Mr Patrick John Cosgrave (59), a Dublin-born political journalist and writer, who became a strong supporter and adviser of the Mrs Margaret Thatcher, has died.
Mr Cosgrave's first worked for the Conservative party in the early 1970s. He later became a fierce critic of its leader Mr Edward Heath and a strong supporter of Mrs Thatcher.
His contributions as political and deputy editor of the Spectator magazine were said to be influential in switching support away from Mr Heath to Mrs Thatcher. He later wrote two biographies of Mrs Thatcher.
Born into a poor family in Finglas, Dublin, Mr Cosgrave was educated at UCD and Peterhouse, Cambridge. After a brief period teaching there, he embarked on his journalistic career, working first as RTE's London editor between 1968-69.
He later worked for and contributed to a range of newspapers, including The Irish Times, The Irish Press, the Irish Independent and several British newspapers during his long career.