A former chief executive of AIB Bank, Mr Joseph McGlinn, has died at the age of 83.

Mr McGlinn played a central role in the creation of the Allied Irish Banks group, through the merger of the Provincial, the Munster & Leinster and the Royal in the 1960s and in the later development of AIB bank.

He became chief executive of the bank in 1973 and was appointed group managing director four years later. His day-to-day involvement with the bank ceased at the end of 1980, when he became deputy chairman.

Mr McGlinn also served as a director of the Central Bank and of Credit Finance Bank.

Born in Athlone, Co Westmeath, in 1917, Mr McGlinn spent most of his childhood in Newry, Co Down. He joined the Omagh, Co Tyrone, branch of the old Munster & Leinster bank after winning first place in a bank entrance examination, before being transferred to the head office in Cork when he was 21.

There, he started off performing the relatively humble task of distributing the mail each day, but quickly moved up the ranks.

His years in AIB, from the merger in 1966, saw the establishment of several branch offices in Britain, of an office in Brussels and diversification into travel and shipping.

"Joe McGlinn was central to the foundation of AIB, having joined the Munster & Leinster in 1938. The directors and staff extend sympathy to his family," a spokeswoman for the bank said last night.

Mr McGlinn, who was married with one son, was a member of Dun Laoghaire golf club and was also a member of Hibernian United Services Club.