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

Wesley College, Dublin

This article is about Wesley College in Dublin, Ireland. See Wesley College for articles on other institutions named "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

George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...

 and Chaim Herzog

Chaim Herzog

Chaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel , following a distinguished career in both the British Army and the Israel Defense Forces .-Early life:...

, the sixth President of Israel

President of Israel

The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...

.

In the late 1950s, FitzGerald emerged as a pioneer of scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

 in Ireland. FitzGerald's work in the fledgling field of underwater photography

Underwater photography

Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while snorkeling or swimming.-Overview:...

 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

PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....

. In the 1980s, as the Irish economy was experiencing a crippling recession, FitzGerald emerged as a leading insolvency practitioner. His business reputation flourished after a string of successes in rescuing failing businesses. In 1986, FitzGerald was the defendant in a landmark legal case brought by Irish tobacco giant Carroll Group. The court issued judgement in favor of FitzGerald. The precedent set by Carroll Group v Bourke defines the legal treatment of "reservation of title". In recognition of his distinguished business career, FitzGerald was featured in Maureen Cairnduff's "Who's Who in Ireland: The Influential 1000".

Upon retirement, FitzGerald devoted much of his time to philanthropic activities. He was instrumental in introducing Ireland to the concept of assisted living communities for the elderly. With the help of his wife, Valerie, and friend Reverend Desmond Bain, the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, FitzGerald founded and developed the first assisted living community in Adare, Ireland, in 1994.

Dermot FitzGerald died of cancer in 2006 in his native Limerick, Ireland.