 1987	12 July 1989	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	20th
Brian Lenihan	12 July 1989	31 October 1990	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	21st
Charles Haughey (acting)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Efn	1 November 1990	5 February 1991	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	21st
Brendan Daly	5 February 1991	14 November 1991	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	21st
Vincent Brady	14 November 1991	11 February 1992	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	21st
John Wilson	11 February 1992	12 January 1993	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	22nd
David Andrews Template:Efn (1st time)	12 January 1993	15 December 1994	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	23rd
Hugh Coveney Template:Efn	15 December 1994	23 May 1995	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	24th
Seán Barrett Template:Efn	23 May 1995	26 June 1997	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	24th
David Andrews (2nd time)	26 June 1997	8 October 1997	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	25th
Michael Smith	8 October 1997	29 September 2004	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	25th • 26th
Willie O'Dea	29 September 2004	18 February 2010	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	26th • 27th • 28th
Brian Cowen (acting)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Efn	18 February 2010	23 March 2010	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	28th
Tony Killeen	23 March 2010	19 January 2011	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	28th
Éamon Ó Cuív Template:Efn	20 January 2011	9 March 2011	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	28th
Alan Shatter Template:Efn	9 March 2011	7 May 2014	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	29th
Enda Kenny (acting)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Efn	7 May 2014	11 July 2014	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	29th
Simon Coveney Template:Efn (1st time)	11 July 2014	6 May 2016	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	29th
Enda Kenny Template:Efn	6 May 2016	14 June 2017	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	30th
Leo Varadkar Template:Efn	14 June 2017	27 June 2020	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	31st
Simon Coveney Template:Efn (2nd time)	27 June 2020	17 December 2022	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	32nd
Micheál Martin Template:Efn	17 December 2022	23 January 2025	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	33rd • 34th
Simon Harris Template:Efn	23 January 2025	18 November 2025	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	35th
Helen McEntee Template:Efn	18 November 2025	Incumbent	REDIRECT Template:Party name with color Template:Redirect category shell	35th

Notes

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References

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External links

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[1] Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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[3] Template:Cite Irish legislation

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Minister for Defence (Ireland)

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Ministers for Defence since 1919

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Minister for Defence (Ireland)

Ministers for Defence since 1919

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