FORMER NEWS editor and deputy editor of The Irish TimesGerry Mulvey has died aged 90.
He served in various capacities in a journalistic career at the newspaper which spanned the 1940s to the 1980s.
He died in the Mater hospital, Dublin, and was cremated in Mount Jerome cemetery, Dublin, after Mass in Greystones, Co Wicklow, last Friday.
The ceremonies were private in accordance with his own wishes.
Mulvey worked as a newsroom reporter before taking over the roles of deputy news editor, news editor and deputy editor.
He served as deputy to legendary news editor Donal Foley in the 1960s and 1970s, displaying formidable organisational skills and sound news judgment.
As the newspaper’s circulation grew and coverage expanded, they became a highly effective team under editor Douglas Gageby.
Foley had ideas and an eye for journalistic talent, while Mulvey was a meticulous organiser of major news events, such as reporting on the Troubles in the North, including Bloody Sunday; the 1970 arms crisis; the Dublin bombings and the papal visit in 1979. He masterminded the newspaper’s coverage of several general elections, using his knowledge of constituency politics to maximum effect.
When Foley was made a deputy editor, he replaced him as news editor and later worked closely with Gageby as a deputy editor when his wise judgment and counsel were often sought.
Born in Ballybofey, Co Donegal, his family later moved to Sligo where he was educated at Summerhill College. He began his journalistic career with the now defunct Sligo Independentbefore moving to the Ulster Herald Group.
He was appointed to the staff of The Irish Timesby R M (Bertie) Smyllie, a native of Sligo, who established an instant rapport with the young journalist because of their mutual knowledge of the county.
An early assignment was the funeral of W B Yeats in Drumcliffe, Co Sligo. He covered the courts and the Oireachtas, including the debate on the mother and child scheme, acquiring a knowledge of the laws of defamation and libel which served him well in later years on the news desk and as a deputy editor.
His attention to detail was meticulous, and he once halted the printing of the newspaper to remove a libel from the news pages. He was an active member of the National Union of Journalists, serving as chairman of the union's branch in The Irish Timeson two occasions.
He was a source of advice and encouragement to young journalists, and was the recipient of glowing tributes when he retired in 1985. During his long retirement, he kept in touch with close friends and former colleagues, including Cathal O’Shannon and Frank Kilfeather.
Mr Mulvey, who lived in Whitehall, Dublin, is survived by his daughter Joanna and grandchildren. His wife Mary and son Patrick predeceased him.
