The Gageby Family donates Douglas Gageby Papers to DCU
Monday 21 November

The Gageby family, (from left) John Gageby, Sally Berman, Mrs Justice Susan Denham and Patrick Gageby SC reading from the Douglas Gageby collection of his papers with Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski, DCU president (centre)

The family of Douglas Gageby, the distinguished editor of The Irish Times, today donated a significant collection of his papers to Dublin City University.

The collection includes a selection from his personal library of books about Irish journalism and written by Irish journalists. It also includes personal copies of editorials written by him over many years on a wide variety of topics, many of them dealing with key national issues, during his 20 years as editor of the Irish Times.

Douglas Gageby was the editor of The Irish Times from 1963 to 1974 and then again from 1977 to 1986. He died in 2004 at the age of 85.

Members of his family who attended a reception at the DCU John and Aileen O’Reilly Library for the donation included his daughters Mrs Justice Susan Denham and Sally Berman and sons Patrick Gageby, SC and John Gageby. The event was also attended by colleagues of Douglas Gageby, as well as senior figures from the Irish Times including the editor, Geraldine Kennedy.

Speaking at the event, President of DCU, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski said that this donation was the cornerstone of a bigger collection that the university intended to build up over the coming years. With regard to this particular donation, he said that the papers were in a sense ‘coming home’, as DCU was the first university to establish a School of Journalism. The School had developed strong links with the Irish Times over the years and many of its journalists were, in fact, graduates of DCU’s journalism programmes.

John Gageby, Douglas Gageby’s son, said that the family were delighted that students would have direct access to their father’s papers. “We’ve heard a lot about the demise of the printed word”, he said, “but there now seems to be an upsurge in reading. No matter what the publication, reading is essential”. Speaking in favour of newspapers, he said that a newspaper is interactive; “You don’t have to watch it – you can dip in whenever you want. You can select the topic you want to read. It is transportable and it is recyclable”.

Geraldine Kennedy, editor of the Irish Times, said that Douglas Gageby moved the Irish Times from the margins to the mainstream and quoted one of Douglas Gageby’s own sayings - “there is no such thing as today’s paper, just yesterday’s and tomorrow’s.

Professor John Horgan of DCU’s School of Journalism said “He was a leader in a way that was given to few people. Most of the people who worked with him, even if they disagreed with him passionately on issues, would follow him over the top and into no-man’s land without hesitation. He inspired loyalty in people”.

Morning Ireland Feature:
Cian McCormack reports on the life and work of Douglas Gageby who was editor at the Irish Times from 1963 to 1974 and again from 1977 to 1986

Press release, Family donate Douglas Gageby Papers to DCU, 28 November 2005- http://www.dcu.ie/news/press/2005/p1105a.shtml

Geraldine Kennedy, Editor of The Irish Times. Speech given to mark the donation of the Douglas Gageby Papers to DCU.

John Gageby. Speech given to mark the donation of the Douglas Gageby Papers to DCU.