Brendan O'Regan CBE (1917–2008) was an Irish businessman responsible for developing

Shannon Airport Shannon Airport ( ga, Aerfort na Sionainne) is an international airport located in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. The airport is the third busiest ai ...

, inventing the concept of the

duty-free shop A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...

and transforming the

Shannon Region Shannon Development (legally the ''Shannon Free Airport Development Company Limited'' formerly known as SFADCO) was an important regional development body for the Shannon Region of Ireland. Its area in the lower River Shannon basin comprised al ...

of Ireland. He was involved in promoting peace in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

and co-operation between the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. ...

and Northern Ireland. He has been described as one of Ireland's "most noted peace ambassadors and initiators of commercial and industrial projects". In a tribute to him, President

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...

said that O'Regan was "a true visionary" and "leaves a legacy that permeates throughout all levels of economic, social and cultural life in Ireland."

Early life

Born in

Sixmilebridge Sixmilebridge (), is a large village in County Clare, Ireland. Located midway between Ennis and Limerick city, the village is a short distance away from the main N18 road. Sixmilebridge partly serves as a dormitory village for workers in the ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

in 1917, O'Regan attended

Blackrock College Blackrock College ( ga, Coláiste na Carraige Duibhe) is a voluntary day and boarding Catholic secondary school for boys aged 13–18, in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. It was founded by French missionary Jules Leman in 186 ...

. He studied hotel management in Germany, France,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and the UK as his family had interests in hotels (the Old Ground Hotel in

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

and the Falls Hotel in

Ennistymon Ennistymon or Ennistimon () is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Ireland. The River Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. A bridge across the river leads ...

Career

Early career

For a period, he was manager of the Stephen's Green Club in Dublin. In 1943, he was appointed as catering comptroller at

Foynes Foynes (; ) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 520 as of the 2016 census. Foynes's role as seap ...

flying boat base, which was a refuelling point for transatlantic seaplanes between Britain and the United States.

Shannon Airport

In 1945, he was appointed catering comptroller at

. From this base, he embarked on a series of projects which transformed the Shannon Region, many of which were replicated internationally. In 1947, he invented the concept of the airport duty-free shop and established the world's first duty-free shop at Shannon Airport. In 1951 he established the Shannon College of Hotel Management.

Shannon Free Zone

In 1961, he was the key driver in the establishment of Ireland's only regional development agency, Shannon Free Airport Development Company. He developed the Shannon Free Zone, a model for similar zones established throughout the world. He was chairman of Bórd Fáilte, the

Irish Tourist Board Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe *** Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent u ...

from 1957 to 1973. After a visit to the United States under the

Marshall Aid The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...

Plan, he drafted a report that became the blueprint for a vision of Shannon revolving around tourism, air freight and industry.

Shannon Town and Region

The success of the airport and industrial zone led to the development, spearheaded by O'Regan, of Shannon Town, the first new town in Ireland in over two centuries. He was responsible for initiatives such as turning

Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle (, meaning "castle at the mouth of the Ratty") is a large 15th-century tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the centre of Bunratty village ( ga, Bun Ráite), by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Sha ...

into a tourist attraction with the co-operation of its owner

Lord Gort Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, (10 July 1886 – 31 March 1946) was a senior British Army officer. As a young officer during the First World War, he was decorated with the Victoria Cross for his actio ...

, the model for similar initiatives at

Knappogue Castle Knappogue Castle (Irish: ''Caisleán na Cnapóige'') is a tower house, built in 1467 and expanded in the mid-19th century, located in the parish of Quin, County Clare, Ireland. It has been restored and is open to guided tours. History The ...

and

Dunguaire Castle Dunguaire Castle ( ga, Dún Guaire) is a 16th-century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland, near Kinvara (also spelled Kinvarra). The name derives from the Dun (fort) of King Guaire, the legendary king ...

Peace and co-operation

In 1978, O'Regan founded Co-Operation North (now

Co-operation Ireland Co-operation Ireland is a non-political and non-denominational charity dedicated to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Much of Co-operation Ireland's work focuses on bringing the two main communities in Nor ...

), a non-denominational and non-party organisation aimed at fostering co-operation between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In 1984, he established the

Irish Peace Institute Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe *** Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent u ...

to promote peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. He also founded the Centre for International Co-operation at Shannon in 1986.

Honours and tributes

He received a number of tributes for his work. He was appointed Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1993 for his contribution to peace. He was voted "Clareman of the Year" in 1984 and was made

Freedom of the City The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2 ...

in 1995. He received a number of honorary doctorates including from the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) ( ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann) is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universit ...

in 1978, from

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

in 1999 and from the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...

in 2001. In February 2007, Clare Museum held an exhibition, opened by the then

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the of ...

Bertie Ahern Bartholomew Patrick "Bertie" Ahern (born 12 September 1951) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008, Leader of the Opposition from 1994 to 1997, Tánaiste a ...

to mark his achievements. In 2015, a portrait of O'Regan was unveiled by

Heather Humphreys Heather Humphreys (born 14 May 1963) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister for Social Protection since June 2020. She also briefly served as Minister for Justice in Novembe ...

, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht at the Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum. Several initiatives have been named after him, including the O'Regan Park, a sporting and recreational facility in

Newmarket-on-Fergus Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is 13 kilometres from Ennis, 8 kilometres from Shannon Airport, and 24 kilometres from Limerick. History The English rendering of the name 'Newm ...

, and three restaurants, one at the Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum, another at Shannon Airport and the third at the Old Ground Hotel.

Personal life and death

In 1950 he married Rita Barrow and they had two sons, Andrew and Declan, and three daughters, Geraldine, Margaret and Carmel. He died on 1 February 2008, aged 90.

2017 centenary

Shannon Airport announced that it would commemorate the centenary in 2017 of the birth of O'Regan, described as "founder of Shannon Airport and the man behind so many of the great innovations of the region" In line with a call by Clare County Council, a bronze bust sculpture of Dr O'Regan was unveiled at Shannon Airport to commemorate this milestone on 15 May 2017 (the centenary of the birth) and RTE's Nationwide programme dedicated a special transmission to his legacy on 27 September 2017. The

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

published a comprehensive assessment of his life's work in 2018.

References

Biography

* ''Brendan O’Regan: Irish Innovator, Visionary, Peacemaker'' by Brian O'Connell with Cian O'Carroll, published by Irish Academic Press, 2018.

External links

Shannon Airport - HistoryCo-operation Ireland - History - Key Dates in Co-operation Ireland's History
(archived)
The Moodie Report - "From small beginnings… the Shannon story" (PDF)
(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Oregan, Brendan People from County Clare Honorary Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1917 births 2008 deaths People educated at Blackrock College