Joseph McGlinn, who died on January 12th, aged 82, was one of the most distinguished bankers of his generation.
A key figure in the merger of the Munster & Leinster, the Royal and the Provincial to form Allied Irish Banks in the 1960s, he played a pivotal role in the development of what was to become the State's largest bank.
Known as "Honest Joe" because of his integrity, he boasted an unrivalled knowledge of the legal aspects of banking allied to an uncanny ability to dissect a balance sheet or get to the essence of a complex borrowing proposal.
Born in Athlone, Co Westmeath, on July 29th, 1917, Joseph McGlinn spent most of his childhood in Newry, Co Down. He joined the Omagh, Co Tyrone branch of the old Munster & Leinster Bank after winning first place in an entrance examination. He was transferred to head office in Cork when he was 21.
There, he started off performing the relatively humble task of distributing the mail each day, but quickly moved up the ranks to become secretary of the Munster & Leinster.
During his tenure with the bank, he was closely involved in a number of innovative ventures including the setting up of the Hire Purchase Company of Ireland, which later became AIB Finance & Leasing. It was widely regarded as a ground-breaking development at the time.
He also played a central role in the lifting of the ban on banks opening new branches, a move that was of major significance not just for the Munster & Leinster but for the banking industry generally.
Following the merger which created AIB, he moved to Dublin where he became one of the "Pembroke Six", the nucleus of staff that formed AIB and operated out of the bank's first offices at the corner of Baggot Street and Pembroke Road.
There, Joseph McGlinn emerged as a central player in integrating the three banks to create a unified force, becoming chief general manager of the new group in 1973.
He was appointed group managing director four years later and his day-to-day involvement with the bank only ceased at the end of 1980, when he became deputy chairman.
His years in AIB, from the merger in 1966, saw the establishment of several branch offices in Britain, an office in Brussels and diversification into travel and shipping.
His experience of banking was immense, extending from the old system which had hardly changed in 100 years to the new, more complex structures of the 1980s which he helped to create.
Yet he did not conform to the traditional, somewhat forbidding image of the banker: a gentle, self-effacing, down-to-earth man, he possessed a good sense of humour.
He also served as a director of the Central Bank and of Credit Finance Bank and was president of the Institute of Bankers for a period.
Joseph McGlinn was predeceased by his wife Bridget and is survived by his son Tony.
Joseph McGlinn: born 1917; died January, 2000