Edward William Delany (Lany) Bacon SC, who has died in his 81st year, was a former chief parliamentary counsel to the government and had the distinction of spending over 50 years drafting legislation, serving under 19 attorneys general.
Born on September 17th, 1924 in Herbert Place, Dublin, he was the second child of Thomas Bacon, a barrister, and his wife, Josephine (née Dowley). In his childhood the family moved to Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, where he lived until his death.
He and his sister, Anne, were among the initial intake of pupils at Miss Meredith's (now Pembroke School) when it first opened on Pembroke Road.
He later excelled as a pupil of Belvedere and Clongowes Wood colleges.
Continuing his education at University College Dublin, he read law, politics and economics. At King's Inns he was awarded the John Brooke Scholarship, the highest award at the Bar.
He then practised as a barrister on the Leinster circuit until the age of 28 when he withdrew from court work after breaking his neck in a swimming accident at Bulloch Harbour, Dalkey.
He entered the Civil Service in 1952, joining the office of the attorney general, and became chief parliamentary counsel in 1970. An exceptionally able and productive legislative draftsman with an enormous appetite for work, he regularly worked late into the night to finalise urgent legislation.
While he formally retired in 1985, such was the volume of work that he was retained on contract as a consultant drafter until December of last year. The office in those years was undermanned and the staff overworked, and Lany Bacon was more than willing to shoulder the burden.
He had a fine analytical mind and was a brilliant wordsmith, bringing great clarity to the bills he drafted. He was responsible for drafting the European Communities Act, 1972, a masterpiece of brevity that anticipated the equivalent UK legislation, and successive Finance Acts.
Other notable drafting performances included the Unfair Dismissals Act, 1977, the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995, and the Freedom of Information Act, 1997. Much of his time in the 1980s and 1990s was taken up with constitutional referendums, including those on divorce and Articles 2 and 3.
His colleagues found him calm, unassuming and wise, and always ready to share his encyclopaedic knowledge of the law. He was at all times extraordinarily accessible and courteous. In recognition of his long and distinguished service he was admitted to the Inner Bar in 1997.
He pursued a wide range of interests and had a large circle of friends. A keen sportsman, he enjoyed squash, tennis, water-skiing and cycling, and indeed played tennis and cycled into his 80s. He was also a regular theatregoer.
A Francophile, he enrolled for French classes at the Alliance Française as Ireland prepared to join the European Economic Community. He achieved a high degree of fluency and for many years spent holidays in France, either alone or with friends and often with a bicycle in tow.
Widely travelled though he was, it was only in recent years that he ventured to the United States, and he was surprised at how much he enjoyed it.
He was generous, had a great sense of humour and could engage with people of all ages. A first-rate conversationalist, his prodigious memory ensured a wealth of stories that he delighted in telling. He had infinite patience, tact and understanding, qualities that were particularly evident to those to whom he was mentor.
He never married. As an uncle and granduncle he was very special to his large extended family. He is survived by his brother, Tommy, and sisters, Anne and Mary.
Lany Bacon: born September 17th, 1924; died February 9th, 2005