Former press ombudsman John Horgan has been a “conscientious objector” to the ills of the State during his lifetime, European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly said at the launch of a series of essays in his honour last night.
About 150 people attended the launch in Dublin of The State in Transition: Essays in Honour of John Horgan, edited by Kevin Rafter and Mark O'Brien.
Ms O’Reilly, pictured with Mr Horgan, said he had a long history of tackling inequalities in the Republic and that he could “look back proudly” on his contribution to the modern Irish State.
The event was attended by a number of Labour Party figures, including former minister for education Ruairí Quinn and Minister for Communications Alex White.
Speaking afterwards, Mr White said he had admired Mr Horgan for many years and paid tribute to his contribution to Irish society.
“I think he’s a really admirable person and he represents so many of the values that I admire in a public intellectual, a liberal intellectual, and a social democrat – so I’ve huge admiration for him,” he said.
“He makes his interventions and presents his analysis of Irish society in a careful and deliberate but very gentlemanly way, and I think he’s been all the more successful for that.”
