FitzGerald's son to finish father's book on education

PROF JOHN FitzGerald, son of the late Dr Garret FitzGerald, is to complete his father’s last book, about education in the 19th century. Prof Fitzgerald was among a number of scholars newly admitted to the Royal Irish Academy yesterday.

A statement from the academy said he was elected in recognition of his work on the “behavioural characteristics of the Irish economy”.

On his death Dr FitzGerald was working on a book for the RIA, titled Irish Education in 1824.

In it he examined the 1824 census of children in education and found that multidenominational education was far more common than previously believed.

“In his last letter to his editor Ruth Hegarty, Dr FitzGerald said he had finally completed the process of checking the 12,000 figures in the principal table that summarises his research for the book and he was checking the other dozen tables that are to be included,” the academy said.

“John FitzGerald has agreed to take over responsibility for the book and to see it through to publication.”

Membership of the academy is awarded to people who have attained a distinction in education and research and is regarded as the highest academic honour in the State.

Dr FitzGerald had been a member since 1974, and other well-known members include Séamus Heaney, Mary Robinson and Erwin Schrödinger.

New members from the sciences are Keith Bennett (Queen’s University, Belfast), Gerard Boyle (Teagasc), Catherine Godson (UCD), Thorfinnur Gunnlaughsson (TCD), Peter McHugh (NUI Galway), Thomas Millar (Queen’s University, Belfast), Colin O’Dowd (NUI Galway), Shane O’Mara (TCD), Colm O’Morain (TCD), Donal O’Regan (NUI Galway), Tim Robinson (University of Cambridge) and Barry Smyth (UCD).

From the humanities and social sciences are Mary Canning (World Bank education specialist), John Carey (UCC), Sean Dorgan (chief executive of IDA Ireland 1999-2007), John FitzGerald (ESRI), Kathleen James-Chakraborty (UCD), Alun Jones (UCD), Edward Larissy (Queen’s University, Belfast), Imelda Maher (UCD), Robert McBride (University of Ulster), Jane Ohlmeyer (TCD), Jean-Michel Picard (UCD) and Dermot Walsh (University of Limerick).

The RIA was founded in 1785 and has 455 members.

Members are entitled to use the designation MRIA after their name.