THE death took place in Dublin last night, after a short illness, of Mr Fergus Pyle, chief leader writer of The Irish Times, and a former editor of the newspaper. He was aged 62.
He had a distinguished career in journalism and a deep affection for the profession. He served in numerous posts within The Irish Times in Dublin, Belfast, Paris, Brussels and Bonn. He was appointed editor in July, 1974, and resigned in July, 1977.
Mr Pyle joined the paper in 1961 as a leader writer. He was later appointed features editor (1965), Northern editor from 1967 to 1970, Paris correspondent 1971, Brussels correspondent 1973 and then editor. He later took on the newly created job of information officer for Trinity College, but returned to his first love, journalism and The Irish Times.
His subsequent postings included a second stint as Northern Editor from 1987 to 1990. In March that year he established a full time presence for this newspaper in Germany, initially working from Bonn and Berlin. He reported extensively on the German unification process before returning to Dublin as chief leader writer.
Born in Dublin on March 17th, 1935, Fergus Patrick d'Esterre Pyle was the son of Dr W.F. and Mrs Pyle, and was educated at Aravon School, Bray; Campbell College, Belfast; Trinity College, Dublin (BA Mod in Ancient and Modern Languages); Freiburg University; United Nations, New York. He married Mary Burrows in 1963.
During his first period as Northern editor he covered the beginning of the civil rights movement and other political developments. His coverage of the old Stormont parliament was comprehensive and informative. He had a tremendous enthusiasm and devotion for the job. Colleagues marvelled at his incredible energy, often spending hours in the afternoon in Stormont and the night on the streets of Belfast covering riots or shootings. He provided a magnificent service for his newspaper and for the readers. He shirked no job, however onerous.
His connection with Campbell College proved significant from time to time. He was once told by an Orange friend that his reports had been criticised at a Lodge meeting in south Belfast by a man who called him a republican fellow traveller. "Hold your tongue," his friend told the man. "I'll have you know he's a good Campbellian."
He also received criticism from the Republican side, the balance of which proved he was doing his job well.
It was a sensitive and turbulent time to serve in the North, but of all his numerous and varied posts, his years there were probably the happiest of his career. He and his wife, Mary, developed a great affection for the North. When he was first appointed to Belfast (he disclosed later in an article), he needed "a team of wild horses" to drag his wife away from Dublin. When he was leaving, he joked that he had to harness the same horses to take her on his assignment to open the Paris bureau.
He possessed tremendous intellectual ability. He could master masses of highly complex data in a very short time and then translate this into a readable article. Often he did so without a typewriter, effortlessly dictating the copy by telephone from his notes.
He had vast general knowledge and could discuss most topics with great authority and confidence. In the office, he was constantly in demand from young, and not so young, journalists anxious to get the benefit of his knowledge. He would always come up with the name or date a colleague might be looking for. Nor did he let his exceptional intelligence and ability affect his dealings with younger, less experienced colleagues. He was always modest and approachable.
He was a voracious reader. "I can't remember when I wasn't reading something, and even now [he wrote in December 1974], I find myself compulsively drawn to read the back of the cornflake packet at breakfast if the paper arrives late." He was in deadly earnest; he read everything. Furthermore he had the great gift of being able to retain everything he read.
Referring to his childhood reading, he said: "There is a kind of kaleidoscopic quality to what I remember of childhood reading: Victorian books of my grandmother - Shock Headed Peter, the R.M. Ballantines. Bible stories illustrated with people lying in pools of blood; or children's magazines of the 1920s.
He is survived by his wife and four children, Anna, Conor, Jerram, Sarah and Sebastien.
The editor of The Irish Times, Mr Conor Brady, paying tribute last night said: "Fergus Pyle was the epitome of a good Irish Times journalist. He was rigorously honest, penetrating in his analysis and hungry for information about life and the world around him. We have lost a loved colleague and an honoured professional."