RICHARD HASLAM: RICHARD (DICK) Haslam, who has died aged 86, was a former Limerick county manager, a leading proponent of local government reform and the driving force behind University College Cork's department of public administration.
As a practitioner and lifelong student of local government in Ireland, he had an unwavering belief in the devolved system but regarded Ireland’s highly centralised form of national government as the bane of his life.
Mature and sage, both in life and profession, he was big in stature, a good man to tell a story and had a cool head in difficult situations. To his colleagues he was, as one succinctly put it, “a friend, mentor and inspiration”.
Having lectured in public administration at UCC since the early 1970s, he became head of the department in 1988 and by the time he retired nine years later had established its reputation as a leading centre of government studies. Now at the department of government – it boasts a fully fledged BSc programme and Haslam’s portrait hangs prominently – the annual prize for graduate of the year bears his name.
From the village of Lower Aghada on the eastern shore of Cork harbour, where his father ran a public house, he went to school in the city’s North Monastery and St Coleman’s College in Fermoy.
Having entered the public service, his progress through the labyrinthine corridors of local government is a classic illustration of a successful career punctuated by promotions and characterised by hard work. Cutting his teeth as a young civil servant, he started as clerical officer in Cork County Council in 1946. In 1954 he became an assistant staff officer. His first significant posting was town clerk of Youghal UDC in 1954, followed by city accountant with Cork Corporation in 1958. He was seconded to the Cork Health Authority as temporary secretary/ accountant between 1960-1963.
He became county secretary of Limerick County Council in 1963, Cork assistant county manager from 1966-1970, was seconded to Limerick County Council as deputy county manager from 1967-1968 and became county manager there in 1970, a post he held for 18 months.
His interest in teaching had persisted since he graduated from UCC with a B Com in 1951. He became a part-time assistant at the college in 1955, part-time lecturer in 1962, full-time lecturer in the department of public administration in 1972, and head of the department in 1988. In another family connection with UCC, his wife, Geraldine, was professor of nursing until her recent retirement.
His wider community role in Cork included chairmanship of the board of the €75 million St Patrick’s Hospital and Hospice that replaced the city’s old Marymount Hospice last year.
Pre-deceased by his first wife, Noreen, he is survived his wife Geraldine, daughters Mary and Ann, and son Joe.
Richard Haslam: born October 26th, 1925; died April 8th, 2012