Tributes have been paid to "one of the greatest civil servants in the history of the State", who died on Saturday. Dr Maurice Moynihan, a former long-serving Government secretary and governor of the Central Bank, was 96.
One of the "architects" of the 1937 Constitution, Dr Moynihan was described by the economist and former assistant Government secretary, Prof Patrick Lynch, as a "most independent civil servant, respected by politicians and civil servants alike". He was a "most distinguished civil servant", serving both Fianna Fail and interparty coalition governments and becoming governor of the Central Bank at a very difficult time.
Expressing her condolences to his family, the President, Mrs McAleese, said that throughout his long and distinguished career, Dr Moynihan had served his country with great distinction and integrity, employing the finest qualities of public service.
Prof Joe Lee, professor of history at NUI Cork, described him as one of the greatest public servants who ever served the State.
He was "in essence a man in whom the institutions of the State found an absolutely trustworthy protector."
Maurice Moynihan was born in Tralee in December 1902 and educated by the Christian Brothers. Winning a scholarship to University College Cork, he was a brilliant student and graduated with a first-class honours degree in Commerce. When he joined the Civil Service in 1925 he started with the Department of Finance and became secretary to the Fianna Fail government in 1937, at the age of 34, a position he held until 1960, when he was appointed Central Bank governor. He married US-born Ms Mae Conley in 1932 and the couple had five children.
In 1955 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in economic science by the National University of Ireland. In 1959 he received the papal title, Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great.
Following his retirement from the Central Bank in 1969 he spent the next decade writing two books, one a history of the Central Bank, Currency and Central Banking in Ireland 1922-60,and Speeches and Statements by Eamon de Valera 1917-1973.
His ability to virtually anticipate de Valera's response to any particular issue was widely acknowledged.
Prof Lee said that the 1937 Constitution was very definitely de Valera's, but Dr Moynihan, one of the three main drafters of the document, was a "very fine drafter". This, he said, "was particularly important when dealing with a mind as sinuous as Mr de Valera's".Dr Moynihan was predeceased by his wife in July 1994, his daughter, Mary, in December 1994 and his eldest son, Maurice, in May last year. He is survived by his daughters, Ms Joan Moynihan and Ms Anne Hayden and his son, Mr Martin Moynihan.Removal will be to the Church of St John the Baptist in Clontarf, Dublin, this evening at 5.30 p.m. with Requiem Mass tomorrow at 11 a.m. followed by burial in the family plot at Clontarf cemetery.
