John Bruton: An Appreciation

Whether it was powering down the corridors in Leinster House or hastily arriving into a radio studio, the image of John Bruton that sticks in my mind is of a man on the move. He did not have the easy gait of an athlete, but he walked with powerful intent. And then there was the laugh, raucous but warm. It almost wrapped itself around those in his company. In my work as an academic, and my previous career as a political journalist, I interviewed John Bruton many times – as leader of Fine Gael, as taoiseach, and also in his very active years after leaving national politics in Ireland.