Dimensions
163 x 243 x 44mm
In 2002, an eighty-five-year-old former civil servant was voted 'Greatest Living Irishman of the Century'. Widely regarded as the architect of modern Irelando, T.K. Whitaker's life spans the history of the Irish state in whose economic, social and cultural evolution he played an integral and influential role. Born in Rostrevor, County Down, reared in Drogheda, County Louth, from modest beginnings, T.K. Whitaker's meteoric rise through the ranks of the civil service saw him at 39 years become the youngest Secretary General of the Department of Finance. His inspirational Programme for Economic Development became the blueprint for Ireland's regeneration in the 1960s. As Governor of the Central Bank in the 1970s his vision and purpose transformed it into a dynamic institution. And, as advisor to Taoiseach Jack Lynch, he played a crucial and often unrecognized role in the movement towards peace in Northern Ireland. Drawn from in-depth interviews conducted with Dr Whitaker and his family, as well as exclusive access to his personal papers and correspondence, Portrait of a Patriot reveals the quite extraordinary extent and diversity of T.K. Whitaker's work; his policy struggles with various governments and individual ministers; his relationship with Irish political figures such as De Valera, Lemass, MacBride, Costello, Sweetman, O'Neill, Lynch, Haughey and FitzGerald. This personal and intimate biography also introduces the family man, his motivation, humour and compassion; the personal losses endured and the many highlights enjoyed. T.K. Whitaker's life story is a model of excellence and integrity; the very definition of a type of patriotism that is largely absent in twenty-first century Ireland.
