Brian Hillery
Born: November 22nd, 1937
Died: January 19th, 2021
Brian Hillery was widely regarded as one of the great gentlemen of Irish politics.
In a tribute following his death, President Michael D Higgins summed up the feelings of all who encountered him during his political career.
“Those who served with him in the Oireachtas will remember Brian as always courteous, and as a warm and intelligent man. Those of us who had the privilege of knowing him personally and enjoying his company will hold the warmest memories of him.”
As well as serving as a politician Hillery was successful in several other fields. He was the first professor of industrial relations at UCD. Later, he was Ireland’s representative on the board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development at a crucial time in the reconstruction of the continent. What comforted his family following his death was the way so many people spoke about his personal qualities as much as his achievements.
Brian Hillery was born in Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, into a strong Fianna Fáil family. He was a nephew of former president Patrick Hillery, who served as TD for Clare from 1951 until 1976. Brian attended the local national school before going on to St Flannan’s in Ennis for his secondary education. He then went to University College Dublin where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce.
After graduation he worked with the Agricultural Credit Corporation in Dublin before winning a Rotary Scholarship to the University of Georgia in 1965 at a time when it was very unusual for Irish people to study in the United States.
He came first in his MBA class in Georgia and he was also awarded Rotary Student of the Year. After his return to Dublin he worked for Citibank, completing a PhD at UCD. He was appointed to the staff of the university in 1967 and became the first professor of Industrial Relations at UCD in 1974. He was a visiting professor at University of California, Berkeley, in 1977.
Last July, Hillery and his wife, Miriam, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary
In 1970 he married Miriam Davy, the daughter of Eugene Davy a famous Irish rugby player and one of the founders of Davy’s stockbrokers. As well as being the anchor of his personal life, Miriam played an important role in Hillery’s political career as a supporter and advisor.
She canvassed throughout the country with him in his gruelling Seanad election campaigns and was centrally involved in his efforts to win a Dáil seat. Just last July, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
Given his family background in Fianna Fáil, it was a natural move for him to get involved with the party when he came to Dublin. He ran for the Seanad in 1977 and was elected on the Labour panel in the wake of Fianna Fáil’s massive general election victory. He brought his expertise in industrial relations to bear in Seanad debates but also played an active role in discussions on a wide range of issues. The former leader of the Seanad Maurice Manning said: “He was a man of great courtesy, quiet charm and a very loyal colleague.”
He opposed Charles Haughey during the three tempestuous heaves in the early 1980s despite considerable pressure from constituency members to back the leader. Fianna Fáil was riven with dissension at that time and tempers were frequently frayed but Hillery managed to remain on good terms with the different strands of the party while refusing to budge on his view that Haughey should go. That stand had a negative impact on his political career.
Outside the Seanad chamber his conciliation skills were deployed to great effect. He was a pioneer in helping to resolve industrial relations disputes in the 1970s when conflict between trade unions and employers was at its peak.
Whether it was helping to bring about peace at the height of industrial conflict at the ESB in the 1970s, bringing agreement on army pay in the 1990s or dealing with hostilities between the largest shareholders in INM in the 2000s, his calm and steady approach was vital in resolving seemingly intractable disputes.
He ran for the Dáil in 1981 in the five seat Dublin South Central constituency but failed to win election. Given his opposition to the leadership, it came as a surprise when he emerged as a Dáil candidate for Fianna Fáil in the Dun Laoghaire constituency in the 1989 general election. He did not seek a nomination at the selection convention at which sitting TD David Andrews and hard working councillor Betty Coffey were chosen to run.
When he lost his seat at the election in 1992 he retired from national politics, although he remained an active party member
The party hierarchy had planned to add Kieran Mulvey, the general secretary of the ASTI, who had resigned from the Worker’s Party a year before, to the ticket. However, less than 24 hours before the party national executive met to approve a final list of candidates, Mulvey announced that he did not wish to contest the election and Hillery was persuaded to run in his place. He ran a strong campaign, taking ads in The Irish Times with the pitch “a national voice for Dun Laoghaire’s future” and won a second seat for the party in the constituency.
When he lost his seat at the subsequent election in 1992 he retired from national politics, although he remained an active party member. He continued to lecture in UCD until he was appointed as Ireland and Denmark’s representative on the board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London from 1994 to 1997. The bank was established to foster the ongoing transition to democracy and open market economies in central and eastern Europe, including the countries of the former Soviet Union and Hillery immersed himself in its work.
After moving back to Dublin, he was made chairman of Credito Italiano Bank (Ireland) in 1999. He was subsequently chairman of Independent News & Media and of Providence Resources where he had the unenviable task of trying to arbitrate between two of the country’s most powerful business figures Tony O’Reilly and Denis O’Brien. He was also chairman of Providence Resources and was appointed to the board of the Central Bank. He is survived by his wife Miriam, daughter Cliona, and sons Conor, Eugene, Brian and Gavin.