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GAZETTE

JULY/AUGUST 1988

Book Review

Essays in Memo r y of

A l ex i s Fi t zGera ld

edited by

Patrick Lynch and James Meenan.

(Dublin: The Incorporated Law Society

of Ireland, 1988. x, 249pp. £15.99).

T h i s Bo ok p u b l i s h ed by t he

Incorporated Law Society consists

of 13 Essays covering a w i de range

of subjects, wh i ch reflect the deep

t h o u g h t, studies, interests and

a c t i v i t i es of t he l a te A l e x i s

FitzGerald so t hat the book should

appeal not only to t he legal pro-

fession but t o the public generally.

The i n t r oduc t o ry essay is by

Ro n an F a n n i n g, P r o f e s s or of

Modern History in U.C.D. His essay

is a biographical one, in wh i ch he

states t hat the major academic

interests of Alexis FitzGerald, apart

f r om economi c s, we re in history,

literature and political philosophy

wh i ch ex t ended in later life into

t h e o l o gy and biblical s t ud i e s.

Professor Fanning postulates t hat

if Alexis had been in a position to

pursue an academic career it might

not have been in law. That may

we ll be true, but I do not think his

colleagues wou ld agree that Alexis

held the conv i c t i on t hat " t h e law

w a s no more t han a w a y to make

a living". Alexis was a perfectionist

and, having qualified as a solicitor

he was de t e rmi ned to excel in the

field of law wh i ch explains w h y he

became a leading, if not, t he

l e a d i ng

s o l i c i t or

in

D u b l i n,

contributing a series of long articles

t o the

Irish Jurist

on Company

Law. My only criticism of this book

of Essays is the absence of an

essay on Alexis, as a l awye r, t he

profession to wh i ch he gave the

greater part of his life. He had a

deep c on v i c t i on t hat solicitors

should provide a service to all clients,

whe t her profitable or unprofitable.

The late James Meenan, the

f o r m e r P r o f e s s or of Po l i t i c al

Economy, and Patrick Lynch, n ow

Professor Emeritus of Political

E c o n o m y, Un i v e r s i ty Co l l e g e,

Dublin, came to k n ow Alexis while

s t u d y i ng e c o n om i cs and t h ey

became lifelong friends. Professor

Meenan w r i t es of Alexis f r om their

first mee t i ng in 1 9 3 7 w h en Alexis

had t aken his degree in e c onom i cs

and traces the deve l opment of

A l ex i s 's t h o u g ht in relation to

economics and politics, in wh i ch he

lectured for 20 years in U.C.D. The

essay by Professor Lynch explains

the way he and Alexis collaborated

in giving a distinctively keynesian

flavour t o the economic policies of

the first Inter-Party Gove r nmen t.

Th is es say is also e x t r eme ly

interesting on the controversial

subject of the t hen Taoiseach, Mr.

John Costello's announ c ement in

O t t awa in 1 9 48 of the intention of

t he Go v e r nme nt to declare a

Republic.

The late Desmond Williams, the

former Professor of Modern History

in U.C.D., s h ows a deep insight

into the character of Alexis and

makes an accurate analysis and

assessment of A l ex i s 's beliefs and

t hought and their influence over his

w i de interests and activities and

concludes by saying, " h e was

above all a just m a n " .

T h e r e are a l so i n t e r e s t i ng

con t r i bu t i ons by the President of

U . C . D ,

P r o f e s s or

Pa t r i ck

Masterson, entitled " A r g u i ng f r om

Intelligibility t o G o d " and by

Pr o f essor Enda M c D o n a gh on

politics and christology. Professor

McDonagh quotes an amusing quip

in a postscript to a letter he

received f r om Alexis FitzGerald in

1 9 8 1, wh en acting as adviser to

the then Taoiseach, wh i ch reads " I

am, disgracefully, more interested

RECENT

PUBLICATIONS

FROM THE

LAW SOCIETY

Essays in Memory

of Alexis FitzGerald

edited by Patrick Lynch

and James Meenan

Price: £ 1 5 . 00

plus £ 2 . 10 p. + p.

A Guide to Planning

Legislation in the

Republic of Ireland

by Kevin I. Now l an

Price: £ 2 7 . 50

plus £ 2 . 10 p. + p.

Available f r om:

The Law Society,

Blackhall Placa,

Dublin 7.

in the problems of christology t han

I am in the grave political and

e c onom ic p r ob l ems f ac i ng our

c o u n t r y "!

Of course, he in f act t ook a very

deep interest in our economic

problems, but this did not preclude

his s t udy of christology.

Dr. Conor Cruise-O'Brien wr i t es

on religion and nationalism in his

usual readable style.

The former Chief Justice, Mr.

Thomas F. O'Higgins, and Judge

Declan Costello con t r i bu te essays

on d i f f e r e nt a s p e c ts of t he

Cons t i t u t i on, wh i ch is n owa d a ys

such a controversial d o c ume n t.

In his role as a Senator, Alexis

FitzGerald wo r k ed tirelessly t o

a c h i e ve t he i m p r o v e m e nt of

legislation so that the essay on the

Role of the Seanad by Professor

J ames Dooge is an impo r t ant

con t r i bu t i on to this book, as is

P r o f e s s or J o hn Ke l l y 's e s s ay

"Po l i t i cal Parties in the Da i l ".

Also in the politial sphere we

have the essay by Dr. Garret

F i t zGe r a ld on t he An g l o - I r i sh

A g r e e m e n t

t o w h i c h

w h e n

Taoiseach he gave t op priority,

wh i le Alexis FitzGerald, he states

had s omewh at more concern for

the economic problems of the

c oun t r y.

Included in the book are t w o

con t r i bu t i ons by Alexis FitzGerald

h i m s e l f . One e s s ay on I r i sh

Democ r acy was published in the

University

Review

1 9 5 8, and the

other on Eamon de Valera, w h om

he admired in many w a y s and held

in great esteem, was published in

Studies

in 1975. Both essays stand

the test of t ime.

An intimate friend, Judge Gerard

Clarke, w h o I think it is true t o say

greatly influenced t he t h o u g ht of

Alexis FitzGerald on theological,

social and moral matters, writes on

the Trial of St. Thomas More.

Essays on legal trials can be " d u ll

reading" but Judge Clarke w h o has

made such a deep s t udy of t he life

of this great man, wh o se trial was

in many wa ys a turning point in the

history of England, has w r i t t en a

most readable essay.

These Essays are a fitting tribute

t o t h i s w o n d e r f u l

C h r i s t i an

personality, scholar, l awye r, and

politician and the Law Society is t o

be

c o n g r a t u l a t ed

on

t he

publication.

A.D.

185