Seán O'Connor (born 29 April 1960) is an Irish

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

promoter and academic who previously served as a member of Seanad Éireann.

Early life and family

O'Connor was educated at Terenure College, Dublin, where he was a member of the Senior Cup rugby team. He has a degree in marketing from Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), an MA in political communications from Dublin City University, and a doctorate from the Ulster University. A grandson of Taoiseach Seán Lemass, he lives in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

. His son, Rory O'Connor, was a member of

Wicklow County Council Wicklow County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Chill Mhantáin) is the authority responsible for Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local government in County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed ...

until 2024.

Political life

On 13 December 1982, after the November 1982 general election saw three members of the

16th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 16th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1982, after the February 1982 general election and served until the close of poll ...

elected to the 22nd Dáil, O'Connor was one of those nominated to fill the vacancies by Taoiseach Charles Haughey. He was the youngest member of the 16th Seanad, at 22 years of age, and was also elected to the Fianna Fail National Executive at same time. He did not attend the Seanad on 21 December 1982, its only subsequent sitting before its dissolution. O'Connor was an unsuccessful candidate in the

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

constituency at the 2007 Seanad election receiving 3.0% of the first-preference votes, under the slogan "Graduate Equality", for opening the Seanad university constituency to graduates of all third-level institutions in the state. He had successfully petitioned the High Court to give candidates the same access to the NUI electoral register which incumbent senators have.

Business career

O'Connor was based in Dubai working for Philip Morris sponsorship of motorsports, in the mid 1980s, including promotion of the

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is an international rally raid race held in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates since 1991. The race is points scoring for the World Rally-Raid Championship and is organized by the Emirates Motorspor ...

. Together with Ronan Morgan, he co-founded

Rally Ireland Rally Ireland was added to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar in 2007. It was not part of the 2008 schedule, but returned as the First round of the championship in 2009. The north–south event is the largest sporting occasion on ...

in 2005, which was considered leading rally and had World Rally Championship status from 2007 to 2009. According to a research, over 250,0000 spectators has attended the event with an economic benefit of . In 2009, he joined the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates as Director of Strategy to assist in the staging of the first Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix. He has been active in academic research and was co-editor in 2015 of the first academic book on sport management in the Middle East. In 2021, he was appointed campaign manager for the bid by

Mohammed bin Sulayem Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem ( ar, محمد بن سليم; born 12 November 1961) is an Emirati former rally driver and current president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). He is one of the Arab world's leading mot ...

to become the first non-European President of the FIA, the governing body for Formula One.

Bibliography

* O'Connor, Sean; Sulayem, Mohammed Ben; Hassan, David (23 May 2013). ''Sport Management in the Middle East: A Case Study Analysis''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Sean 1960 births Living people Fianna Fáil senators 20th-century Irish businesspeople Members of the 16th Seanad Nominated members of Seanad Éireann Alumni of Ulster University Alumni of Dublin City University Alumni of Dublin Institute of Technology Academics of Dublin Institute of Technology Auto racing executives 21st-century Irish businesspeople People educated at Terenure College