It has been an eventful week in Irish politics, with the news that Paschal Donohoe would resign his Dáil seat and leave ministerial office to take up a role at the World Bank. It is the most consequential departure since last year’s general election, removing from Government a figure long regarded as a steadying force at the centre of economic decision-making. The abruptness of the move has left the Coalition facing a significant reset.
That significance was emphasised when Tánaiste Simon Harris announced that he would assume the finance portfolio himself. That is a break with a long-standing convention that party leaders do not take the role. It alters the equilibrium between Finance and Public Expenditure that has been central to stable government since the post-crash years.
Harris, with his party’s fortunes to consider and a return to the taoiseach’s office scheduled in two years, brings a different set of political instincts and priorities to the job. His move signals a different dynamic within Government, and perhaps a different kind of Coalition. Jack Power looks back at Harris’s brief time as Minister for Foreign Affairs – a period defined by Irish diplomatic activity on Gaza and trade. Harris travelled relatively little – he made only one bilateral visit as minister – but on his watch, Jack hears from officials, the department did issue quite a few statements and press releases.
As Political Editor Pat Leahy argues in his weekend analysis, this moment demands caution about political certainties. Irish politics at the end of 2025 is more volatile, more exposed to international turbulence, and more vulnerable to disruptive shocks. The departure of Donohoe, he suggests, removes from Government a champion of steadiness and perspective at a time when both are badly needed. In his column, meanwhile, Cliff Taylor sees clear signs that the Irish economy is turning and asks whether Harris, a man famously fixated on the news cycle, can succeed at the quieter, longer-horizon work that finance ministers must master.
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Context for this week’s events comes from Harry McGee’s examination this weekend of the Fine Gael generation that emerged in 2004: Donohoe among them, alongside Leo Varadkar, Simon Coveney, Lucinda Creighton and Eoghan Murphy. Their rapid ascent and early departures reflect a generational shift in how political careers are conceived. What was once seen as a lifelong vocation has become for many a single chapter in a broader portfolio career. That shift now shapes Fine Gael again as Harris leads a new cohort and attempts to define the party’s contemporary identity.
All of this takes place as the Government enters a year that may prove decisive. Voters have grown weary of promises on housing, infrastructure and delivery. Announcements will no longer suffice; visible progress is required. For Harris, the finance role is a test of political substance. The months ahead will reveal whether he can provide the clarity and long-term direction the job demands.
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic
Editor
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