KEVIN BURKE, who died on July 8th, was sometimes affectionately referred to as “Mr Potato Ireland”. A classmate of Charles Haughey in Commerce in UCD, and a lifelong friend of his contemporary Garret FitzGerald, he served his country by developing the Irish potato and by marketing it internationally.
Born in 1925, he grew up in Sandymount and attended Blackrock College, where he was an enthusiastic rugby player, before going on to UCD in 1943. He and Garret met during their first days in Earlsfort Terrace, and they were still holidaying together 67 years later. Kevin participated in every aspect of college life. In 1946-7 he was auditor of the LH debating society. Kevin was to enjoy the cut and thrust of debate all his life. His table was always the scene of lively discussion.
After UCD he developed a career in business, becoming secretary and general manager of Irish Potato Marketing. At this time, agriculture was the backbone of the Irish economy, and the potato was still a staple of the Irish diet. Anyone who did the family shopping during the 1960s will remember that in buying potatoes you had to bear in mind that at least 20 per cent could be rotten.
Through the Oak Park potato breeding programme in Carlow, Kevin set out to address this problem. His vision was to create a disease-free Irish potato which would match the British Queen in quality but with a longer shelf life.
One morning Kevin telephoned the research farm where the new potatoes were being developed. He was told that a colleague out digging up the new crop was so happy with it that he was cackling like a rooster! At that moment, Kevin decided to call the new potato “Rooster”, and a very successful brand was born.
He and Garret shared many meals together over the years, very often cooked by Kevin, a notable man in the kitchen. Although Kevin had a considerably more adventurous palate than Garret, their friends knew better than to serve either man a meal without potatoes. On holidays, Garret would peel the potatoes while Kevin was maître de cuisine. Garret always said that his own tastes in food were those of a 19th-century Irish peasant, but the fine bottles of wine they shared certainly never formed part of any such diet.
Kevin would entertain any company with his stories, many of them concerning his work marketing Irish potatoes in the Middle East and elsewhere. On one occasion, his agent in Cairo was so excited that Ireland had won the Egyptian seed potato contract that he grabbed Kevin’s hand as they walked down the street. Aware of cultural differences, Kevin was too courteous to disentangle himself. He was amused to meet his competitor from Northern Ireland, while he walked hand in hand with his Egyptian colleague.
A kind man, Kevin was very popular with the young. He was very good with children and always noticed if a young person was feeling left out. He would make a great effort to find common ground with their interests and draw them into the party.
Kevin’s first wife, Louise Rickard, died when their son Gregory was born. He subsequently married Helen Binchy, a social scientist who became associate professor of that discipline in UCD.
He is survived by his beloved wife Helen, and their two much-loved daughters, Katie (and grandsons, Stephen and Eoin); and Sara, the well-known health journalist. He also survived by his beloved son Gregory and granddaughter Heather.
In some ways a traditionalist, Kevin was nevertheless always a feminist. A man of many graces, he had the satisfaction of contributing to Irish life over a long career.
– MARY FitzGERALD