Donohoe resigns from Cabinet, Dáil, triggers by-election

Minister for Finance and 4-term Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohoe has resigned from Cabinet and will resign from the Dáil.

The Dublin Central TD will be taking up a job with the World Bank, following on from his stint as President of the Eurogroup, a role he has served in since 2020.

Donohoe’s resignation will trigger a by-election in Dublin Central, which must be held within 6 months, with the by-election likely to be held on the same day as the Galway West by-election, triggered by the election of Catherine Connolly as President.

The Fine Gael TD received the most votes in Dublin Central last year, with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald topping the poll but Donohoe receiving the most preferences after transfers.

Donohoe served as Minister for Finance between June 2017 and December 2022, steering Ireland through the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath, and was re-appointed as Minister for Finance in January, overseeing Ireland’s response to Donald Trump’s trade war with Europe.

Prior to his role as Minister for Finance, Donohoe served as Minister for Transport in the Fine Gael/Labour coalition from 2014 to 2016, and as Minister for Public Expenditure in the Fine Gael/independents (with Fianna Fáil support) government between 2016 and 2020.

Upon the resignation of Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader in March 2024, Donohoe was expected to throw his hat into the ring, only for the leadership bid to never surface.

The by-election in Dublin Central will be a major test for the burgeoning left alliance, with Dublin Central home to 3 opposition TDs (Sinn Féin leader McDonald, Labour’s Marie Sherlock and Social Democrats Gary Gannon) and Donohoe the only government TD.

Notably, Fianna Fáil has failed to win a seat in the constituency since 2011, making the Dublin Central by-election the biggest event on the Dublin political calendar for 2026.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam is likely to be Fine Gael’s pick to succeed Donohoe; the North Inner City councillor was previously a parliamentary assistant to Donohoe, and his North Inner City local electoral area has 1:1 overlap with the Dublin Central Dáil boundary constituencies.

Dublin Bay South TD James Geoghegan served as Lord Mayor of Dublin directly before his election to the Dáil in November 2024, meaning there is precedent within this Dáil for Dublin mayors to become TDs.