Dr Tom Barrington, a founder members of the Institute of Public Administration and its first director, has died aged 83.
Best known for his tireless campaigning for a more professional civil service and for more democratic local government, Dr Barrington was a member of the Review Group on the Public Service which made radical recommendations for the overhaul of the Civil Service in 1969.
He also chaired the task force on local government reform, the Barrington report, which provided the blueprint for many of the current local government reforms.
Born in Dublin on May 16th, 1916, Dr Barrington attended Belvedere but left school early and became a candle-maker. Later he read a degree in economic history and politics at UCD by studying during the day and working at night. After this he joined the Department of Finance and became private secretary to Mr Sean MacEntee, minister for local government and public health. Dr Barrington was in the Department of Local Government until 1960, when he became the director of the IPA.
Over the following years he was an executive member of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences and a member of the European Group of Public Administration. He was also Ford Foundation adviser on government restructure in Ghana in 1966 and 1967.
He always showed an interest in Third World development and was a member of the Agency for Personal Service Overseas.
Dr Barrington wrote two books: From Big Government to Local Government, published by the IPA in 1975, and Discovering Kerry, published by Blackwater Press in 1976, which reflected his abiding interest in the people, history and landscape of the county.
At the end of 1976, at the age of 60, he announced his resignation as director of the IPA. He told staff he thought he should make way for a younger person.
However, his retirement was very active. He continued as a consultant to the IPA and a year later was appointed a visiting lecturer in political science at UCG. In the following years he spoke at many seminars and conferences.
In 1982 he told a seminar that public administration was chronically overloaded because of the increasing role of government. "In the days of the supermarket chain and the transnational corporations, we are still trying to run the country like a village shop."
Two years later he launched a 90-minute cassette on "The Irish in this, their land", which he and Mr Jim O'Donnell had produced under the aegis of their joint venture, Touring Ireland Cassettes Ltd.
In 1986 an honorary doctorate of law was conferred on him by the NUI. In the same year he told a meeting at the Constitution Club that Irish democracy was in crisis and greater participation in decision-making by the people was needed.
In his 70s he was still serving on the committee for the reform of local government and criticising State centralism.
Dr Barrington's wife Aine died three years ago and he leaves six children.