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Within months of arriving in his new office, the Minister for Finance has been forced into delivering one of the most challenging budgets in the State’s history. Mary Regan profiles the man behind the calculations.

AT first glance, Brian Lenihan would not appear to be a man of the people. He is the furthest thing from Joe six-pack you could possible find in Irish politics. He is as alien to breakfast roll man as a Belvedere head-boy, Trinity scholar and Cambridge class-topper could possibly be.

Ask anyone to describe his character and friend, family, colleague or political opponent will all come up with the same things: “bookish”, “bright”, “extremely clever”, “brainy Brian” or “intellectual”.