The President, Mrs McAleese, yesterday launched a collection of essays written as a tribute to the distinguished political scientist, teacher and broadcaster, Prof Brian Farrell.
Speaking at the publication of Dissecting Irish Politics: A Festschrift in Honour of Brian Farrell at Newman House, Dublin, yesterday, President McAleese described him as "something of an intellectual pentathlon".
"It is important that the academic world should stake its claim to Brian, for the television Brian of the bow tie and rose, of the marathon election result analysis and the polite yet forensic questioning, this Brian is, of course, owned by the nation.
"Innovative scholar, gifted teacher, first-class inscrutable broadcaster, describer and analyser par excellence of Irish politics and politicians, a fine human being - Brian earned the respect in which he is held the hard way."
Prof Farrell had an ability, the President continued, to "seamlessly bring insights from one of his fields of expertise to bear on another".
While she had never been one of his students at UCD, Mrs McAleese said she had worked with him for a couple of years and learned much from him. Indeed, she believed the book's "galaxy of eminent contributors and outstanding essays" indicated the extent of the respect in which he was held.
The book, written by Prof Farrell's friends and former students to mark his 75th birthday, analyses such themes as the role of Taoiseach, by Dr Garret FitzGerald, and the office of the Ombudsman, by Mr Michael Mills.