Jack Chambers: The 'quietly intelligent' TD who is now Ireland's youngest ever finance minister

The Fianna Fáil TD has reached Cabinet a decade after the re-opening of an inconspicuous office above a Chinese takeaway in Castleknock

While he isn't seen as overly close with many TDs, Jack Chambers is respected and considered 'quietly intelligent'. File photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Once the baby of the Dáil, Jack Chambers has risen to become the youngest Finance Minister in the history of the State.

With the announcement that he would become Michael McGrath's replacement, Jack Chambers has reached Cabinet a decade after the re-opening of an inconspicuous office above a Chinese takeaway in Castleknock.

That office was the political base of Brian Lenihan Jr, but was shuttered in the wake of his untimely death in 2011. 

With Fianna Fáil failing to win the by-election to replace Mr Lenihan or the by-election to replace his replacement Patrick Nulty in 2014, Dublin West was without a Fianna Fáil TD for the first time since before it even existed as a constituency, having been represented by Brian Lenihan Sr, his son and Liam Lawlor from its embryonic days as Dublin County West in 1977 and the creation of the constituency in 1981.

The re-opening of the office by someone not yet elected was seen as a sign of ambition and a statement of intent. That it was opened by someone linked to Frank Chambers, a close ally of Mr Lenihan Jr, was not surprising. That Mr Chambers' son was aged just 23, however, did raise eyebrows.

"It was a statement of intent. This wasn't a guy who was here just to be a local rep," one political opponent says now.

Born in Galway in 1990, Mr Chambers moved to Dublin early in his life with his parents Frank and Barbara — themselves natives of Mayo. His father is a consultant at the Mater Hospital. 

Educated at Belvedere College, Mr Chambers would go on to study at Trinity College Dublin where he earned a degree in law and politics. He paused his studies to focus on his political career, but graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland in 2020 and has been a qualified doctor since.

Mr Chambers would take a seat on Fingal County Council in 2014, collecting a quota-and-a-half in his native Castleknock, before taking a seat in the general election in 2016, becoming the youngest member of that Dáil. He would hold on to that seat in 2020 and was appointed the junior finance minister by Micheál Martin that July. 

Jack Chambers took a seat on Fingal County Council in 2014, collecting a quota-and-a-half in his native Castleknock, before taking a seat in the general election in 2016, becoming the youngest member of that Dáil. File photo: RollingNews.ie

However, within a fortnight, he was elevated to the chief whip's role following the sacking of Barry Cowen and the promotion of Dara Calleary. There, he took on roles in Gaeltacht and Sport and one observer recalls him receiving criticism for his level of Irish in July but coming back from the Dáil recess almost fluent in the language.

Having opposed the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in 2018, he said in 2022 that his opinions had "evolved".

He was moved to the Department of Transport in December 2022 and in early 2024 came out as gay, a rare glimpse into his personal life. While he isn't seen as overly close with many TDs, he is respected and considered "quietly intelligent".

A political opponent illustrates Mr Chambers' ascension through the example of him canvassing the most working-class areas of Dublin West, the places most affected by the financial crash that predated his entry into politics.

"He wants to fight for every inch and it stands to him."