Dermot McCarthy (born 1954) is a former Irish civil servant. McCarthy served as

Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...

to the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...

and Secretary General to the

Department of the Taoiseach The Department of the Taoiseach () is the government department of the Taoiseach, the title in Ireland for the head of government.Article 13.1.1° and Article 28.5.1° of the Constitution of Ireland. The latter provision reads: "The head of the ...

(Office of the Irish Prime Minister), two of the three most senior offices in the civil service. Born in Dublin, he attended

Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...

school and

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

. At Trinity College, he earned a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Literature, both in Economics. He joined the Irish Civil Service shortly after graduating from Trinity College and served in the Department of Industry and Commerce. From 1977, he worked at the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...

where he rose to the level of Assistant Secretary General. He was appointed secretary to the government in January 2000 and combined that role with secretary to the Department of the Taoiseach in July 2001. McCarthy is regarded as "somewhat socially conservative". He volunteered at St. Andrew's Resource Centre on

Pearse Street Pearse Street () is a major street in Dublin. It runs from College Street in the west to MacMahon Bridge in the east, and is one of the city's longest streets. It has several different types of residential and commercial property along its le ...

, Dublin while attending Trinity College. Due to his fear of flying, McCarthy travelled to

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

's funeral and in inauguration of

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

in 2005 by ferry and by rail. McCarthy played an enormous role in the Social Partnership process in Ireland. In 1990 he was appointed director of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC). As assistant secretary general in the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility for the Economic and Social Policy Division from 1993 to 2000 he was a central figure in the Social Partnership agreements of that time. In January 2000 he became secretary general to the government, replacing Frank Murray, (attending Cabinet meetings) and, in July 2001, he combined this role with secretary general to the Department of the Taoiseach (replacing

Dermot Gallagher Dermot Gallagher (born 20 May 1957) is a retired Irish association football referee based in Banbury, Oxfordshire. He refereed in the Premier League of English football until May 2007. Career Gallagher first took up the whistle in 1978 at the ...

). He continued his prominent role in social partnership negotiations in these new positions. McCarthy was close to

Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...

on partnership and other issues and often accompanies him on official engagements in Ireland. In April 2011 after the 2011 general election it was announced that McCarthy intended to step down a few months ahead of schedule as part of a major reorganisation of the Civil Service. He also announced the government had decided to create a new post of second secretary in the Department of the Taoiseach to support the

Economic Management Council An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

established by the Coalition. He was succeeded by Martin Fraser on 1 August 2011. McCarthy served as chair of the board of governors of

All Hallows College All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing because of declining student enrollment. The sale ...

, Dublin from 2012 until its closure in 2016. Since retiring he has volunteered at Westland Row, Church and in 2016 was ordained a deacon for the Archdiocese of Dublin.Former government secretary among eight new deacons
www.rte.ie, June 4, 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Dermot 1954 births Living people Irish civil servants People educated at Synge Street CBS Alumni of Trinity College Dublin