The 2009 Irish emergency budget refers to the delivery of an emergency government budget by the Government of Ireland on 7 April 2009, its second in six months. It was also the second overall budget to be delivered by Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan as Minister for Finance. The emergency budget announcement involved significant tax rises and a decrease in public spending. Prior to its unveiling, it was predicted to be the most severe budget in decades, with The Independent suggesting in its aftermath that it was the most severe in the country's history.