Among the many centenaries that Ireland has been marking since the tumultuous birth of the nation 100 years ago, is the fiscal independence that came with the establishment of the Department of Finance. The department which controls the purse strings often has few friends within the Government and has also had a rollercoaster century. So much so that there’s a fascinating new book about it.

Ciaran Casey is the author of the ‘Department of Finance 1959 to 1999’ and Ciaran joined Joe on the show.