Psychiatrist in the Chair: Peeling back the many layers of a singular man

A new biography of the brilliant Anthony Clare does justice to his extraordinary life and work

Anthony Clare: the Irish psychiatrist was well known in the UK and Ireland as a presenter of radio and TV programmes. Credit: Getty

BIOGRAPHY

Psychiatrist in the Chair: The Official Biography of Anthony Clare

By Brendan Kelly and Muiris Houston

Merrion Press, €22.95

I doubt if John Giles was ever among the guests who disclosed their innermost thoughts in the famous interview series In the Psychiatrist’s Chair, which Professor Anthony Clare conducted for many years on BBC Radio 4.

The Gonzaga schoolboy, who first earned plaudits when winning the coveted Observer Mace debating trophy as a brilliant student ...