How philanthropist Chuck Feeney spent his billions on Irish society

As the work of Atlantic Philanthropies comes to an end, Ireland will have to reinvent its philosophy of giving, in cash and in kind, writes Ellie O’Byrne

IT’S the season to celebrate the spirit of giving. MRI scans of the brain show that the “joy of giving” has a real biological basis: In a Harvard study linking charitable giving and happiness, researchers found that when we give, two parts of the brain connected to our dopamine reward circuitry — also stimulated by eating, orgasm, and the sight of our romantic partners — show activity.

For people lucky enough to have amassed a fortune, there’s the option of giving on a grand scale; philanthropy hit the headlines recently when Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, inspired by the birth of their daughter, signed up to The Giving Pledge, joining billionaires such as Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet in pledging to give away most of their fortunes.