![The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune](https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/N4URZJOLBJ5JBU2LGNJGBLXN54.jpg?smart=true&auth=235abe169e20c59d8b0460eec9953bf6112983fa555c9d898fcfd8b46d1f8399&width=105)
First published in 2007, this biography tells the extraordinary tale of how a publicity-shy Irish-American made a fortune and then gave it all away. With a new chapter documenting how Chuck Feeney lost control of the board of his charitable foundation, this is a compelling read. From humble beginnings in New Jersey, Feeney made his money by building the world’s largest duty-free chain. Not much interest was taken in him until it was revealed that he had set up the Atlantic Philanthropies foundation in 1982 to secretly distribute his wealth. The billionaire has now donated more than €6 billion through the foundation, including more than €1.5 billion to Irish educational and social causes. Despite 396 pages of biographical detail, including stories from those who know him best, Feeney remains something of an enigma.