Maurice Gerard Moynihan, (14 December 1902 – 21 August 1999) was an Irish economist and civil servant who served as the Governor of the

Central Bank of Ireland The Central Bank of Ireland ( ga, Banc Ceannais na hÉireann) is Ireland's central bank, and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). It is the country's financial services regulator for most categories of financial firms ...

from 1960 to 1969. He was also a co-drafter of the 1937

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland ( ga, Bunreacht na hÉireann, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The constitution, based on a system of representative democra ...

, Secretary of the Government of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...

in 1937 and Knight Commander of the Papal

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

in 1959.

Career

Moynihan began his civil service career working in the Department of Fiance in 1925, and his talent was quickly recognised by

Minister for Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

Ernest Blythe Ernest Blythe (; 13 April 1889 – 23 February 1975) was an Irish journalist, managing director of the Abbey Theatre, and politician who served as Minister for Finance from 1923 to 1932, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Vice-President of t ...

. He was promoted to become Private Secretary to the

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

, Éamon de Valera in 1932. He was appointed Secretary of the

Department of the Taoiseach The Department of the Taoiseach ( ga, Roinn an Taoisigh) is the government department of the Taoiseach, the title in Ireland for the head of government.Article 13.1.1° and Article 28.5.1° of the Constitution of Ireland. The latter provision re ...

, and Secretary to the Government in 1937, in which post he served until 1960. In 1960, he was appointed as

Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland The Central Bank of Ireland ( ga, Banc Ceannais na hÉireann) is Ireland's central bank, and as such part of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). It is the country's financial services regulator for most categories of financial firms ...

, having been a Service Director thereof from 1953 to 1960. He was one of the "architects" of the 1937

Influence and legacy

He is acknowledged to have played a "central, constructive role in the coordination of government policy generally", and "his contribution to the development of the State was significant and enduring... matched only by his modesty and courteous manner" in the early formative years of the newly independent

and later

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

Honours and tributes

He was conferred with an

honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

Economic Science Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

by the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) ( ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann) is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called ''university college, constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under t ...

in 1955, and was invested as a Knight Commander of the Papal

in 1959. On his death, he was acknowledged by

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...

, the then

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

, as having served his country "with great distinction and integrity, employing the finest qualities in the public service". He was also described as a "most independent civil servant, respected by politicians and civil servants alike", by Professor Patrick Lynch, prominent economist and former Assistant Secretary of the Government. J.J. Lee, professor of history in Cork, described him as ''one of the greatest public servants who ever served the State" and "a man in whom the institutions of the State found an absolutely trustworthy protector". He was "imbued with a profound sense of loyalty and commitment to public service". Echoing Professor Lee, he was considered in the view of the Irish Times ''"one of the greatest civil servants in the

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

."''

Publications

*''Currency and Central Banking in Ireland – 1922–1960'', by Maurice G. Moynihan, published by the Central Bank and Gill & MacMillan, Dublin, 1975. *''Speeches and Statements by Eamon de Valera – 1917–1973'', by Maurice G. Moynihan, Gill & MacMillan, Dublin, 1980.

References

External links

Central Bank of Ireland – Tributes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moynihan, Maurice Gerard 1902 births 1999 deaths Irish civil servants Irish writers Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great People from Tralee 20th-century Irish economists Governors of the Central Bank of Ireland