Two biographies on the late Jack Lynch will be published within the next couple of years. Prof Dermot Keogh of UCC, who starred in Seven Ages and has several volumes to his credit, expects to have his book out by 2003 around the same time as he will complete his other current work, on John Charles McQuaid. T. Ryle Dwyer whose 16th book was on Charlie Haughey, hopes his will be published within two years.
The authors have slightly different views on their subject. Keogh says those who regarded Lynch as an interim taoiseach and saw him as a weak political leader have completely misunderstood his contribution. While he lost some senior ministers he preserved the unity of the government and introduced significant reform of northern policy. "There was a lot more to Lynch than just a successful sportsman who became a political leader. Lynch's handling of the period 196871 has been judged negatively prematurely. It was one of the defining moments in the development of Irish democracy. Lynch sustained the unity of the government which his successor failed to do when the PDs were founded." His biography, he says, will be a scholarly one based on primary source material and oral interviews.
Dwyer says he has been working on his biography on and off for some time, but a lot of documents will be made available this year and next relating to the vital 1970 and 1971 period. He believes Lynch was a lovely man but not a very good taoiseach, except for his handling of the Northern question after the Arms Crisis. "The arms crisis was allowed to develop because he was either playing politics or turning a blind eye. He did not show leadership. It was unfortunate that Ted Heath was in power in Britain at the time because he was a disaster initially on Northern Ireland. I would say Lynch didn't know what was happening but he played the green card and did not confront the situation. But as a personality he was a lovely individual."
Quidnunc is at rholohan@irish-times.ie