The death of Declan Costello has brought tributes from across the political spectrum for a man who contributed greatly to Irish life as a politician, a jurist and a social reformer. Born in 1927, a son of former taoiseach John A Costello, he was thwarted in his political ambitions but still managed to help shape the future of Fine Gael and influence the direction of Irish politics.
The name of Declan Costello is revered within Fine Gael. But his proposal for the creation of a “Just Society”, through the adoption of a social development strategy that would complement economic modernisation and redistribute the resulting wealth, was fiercely resisted when proposed in 1964. Having served as a TD through the mass emigration years of the 1950s, he warned that Irish democracy would collapse “in shame and futility” unless governments engaged in economic and social planning. A watered-down version of his ideas emerged under the heading of “Towards a Just Society” for the general election of 1965. But party leader James Dillon found it necessary to reassure voters that Fine Gael still remained the party of free enterprise.
As economic development got under way under Seán Lemass and Fianna Fáil, Costello failed to become leader of Fine Gael and departed from politics. A mentor of Garret FitzGerald, his ideas concerning citizens’ rights and social inclusion struck a chord with the electorate. They attracted new recruits to Fine Gael while influencing the policies and direction of both the Labour Party and Fianna Fáil. In 1973, under Liam Cosgrave, the party campaigned successfully on the basis of “Winning through to a Just Society” and Costello returned to politics, becoming attorney general in the coalition government. Radical on economic and social matters, he was deeply conservative on moral issues. On appointment to the High Court, his judgments tended to reflect traditional Catholic values.
A just society means different things to different people. So it was in Fine Gael. Costello’s original eight-point programme disappeared, to be replaced by general aspirations that were modified as the years passed and society changed. Through it all, he worked for socially important reforms, founding and supporting St Michael’s House for people with intellectual disabilities. A man of intelligence, integrity and fairness, his contribution to public life has deeply influenced Irish politics and established a link between economic development and a more caring and egalitarian society.