Seán Cromien

Seán Patrick Cromien was an Irish senior civil servant who served as secretary general of the Department of Finance and Director of the National Library of Ireland.

Early life and family Seán Patrick Cromien was born in Dublin on October 20, 1929. He had two sisters, Marie Therese (who died at the age of two) and Aileen, and one brother named Thomas.

Cromien came from a prominent republican family. John was killed in the 1916 Easter Rising by a stray bullet that hit him as he walked down Prussia Street on his way to meet with his Irish Volunteer Company. Eleven years later, Margaret Morris married John's elder brother Thomas. He grew up in Fingal Place in Stoneybatter, located on the north side of Dublin's inner city. At that time, Stoneybatter was predominantly a working-class neighbourhood. Cromien's father worked as a cooper in Jameson's Distillery in Smithfield and had to retire early due to illness. He first sat his Leaving Certificate exams in 1946 and qualified for a university scholarship. During this time, Cromien wrote several works on managing public funds and maintaining a budget. When Cromien took on the role of Secretary General of the Treasury, Ireland was on the brink of economic collapse, and much of the decision-making power of the Treasury department had been curtailed through its division into two separate departments. In his role as General Secretary, and as a member of An Bord Snip, Cromien fought off the recession through strategic budget cuts. He also made a contribution to the National Library in the form of a donation of his own personal diaries which documented his career in the civil service. as well as serving as a member of the caretaker board of the National Museum of Ireland during that time. In 2006 he was elected as a chairman of the Royal Irish Academy,

Following on from his work with the Department of Finance, Cromien continued to take an interest in issues regarding public spending well into his retirement, lending his financial expertise to reports such as the 2001 review of the Jeanie Johnston project This report went on to influence changes in the Department of Education as a government task force was formed in response to Cromien's criticisms and suggestions.

Personal life and death Cromien maintained many interests and hobbies outside of his career. It was once remarked that when he was not serving on boards, he could be found reading at home, swimming, or birdwatching.

Cromien was an amateur naturalist who maintained a lifelong passion for ornithology. He was once arrested in Romania in 1981, alongside his friend Tom Kilbane, for "pointing a telescope at a guarded power plant" in pursuit of sighting rare birds. He regarded fellow Irish naturalist and librarian Robert Lloyd Praeger as his hero.

Along with his interest in natural history, Cromien enjoyed cars. It is said that his favourite was the Triumph Stag.

Cromien was considered an eloquent writer and speaker.

Cromien never married, and was regarded by others as being married to his work in the Department of Finance. alt=A photo of Sean Cromien's grave at Glasnevin Cemetery with autumnal trees and a blue sky in the background. The headstone names Cromien's family members buried there above a short inscription reading "Rest in Peace." Cromien died peacefully in Glasnevin on 6 August 2018 at age 88 after a years-long battle with dementia. His funeral was held at St Brigid's Church in Killester, and was attended by many civil servants, including the former taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He is buried at Glasnevin Cemetery.

Cromien is generally remembered as an intellectual who worked his way up from a modest beginning to become a well-respected civil servant.