Dermot FitzGerald

Who was Dermot FitzGerald?

Dermot FitzGerald was a leading Irish businessman and philanthropist. A descendant of the aristocratic Earls of Desmond, FitzGerald was born in Limerick, Ireland to a southern Irish Protestant family. His father, Gerald FitzGerald, was a bank manager. He attended Wesley College, a prestigious Dublin school run by his maternal uncle Gerald Myles. Upon graduating he joined a host of notable alumni such as playwright George Bernard Shaw and Chaim Herzog, the sixth President of Israel.

In the late 1950s, FitzGerald emerged as a pioneer of scuba diving in Ireland. FitzGerald's work in the fledgling field of underwater photography unveiled and displayed the marine life of the Irish coastline to a wondrous audience. At a time when the Irish authorities had no diving capability, FitzGerald was often summoned to lead dives on behalf of the government.

FitzGerald began his business career as a trainee in a small accounting firm. Following a series of mergers, FitzGerald quickly rose through the ranks and was ultimately appointed the head partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers.