 |
|
| Harold Clarke | |
Harold Clarke, former chairman of Irish bookstore chain Eason, author and noted conservationist, died October 23. He was 89. The Irish Times reported that Clarke "was a well-known figure in Dublin from the 1960s until his death and was prominent in the arenas of conservation, art, bridge and, more recently, gardening."
He retired as executive chairman of Eason in 1995, a position he once described as the "nicest job in Ireland," but remained on the company's board as a director until 2010.
Clarke joined Eason as a trainee manager following his graduation with a degree in economics from Trinity College Dublin and remained with the company for more than 50 years.
A pioneer in the restoration of Dublin, Clarke was working with the Eason senior management team in the late 1960s when "he bought and completely restored a house on North Great George's Street after which he was inspired to produce a successful series of pamphlets focusing on Irish heritage, the first of which looked in detail at Georgian Dublin," the Irish Times noted. He was also prominent within the Friends of the National Collections, a voluntary body established to help preserve Ireland's artistic heritage at a time when there was little or no state support for developing art collections in Ireland.
On Twitter, An Post CEO David McRedmond called Clarke "one of bookselling's greats," while author and editor Patricia Scanlan noted: "I was TOTALLY in awe of him when I first got published, but meeting at various functions we discovered each other's sense of humor & would have a good laugh when we met--he gave great hugs. RIP."