Conduct Unbecoming is a landmark political memoir from one of Ireland’s most outspoken and respected public figures, Desmond O’Malley.
Born in Limerick in 1939, Desmond O’Malley went on to become the youngest Minister for Justice in Irish history and the founder of the Progressive Democrats, a hugely influential party in Irish politics. In this groundbreaking memoir, O’Malley recounts in funny, caustic and probing detail the stories, ideas and personalities of his political career.
O’Malley leapt to prominence in 1970 as Jack Lynch’s young and fiercely principled Minister for Justice. His role in the Arms Crisis, recalled here, earned him the enmity of Charles Haughey, whose leadership of Fianna Fáil he attempted first to prevent, then challenge for the best part of a decade.
Unable to arrest the Fianna Fáil’s slow retreat from what he saw as the high watermark of Jack Lynch’s leadership, O’Malley was finally ejected from the party in 1985 following his acclaimed ‘I stand by the republic’ address. He would found the Progressive Democrats several months later.
Candid, combative and entertaining, Conduct Unbecoming is the must-read compelling account of Desmond O’Malley’s extraordinary career.