Speech by Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris T.D. Cork Chamber, Dublin Dinner

Check Against Delivery

Thank you, Jacqui. Good evening, Everyone.

There’s something about being introduced by Jacqui that makes one feel under more pressure to put in a good performance, because you’re potentially going to be reviewed on the Sunday Game. Anyway, I’ll do my best, especially in front of an audience with a home county famous for its GAA grit and tenacity. Obviously, I’m obliged to treat all counties equally, but I presume I can trust you not to tell Tipperary when I say: I know you’ll be back with a bang.

Ladies and Gentlemen, colleagues, friends, it is a real pleasure to be with you this evening at one of the landmark gatherings of our national business calendar.

Tonight, more than anything else, is a celebration of connection and of the powerful bond between Cork and our capital city, a bond that has helped shape modern Ireland.

And, let’s face it, as we all really know, it is also the true capital pitching up on the doorstep of the pretender, throwing shapes.

The Cork Chamber was founded in this very month of November more than 200 years ago, so it’s not as if it doesn’t know what it’s doing when it comes to harnessing that quintessentially Cork energy and personality, and I think this event has become emblematic in the annual calendar.

Being a true symbol of Cork is something we can certainly say of the man you will honour here this evening, the late John Mullins, whose loss is so keenly felt in so many walks of life.

On behalf of us all, I want to welcome and express our deepest sympathies to Siobhán and all the members of the Mullins family who are with us this evening. We are so sorry for the sudden, shocking loss of your beloved John.

His lasting influence is felt in this room, in his native Cork City, and across our country.

John Mullins was not simply a respected business leader; he was a force of nature. A man of courage, conviction, generosity and vision.

Someone who combined sharp business instincts with an extraordinary sense of public duty.

Many of you here worked with him, learned from him, or leaned on his advice. And, like me, you will feel his absence deeply.

Whether as Chief Executive of Bord Gáis, Chairman of the Port of Cork, or as a mentor to so many young entrepreneurs, John embodied the very best of Irish business.

He understood that enterprise is about people, about place and about purpose. He knew that success is measured not only in balance sheets, but in the difference you make in your community.

I had the privilege of working closely with John during the European elections last year, and what struck me most was his energy, his decency, and above all, his belief in public service. He was the genuine article. Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.

Cork, Community and Leadership

This evening celebrates the spirit that defined John Mullins and defines Cork itself: an entrepreneurial drive matched with civic pride.

Cork is not just an economic region; but it is integral to our national economic prosperity and trading success. From the docklands to the harbour, from the start up ecosystem to world class multinationals, Cork continues to shape our national story.

I want to thank Conor, Rob, and all the team at Cork Chamber. Your work ensures Cork’s voice is strong, confident and strategic, and that the Ireland’s southern powerhouse is central to the national conversation.

I also want to welcome the many Ambassadors here tonight. Your presence recognises the global reach of Cork’s enterprise community. This was exemplified by your recent win at the14th World Chambers Congress in Melbourne Australia, when Cork Chamber became the first Irish Chamber to receive a global award in the history of the competition.

A Changing World, a Steady Resolve

We gather at a time when the global economic landscape is marked by turbulence and unpredictability. The certainties that underpinned global trade for decades are being tested.

Ireland begins this challenging period from a position of real strength. Our economy continues to grow. More people are at work than ever in our history. Wages are rising.

Inflation has stabilised. And Ireland remains one of the most competitive economies in the world.

But strength can never become complacency.

The truth is that geopolitical shifts, transatlantic tensions and trade disruptions have real consequences for real communities. For cities like Cork, which powers our pharmaceutical, agri food, technology and advanced manufacturing sectors, these challenges are not abstract headlines. They affect families, futures and livelihoods.

That is why we have acted and why we must always be ready to act.

Earlier this year, we established the Government Trade Forum to ensure we hear directly from business leaders on the front line. We listened, and we responded.

Through the Action Plan on Market Diversification, launched in August, we have put every arm of Government behind a single mission: helping Irish firms compete and grow in new and existing markets.

This is a whole of Government strategy driven by one objective: protecting Irish jobs and creating new ones.

We have done this before. Whether through the financial crisis, Brexit or the pandemic, Ireland has always responded with resilience, with clarity and with unity. And we will do so again.

