The Gazette 1995

GAZETTE

N E W S

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1995

Noel Ryan, Director General of the Law Society of Ireland (1990-1994) - a Tribute

It is with a rrtixture of regret and appreciation that I present this tribute to Noel's years as Director General - regret that he is no longer with the Society and appreciation for what he has done during his four years of service. The Society's loss is undoubtedly the Irish Horseracing | Authority's gain as Noel takes up his I position as Chief Executive of that j newly-established statutory body. Only time will tell whether administering the organisation responsible for the future development of the horseracing industry will be as onerous ás administering the organisation responsible for the solicitors' profession. What can be said now is that the recognition of Noel's qualifications for the job by two very different, but very important organisations is the ultimate compliment j to this man of many talents. In paying tribute to Noel's years of service with the Society it is difficult to ; know where to begin. In metaphorical j j terms, so maijy mountains have been I climbed during his years as Tensing (or j was it Hillary?) that a listing of them ! would be very long indeed. Suffice it to highlight the man and then to refer the reader to the Society's Annual Reports for each of his four years in office. Noel became Director General in October 1990, after more than thirty years in the public service. That his public service career was a successful one is an understatement. For the five j years preceding his coming to the Society, Noel served as an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Justice and with the Secretariat at Maryfield, Belfast, established under the Anglo- Irish Agreement of November 1985. It will ultimately be for historians to ' evaluate the long-term significance of i those initial years of the Anglo-Irish | Secretariat. However, what is clear at this remove is that what Michael Lillis and Noel Ryan and their successors have achieved in that initially isolated and, at times, dangerous posting forms a vital support pillar for the present healthy state of Anglo-Irish relations today. The making of contacts on a

Pictured at the Dinner in honour of outgoing President, Michael V. O'Mahony and Director General, Noel C. Ryan were Michael V. O'Mahony (1993/94); Raymond Monahan (1992/93); Ernest Margetson (1989/90); Noel C. Ryan, (Director General 1990/94); Patrick A. Glynn, President of the Law Society; Donal G. Binchy (1990/91) and Adrian P. Bourke (1991/92).

day-to-day basis with all the strands making up the government of Northern Ireland, as well as both sides of the so- called "divide", is what has built the trust which is facilitating the resolution of disputes which might otherwise prove intractable. It was with this auspicious background that Noel came to the Society. He was chosen as Jim Ivers' successor during the presidency of Ernest Margetson and he worked for the full Presidential terms of Donal Binchy, Adrian Bourke, Raymond Monahan and /. Don, Adrian and Ray have each acknowledged the extraordinary energy, support and encouragement received from Noel during our respective terms of office. The following remarks of Adrian in his Presidential Report of November 1992 aptly reflect the experience of all four of us: "Since he came to the Society, he has been a remarkable energy force, giving unstintingly of his ideas, his contacts and his time on behalf of the Society. As was intended, he is a leader from the front. He argues his point. He always accepts the outcome of a discussion, in whatever forum, and no matter how tough the going!

My belief is that the Society is lucky to have Noel as Director General and this is clearly borne out by his record to date." In my personal view, if one word can encapsulate Noel's leadership qualities it is "conciseness", that is conciseness of thought, which is not necessarily the same as brevity. Whether addressing an issue, orally, at Council; committee or bar association or, in writing, in a report, letter or minute, the issue was always presented concisely, with all the 'pros' and with all the 'cons'. Though Noel might have had a strongly expressed personal viewpoint on an issue, once the issue was debated fully and a decision made, even if not in accord with his own initial view, he could present the grounds for the decision with the same lucidity and conviction as if he had concurred with it from the outset. That extraordinary facility was clearly the product of his years as a public servant, years that saw him move, ever upwards, from the Department of Defence to Finance to Public Service, to Justice and finally to Maryfield. In the midst of that public service career he found time to obtain a first class honours BCL degree (UCD, 1978) and to become a barrister-at-law (1979).

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