Each autumn the Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform appear on the steps of Government Buildings clutching their spending, tax and borrowing plans for the following year.
They’ve made their decisions about how public money will be spent and the level of taxation needed to fund their plans. All that’s left is to present the good and bad news to the Dáil in the Budget Day speech, traditionally concluding with the words: ”I commend the budget to the House.”
Budget Day, with its set-piece photocalls, is a fixture of Ireland’s political calendar. It used to be a giddy, high-stakes day – and night – on which Leinster House was alive with gossip and intrigue, but has morphed into a more mundane and prosaic affair in recent years.
Our selection of images from Budget Days down the years may trigger memories, negative and positive.
Some of the men pictured here who presented Budgets in years gone by are no longer with us, others are still going strong. Ireland has yet to appoint a woman as minister for finance.
Ministers of the day hope for no alarms and no surprises but dangers can lurk in the small print: the 1982 proposal to put VAT on children’s shoes that contributed to the collapse of the government still haunts the political memory.
All photographs chosen by Chief Video Journalist Bryan O’Brien
1973: Richie Ryan with the budget briefcase. Photograph: Getty Images
1982: John Bruton on the Dáil plinth before going into the House to announce the imposition of vat on shoes as part of the budget. As a result of this Jim Kemmy withdrew his support and the government fell. Photograph: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie
1983: Charlie Haughey at work on his budget debate speech. Photograph: Tom Lawlor
1983: Alan Dukes at Leinster House. Photograph: Paddy Whelan
1987: Ray MacSharry holds aloft the budget bag. Photograph: Getty Images
1992: Bertie Ahern on Ash Wednesday holding up his budget day bag. Photograph: RollingNews.ie
1994: Bertie Ahern having breakfast in the Gresham hotel on budget day. Photograph: Matt Kavanagh
2007: Brian Cowen, his wife Mary and daughters Sinéad (15) and Maedhbh (8) at Government Buildings before presenting his budget. Photograph: Eric Luke
2008: Brian Lenihan at Government Buildings yesterday before presenting the budget to the Dáil. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien
2010: Brian Lenihan answering listeners questions on the budget on Today with Pat Kenny, at RTÉ. Photograph: Eric Luke
2015: Michael Noonan and Brendan Howlin check their watches following the Today with Sean O'Rourke Show at RTÉ. Photograph: Eric Luke
2015: Michael Noonan at Government Buildings. Photograph: Eric Luke
2022: Paschal Donohoe and Michael McGrath at the Today with Claire Byrne show at RTÉ. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
2023: Paschal Donohoe and Michael McGrath outside Government Buildings. Photograph: Tom Honan
2023: Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe arrive at a photocall for the budget at Government Buildings. Photograph: Barry Cronin
2023: Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe arrive at a photocall for the budget. Photograph: Barry Cronin