Investing in Ireland’s Future

We cannot face global uncertainty with outdated infrastructure at home.

That is why this summer we published the new National Development Plan, the most ambitious capital investment programme in the history of the State. Ambitious for national and regional growth.

This is not simply a plan for roads and buildings. It is a plan for opportunity.

More homes. More public transport. More sustainable growth. More regional development.

Projects like the Cork Docklands regeneration, the Cork Luas, the expansion of the Port of Cork, and the N28 upgrade, speak to a Government determined to match Cork’s ambition with national action.

The Cork Docklands project alone will transform one hundred and forty-seven hectares of underused land into a dynamic, sustainable urban quarter. Jobs, homes, innovation, and opportunity all in one place.

This Government will deliver the infrastructure that a growing population and a growing region need, most especially in housing, but also in water, energy, transport and climate.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as you know more than most, this is critical not only for our country’s growth but for our competitiveness.

This was at the heart of my proposal for a Department of Infrastructure which has now led to a new division in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, which is focused on breaking down the barriers to delivery.

I truly believe we are at a moment of truth. We have available record resources to build for the future, and the will of the State must not be stymied by any obstruction which it is within our power to remove. I am confident we can meet this moment.

It gives me greater confidence still that a Cork man, Sean O’Drisoll, is on the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce which is determining bold, decisive and swift actions the Government can take to unlock infrastructure delivery, not alone in Cork but right across the country.

This is a moment for political courage, and we will not be found wanting.

Economic Principles

The balanced regional development which is a massive priority for Cork Chamber is also a priority for me and the Government.

It my philosophy that economic prosperity and social cohesion go hand in hand. We must manage our public finances both responsibly and equitably for our citizens.

As I take up the mantle of Minister for Finance my guiding principles will be:

• to steer Ireland’s economic policy to continue our record level of investment in infrastructure while we reform delivery;
• to pull every lever we can to deliver increased housing supply;
• to wisely manage our resources to deliver better public services as our population grows;
• to protect jobs and back businesses and farmers;
• and to save for the future in an uncertain world.

We have run budget surpluses for the last three years and we must continue to make the right political choices in the years ahead.

Whatever may come, and we know that could include a financial shock, I have twin underpinning precepts: no matter what, we will continue to build, and we will protect public services.

One of my immediate priorities will be to now set for our country a Medium Term Fiscal Framework – an economic plan which ends short termism – and which will anchor our spending and taxation plans for the time ahead. This will set out a budgetary path to maintain sustainable public finances, deliver progress on the economic and social priorities of government, and protect the long-term prospects of our country.

The key message I take from the analysis available to me is that we have a window of opportunity in which to prepare the ground for significant demographic and other changes. Our government is determined we will not miss this window to strengthen our economic and social foundations to support future gains in living standards.

Enterprise and Budget 2026

Budget 2026 was built on the same principles that guided leaders like John Mullins: responsibility, ambition and balance.

We increased the Research and Development Tax Credit, expanded Entrepreneur Relief, strengthened our tourism and creative sectors, and enhanced supports for small and medium enterprises.

Not because these measures are popular, but because they are necessary.

A stronger business community means stronger public services. A stronger private sector means a stronger society. And fairness cannot exist without prosperity.

Every euro invested in schools, hospitals and services must first be earned by people who get up, go to work and drive our economy. Tonight, many of those people are in this room – you are the engines of this country’s momentum.

Cork’s Momentum

For Cork, that momentum is very real, it is accelerating, and it is recognised around the world.

From major investments by life science leaders like GE Healthcare, Alexion, Sanmina and Merck, to new operations from technology and engineering firms such as Tricentis, Canto and Acuity, Cork continues to attract global investment because the region delivers.

It delivers talent. It delivers infrastructure. It delivers results.

Conclusion

Tonight, we honour achievement, partnership and ambition. But above all, we honour the values that have always made Cork exceptional: resilience, innovation and unique sense of civic pride.

The Government will continue to stand with Cork, to match your ambition with our own, and to build upon this region’s centrality to Ireland’s future.

And as we reflect on the life of the late, great John Mullins, let us remember that leadership is not just about success. It is about service. It is about people. It is about purpose.

May his example continue to guide us, challenge us and inspire us in the years ahead.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

ENDS