The centenary of the first report into State spending by the Public Accounts Committee has been marked in Leinster House.
The event was attended by current and former chairpersons of the Public Accounts Committee as well as many past and present members.
It was addressed by former member and Ceann Comhaile Verona Murphy and by current chairperson John Brady.
PAC is the oldest committee in the Oireachtas, having been established in 1924 to complement the offices of the Comptroller and Auditor General, which was set up the previous year.
Before Ireland gained independence in December 1922, public spending was scrutinised by a committee in Westminster.
It was empowered on establishment to examine and report on accounts of public bodies.
PAC was a key part of the efforts to stabilise the chaotic finances of the newly established State.
Among its first tasks was to examine the spending around the Tailteann Games, a sporting event that promoted Irish culture.
It was also tasked with auditing post-Civil War army accounts. Its first finalised report on those army accounts was published in April 1925.
From the beginning, committee members were drawn from all parties in the Dáil.
Among the earliest members were TDs Thomas Johnson and Daniel Morrisey of Labour, Richard Wilson and Conor Hogan of the Farmers' Party, Patrick Joseph Egan, Michael Joseph Hennessy, Thomas O'Mahony and Daniel MacCarthy of Cumann na nGaedheal and William Hewat of the Business and Professional Group.
In 1931, the eldest sister of Michael Collins, Margaret Collins-O'Driscoll, was appointed as its first female member.
She was a TD for Dublin-North and the only woman in the Dáil between 1927 and 1933.
Prior to her career in politics, she was a teacher and school principal.
Over the decades, PAC demanded accountability and transparency around public spending.
In 1929, Deputy Osmond T Grattan said it "puts the fear of God into all the departments of State with regard to strict accounting".
In 1970, the committee was legally empowered to compel witnesses to appear before it.
In 1971, former Secretary of the Department of Justice Peter Berry produced a loaded revolver and placed it on the bench in front of him when addressing the committee.
He said at the time his life and property were being threatened. Mr Berry had been under armed garda protection during the period around the Arms Trial.
In 1999, the DIRT inquiry set up by PAC led to the recovery of nearly €500 million in unpaid tax.
History was made when TG4 televised the inquiry, as it was the first time the public could watch the live proceedings of a committee.
