Michael Noonan (born 21 May 1943) is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been the Minister for Finance since March 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick East and later Limerick City constituencies since 1981.
Noonan has been a minister in every Fine Gael-led government since 1982, serving in the cabinets of Garret FitzGerald, John Bruton and Enda Kenny. During these terms of office he held the positions of Minister for Justice, Minister for Industry and Commerce and Minister for Health. When Fine Gael lost power after the 1997 general election Noonan remained an important figure in the party, taking over as spokesperson on finance.
He succeeded John Bruton as party leader in 2001, however, he resigned following Fine Gael's disastrous showing at the 2002 general election. After eight years as a backbencher, during which time he served as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny appointed Noonan to his front bench in 2010 as spokesperson on finance.
Read more about Michael Noonan: Early Life, Political Career, Personal Life
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“Has Michael Finn been in here today?”
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“If you join government, calmly make your contribution and move on. Don’t go along to get along; do your best and when you have to—and you will—leave, and be something else.”
—Peggy Noonan (b. 1950)