Michael McGrath (Irish politician)

McGrath was born in Cork in 1976. His parents are described as having been non-political.^[4] He studied commerce at University College Cork and later qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG and worked subsequently as Financial Controller of RedFM and Head of Management Information and Systems, University College Cork.^[5]

He was a member of Passage West Town Council from 1999 to 2007, and a member of Cork County Council for the Carrigaline local electoral area from 2004 to 2007.^[3] McGrath was first elected to the Dáil in 2007,^[3] and subsequently, his brother Séamus was co-opted to his county council seat. Séamus would, reportedly, become McGrath's closest political confidant and secured the largest number of votes in the 2024 Irish Local Elections.^[6]

McGrath was one of the few Fianna Fáil TDs to survive their disastrous performance in the 2011 general election.^[7] In the aftermath, McGrath became the Opposition Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform, but also held the role of Spokesperson for Finance following the death of Brian Lenihan in June 2011.

McGrath represented Fianna Fáil in the Oireachtas delegation that met the Bundestag's Budgetary and European Affairs committees, in Berlin in late January 2012.^[8]

At the 2016 general election, McGrath outpolled his party leader Micheál Martin, with whom he shares a constituency.^[9][10]

He represented Fianna Fáil in talks on government formation in 2016 and 2020.^[11]

In June 2020, following the formation of a coalition government between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party, McGrath was appointed as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. McGrath became Minister for Finance on 17 December 2022 as part of a cabinet reshuffle when Leo Varadkar succeeded Micheál Martin as Taoiseach as agreed in the coalition deal between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.^[12]

On 25 June 2024, he was named by the government as Ireland's nominee for European Commissioner.^[13] He was succeeded by Jack Chambers as Minister for Finance.^[14] On 17 September 2024, McGrath was announced as EU Commissioner-designate for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law.^[1] He is responsible for the Digital Fairness Act.^[15]

As Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, McGrath was responsible for bringing forward Ireland's €165 billion National Development Plan 2021-2030 and negotiating two public sector wide pay agreements. ^[16][17]

He also developed Ireland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (Next Generation EU) and was responsible for the Brexit Adjustment Reserve fund, the development of the Peace Plus Programme, and Ireland's European Regional Development (ERDF) Programmes. ^[18][19][20]

In Finance Bill 2023, McGrath steered a range of important and complex legislation through the Irish parliament including the transposition of the EU Minimum Taxation Directive.^[21]

In 2024 McGrath established two new long-term funds – the Future Ireland Fund, and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund – to underpin the sustainability and resilience of Ireland's public finances into the future.^[22]

Budget 2024 introduced a range of income tax reductions and measures to support domestic enterprise.^[23]

In a party conference speech in April 2024, McGrath gave an insight in the influences on his political outlook highlighting that as a family “The State was there for us when we needed it,” adding that he was able to go to college with the help of scholarships while many societies around the world would have denied someone like him the opportunity to progress.^[24]

He has expressed his support for public expenditure stating "We are a party that believes everyone should have the opportunity to progress irrespective of their background. We believe there should be a safety net for everyone that needs it."^[25]

In Government, McGrath established a close working relationship with Fine Gael Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe which was viewed a key dynamic underpinning the coalition Government.^[24]

McGrath has been described by the Phoenix magazine as being on the right wing of Fianna Fáil and as conservative, both socially and economically.^[4][9][26] McGrath opposed the removal of Article 40.3.3° from the Irish constitution (which prevented the Oireachtas from legislating for abortion) during the 2018 abortion referendum.^[4][9][27]

Following the referendum being passed, McGrath then voted in favour of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, legislation which provided for the introduction of abortion.^[28][29]

McGrath has been described as "technocratic" and likened to a civil servant in his approach to politics. His grasp of economics, as well as his attention to detail, have been praised as his strong points.^{[4][9][30][7]}

Prior to his nomination as European Commissioner, many political commentators had suggested McGrath as a potential contender for the leadership of Fianna Fáil.^{[10][4][9][31][32]}

McGrath is married to Sarah McGrath since 2004, they met while working as trainees at the same Accountancy firm. They have seven children, five boys and two girls, his family home is in Carrigaline, County Cork.^[33]

• Michael McGrath's page on the Fianna Fáil website