Candid, combative and entertaining, Conduct Unbecoming is a compelling account of an extraordinary career.
Desmond O'Malley was born in Limerick in 1939. He served as a Fianna Fail TD between 1968 and his expulsion from the party in 1984, during which time he occupied three ministerial positions and served as government chief whip. He first leapt to prominence in 1970 as Jack Lynch's young and fiercely principled Minister for Justice. His role in the Arms Crisis, recalled here, earned him the enmity of Charles Haughey, whose leadership of Fianna Fail he attempted first to prevent, then challenge for the best part of a decade. Unable to arrest the party's slow retreat from what he saw as the high watermark of Jack Lynch's leadership, O'Malley was finally ejected from Fianna Fail in 1985 following his acclaimed 'I stand by the republic' address. He would found the Progressive Democrats several months later, a party he led until 1993. Des O'Malley retired from politics in 2002. He lives in Dublin with his wife Pat. They have 6 children and 13 grandchildren.
