Burke emerges as frontrunner for finance ministry after Donohoe’s shock exit

Mullingar's Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, is being tipped as the most likely figure to be appointed as Minister for Finance, in the wake of this morning's news that the current finance minister, Paschal Donohoe, is stepping down to take up a senior position with the World Bank.

Minister Burke - currently on a trade mission to Canada - has said in the past that he would like to serve as Minister for Finance. His current role - which he has held since January of this year - would be perceived as being "finance-adjacent".

He would be seen as having the ideal credentials for the post, given that he is by profession a chartered accountant.

It is currently night time in Canada, so Minister Burke is likely to be waking to a barrage of calls and texts as speculation grows over who will be appointed to the vacant Ministry.

A native of Clonmore, where he grew up on a farm, Peter is the only child of the late Peter and Mary Burke.

He is married to Olivia, and the couple have two sons, Leo and Ted.