Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Born in June 1937, the eldest son of Francis and Mary of Breandrum, Enniskillen, he attended St Michael's College and studied economics at Queen's University Belfast where he later gained a doctorate.
He had established Four Courts Press in 1970 to publish books on religion but by 1995 its range of titles had grown to such an extent that he decided to devote all his energies to it.
In 2005 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Letters by Trinity College Dublin for his contribution to academic learning.