Chuck Feeney: 'our focus of spend will be children, the elderly and human rights'

Philanthropist Chuck Feeney's foundation Atlantic Philanthropies will spend €80m across a range of projects in Ireland this year.

Senior vice president of programmes at the foundation Colin McCrae said the money will be spent on helping disadvantaged children, the elderly and on improving human rights. The foundation has spent more than $1.2bn in Ireland since it was established by Feeney in the early '80s. Much of that was focused on the development of the country's third-level infrastructure.

Feeney was also a key player in the Northern peace process, controversially funding an office for Sinn Féin in Washington out of his own pocket. He also funded the now defunct Centre for Public Inquiry which was heavily criticised by ex-minister for justice Michael McDowell.

Atlantic Philanthropies was established by Irish-American Feeney using wealth generated from his share of a duty-free shop company. The philanthropist's life story is the subject of a documentary – Secret Billionaire: The Chuck Feeney Story – due to air on RTé One on Tuesday night at 10.10pm.