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Rating: 
Summary: A hefty and thorough bio of a micromanaging prelate
Review: Future students of management, from any field, might find much here to enjoy. This biography, admittedly massive in its investigation of every detail extant of McQ's long career, never flags, even if not all the information is scintillating. I found the humanity of the "AB" touching at moments, against the stereotype that most hold him in today, and Cooney deftly weighs the harsh legacy which ultimately weakened the Church in Ireland against the struggles McQ faced personally and professionally as his ambition to become Cardinal and primate of All-Ireland never were fulfilled. Surprising vignettes pepper the text. My two favorites: his rat-shooting skills and his questioning of clerics about what kind of underwear soldiers wore in the US Army. The sad dealings with sexual abuse do gain careful explanation here, even if the evidence IMHO is not air-tight, McQ's life does show the price paid for the Jansenist scruples inherited by his own Congregation and dictated to so many of the Irish people during his tenure. The struggles with DeValera over the Constitution of 1937 gain much scrutiny here, a very critical contributor to the social climate of mid-20c Catholic Ireland. A fine resource for scholars and an accessible read for the rest of us too!
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