Charlie Versus Garret – The Rivalry that Shaped Modern Ireland

Description

The two opposing political personalities that shaped Irish life in the 1980s and
beyond.

The two opposing political figures that shaped Irish life in the 1980s and
beyond. In the 1980s, Irish politics was dominated by a fierce rivalry between Charles J.
Haughey and Dr Garret FitzGerald, both leaders of their respective parties, Fianna
Fáil and Fine Gael. Between them they each led all Irish governments in that
decade; to say their two opposing personalities shaped Irish life during this era is
an understatement.

Eoin O’Malley has amassed an extraordinary body of research, including in-depth
interviews with dozens of the most consequential public figures of the time, every
Taoiseach, cabinet ministers, TDs, civil servants, and advisers.

As political rivals with different approaches to public life and contrasting visions for
Ireland, each enshrined in quite different personalities, the choice between
Haughey and FitzGerald came to signify a great deal more than party loyalty or
policy preference: it felt like a choice between opposing worldviews.

And, as
O’Malley’s work finally makes clear through an accumulation of extraordinary
insights, including interviews with Haughey and FitzGerald themselves, it was fed
by a deep reservoir of personal insecurity and paranoia. Each was deeply
preoccupied – obsessed even – with the strengths, appeal and threats of the other,
to the extent that this rivalry itself became one of the decisive factors in Irish life
that shaped Ireland well after they had left power.

About the Author

Eoin O’Malley is an Associate Professor in political science at the School of Law and
Government, Dublin City University. There he teaches politics and public policy.
As a regular columnist in the Sunday Independent, Eoin is a frequent contributor to
national debates.
Eoin O’Malley is the the son of Desmond O’Malley, the leader of the Progressive Democrats
in the 1980s.