James Doherty was an outstanding civil servant. His death last August after two years of illness borne with courage marked an untimely end to a fine career, as well as leaving an unfillable gap within his family, and in the circle of his colleagues and friends.
Jim was born in Dublin in 1940. He joined the Department of Finance in 1958 and transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1964. He was justly proud of his early scholastic record and his long list of successes in open competitive examinations, not least his legal prizes and his first place at the Bar Final in 1963. In later years, he moved on to external relations work. He had a spell at the Irish Embassy in London from 1988 and, for the past eight years, he was Director and Head of the Beef and Livestock Division in the Agriculture Directorate of the European Commission. In this last post, it is no exaggeration to say that his work was of importance not only to Ireland but to all present and future member states of the European Union.
Jim had a formidable mind, great powers of analysis and a wonderful facility with language. He was a gifted wordsmith with a direct and uncluttered writing style. I retain a characteristic image of him, brows slightly furrowed, fingers steeped as he searched mentally for the precise word or phrase.
What distinguished both his personal and professional life was his sense of duty and his clear view of the standards he wanted to uphold. His public and private life were integrated by his honesty and courage. He said what he thought, and he acted in accordance with what he said. His ferocious self-discipline and extra-special competence were inspiring; but it was above all his gentleness, courtesy and charm that earned him the respect and affection of those with whom he worked and lived. He held the unfashionable view that a post in public service could be as satisfactory and as rewarding, in ways that mattered to him personally, as more remunerative posts in the private sector.
A person of wide and varied interests, Jim remained a voracious reader and a lover of music. He was fond of the American humorists - Perelman, Thurber, Saroyan and especially Runyon. His own wit could be penetrating and sharp; but its more usual mode was self-depreciating, somewhat quizzical. He had a mathematical approach to and interest in gambling, especially on poker and horses. His competitive instincts extended at different times to chess, bridge and golf. He was tempted by the notion of being a sports commentator. His generosity was warm and his hospitality legendary. He was himself a unique mixture, difficult not to admire, impossible to forget.
All his friends will spend much time coming to terms with his untimely removal from us - so many gifts left to use, so much still to give, personally and professionally. He is missed especially by his wife, Anne, his children Philip and Emily, and by his extended family.
J.F.S.