Activities Wise and Otherwise

This is the first biography of Sir Henry Augustus Robinson, who in addition to his duties as a senior civil servant in Dublin's Custom House between 1898 and 1922, acted as unofficial adviser to British ministers on many of the major political issues of the day. A consummate administrator, Robinson was responsible for a new and democratic local government system and for supervising infrastructural services in Ireland. Yet, in defiance of British civil service protocols, he became a critical figure who had a significant political effect on Ireland's administration during the crucial years of 1912 to 1922.