FitzGerald, Garret

FitzGerald, Garret (1926- ), Irish politician, economist, and writer, leader of Fine Gael (1977-1987), and Prime Minister (1981-1982, 1982-1987) of Ireland. FitzGerald was born on February 9, 1926, in Dublin: both his father and mother fought in the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule; his father, Desmond FitzGerald, became Sinn Fein Minister for Publicity and later Minister for Foreign Affairs (1922-1927) and Minister of Defence (1927-1932) for the Irish Free State; his mother, Mabel McConville, came from a northern Protestant and Unionist family. Educated at Ring College, Waterford, Belvedere College, and University College, Dublin, FitzGerald gained a double first in French and history.