Scholar sought to write second history volume of the Department of Finance
Posted: 10 January, 2019
The Department of Finance has commissioned the Irish Research Council to source a scholar to write the second volume of the history of the department.
The department was founded in 1922, and a history of the first 36 years of its existence was published in 1978. This first volume of the Department’s history was authored by the late Ronan Fanning, former Professor of Modern Irish History at UCD. The book is considered a seminal work on the evolution of a key part of Ireland’s administration as a young State.
Now, a new scholar will be appointed to take up where Professor Fanning left off, charting the work of the department from 1958 to 1999. It is planned to publish the second volume in 2022 to mark the centenary of the Department of Finance and indeed the foundation of the State.
The fellowship will be funded by the Department of Finance for a three-year period, and the successful scholar will be based in an Irish higher education institution or other research-performing organisation.
Commenting today, Paschal Donohoe TD, Minister for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, said “2022 will mark 100 years since the Department of Finance was established. The preceding century has been one of great flux, both nationally and globally, and the department has been at the centre of the many changes and indeed challenges faced by Ireland from the establishment of the State to its emergence today as a modern, diverse nation within the European Union. I am greatly looking forward to seeing the fruits of this project in 2022, shedding new light on the period from the late 1950s to the end of the 20th century.”
Peter Brown, Director of the Irish Research Council, said “we are delighted to be working with Minister Donohoe and his Department on this exciting project. This call presents a unique opportunity for a talented researcher to build on the inaugural history and bring new understandings of the role and activities of the Department in the second phase of its evolution. We have much to learn from history, and I have no doubt that the second volume will generate new insights and discussions about the development of the Irish State.”
Further information is available here.
