Brendan O'Regan

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1917–2008) was an Irish businessman responsible for developing

Shannon Airport Shannon Airport () is an international airport located in County Clare in Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. With almost 2 million passengers in 2023, the airport is the third busiest ...

, 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 will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who will ...

and transforming the Shannon Region of Ireland. He was involved in promoting peace in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

and co-operation between the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

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 ( ; ; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer, academic, author, and former politician who served as the president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. McAleese was first elected as president in 1997, ...

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,

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

in 1917, O'Regan attended

Blackrock College Blackrock College () 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 1860 as a school and later became al ...

. He studied hotel management in Germany, France,

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

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') 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 Cou ...

and the Falls Hotel in

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

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 512 as of the 2022 census. Foynes's role as sea ...

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

, establishing the world's first 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 from 1957 to 1973. After a visit to the United States under the Marshall Aid 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 into a tourist attraction with the co-operation of its owner Lord Gort, the model for similar initiatives at Knappogue Castle and Dunguaire Castle.

Peace and co-operation

In 1978, O'Regan founded Co-Operation North (now Co-operation Ireland), 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 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

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

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

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

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

in 1978, from

Queen's University Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

in 1999 and from the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

in 2001. In February 2007,

Clare Museum Clare Museum () is a museum which documents the history of County Clare. The museum is housed in the former Sisters of Mercy Convent in the centre of Ennis. History The building in which the museum is housed was originally a Sisters of Mercy sc ...

held an exhibition, opened by the then

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

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, and as Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1994 to 2008. A Teachta Dála (TD) from 1977 to 2011, he served ...

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

Heather Humphreys Heather Maud Humphreys (née Stewart, born 1960) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served in various cabinet positions from 2014 to 2025. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency from 2011 to 2024, and serve ...

, 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 from Ennis, from Shannon Airport, and from Limerick. History The English rendering of the name 'Newmarket-on-Fergus' probably owes its ori ...

, 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 Clare County Council () is the local authority of County Clare, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and de ...

, 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 was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

published a comprehensive assessment of his life's work in 2018. A second, life-size, bronze statue of O'Regan was unveiled beside his birthplace in Sixmilebridge on Monday 10 July 2023.

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 Businesspeople from County Clare Honorary commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1917 births 2008 deaths People educated at Blackrock College People from Sixmilebridge