The two opposing political personalities that shaped Irish life in the 1980s and beyond.

The two opposing political figures that shaped Irish life in the 1980s and beyond.

In the 1980s, Irish politics was dominated by a fierce rivalry between Charles J. Haughey and Dr Garret FitzGerald, both leaders of their respective parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Between them they each led all Irish governments in that decade; to say their two opposing personalities shaped Irish life during this era is an understatement.

Eoin O'Malley has amassed an extraordinary body of research, including in-depth interviews with dozens of the most consequential public figures of the time, every Taoiseach, cabinet ministers, TDs, civil servants, and advisers.

As political rivals with different approaches to public life and contrasting visions for Ireland, each enshrined in quite different personalities, the choice between Haughey and FitzGerald came to signify a great deal more than party loyalty or policy preference: it felt like a choice between opposing worldviews. And, as O'Malley's work finally makes clear through an accumulation of extraordinary insights, including interviews with Haughey and FitzGerald themselves, it was fed by a deep reservoir of personal insecurity and paranoia. Each was deeply preoccupied - obsessed even - with the strengths, appeal and threats of the other, to the extent that this rivalry itself became one of the decisive factors in Irish life that shaped Ireland well after they had left power.

"'Eoin O'Malley gets under the skin of both Garret FitzGerald and Charles Haughey in this outstanding dual biography to show how their rivalry shaped the nature of modern Ireland. A riveting study of character, class, and country'" - author of Haughey

"'Judgmental yet fair-minded, the book reminds us of the importance of the individual in politics. Only FitzGerald could have delivered the seismic Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985: and only Haughey - who initially dismissed it as heretical, partitionist, even treasonable - could manage the U-turn which had him working the agreement as part of the pathway to peace'" - historian and broadcaster

"'Eoin O'Malley is one of Ireland's most lucid and independently minded political thinkers. And Charlie vs Garrett is a contribution to our understanding of contemporary Ireland precisely in this vein. The combined effect of O'Malley's insight and access makes this essential reading'" - journalist for The Irish Times and New Statesman

"'For anyone interested in great political rivalries, this book is an absolute must-read. Haughey and FitzGerald could not have been more different, and Eoin O'Malley tells the story of their mutual suspicion and rivalry in dramatic detail. A real page turner'" - broadcaster, author and political commentator