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Ryanair founder dies at 71

  • 03-10-2007 4:13pm
    #1
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,972 ✭✭✭✭


    http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1003/ryant.html
    The death has taken place of Dr Tony Ryan, the founder of Ryanair.

    He was 71 and had been ill for some time.

    Mr Ryan was born in Thurles, Co Tipperary in February 1936 and was the son of a train driver.
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    He got a job with Aer Lingus in Shannon after attending a Christian Brothers school. Quickly rising through the ranks, he led a division which leased its unused aircraft other to other carriers.

    He also convinced Aer Lingus to expand, and London bank Guinness Peat invested and, as it became known, GPA was set up in Shannon.

    Tony Ryan was a tough task master with big ambitions and became one of Ireland's most wealthy entrepreneurs.

    Among his investments was in The Sunday Tribune.

    In 1985 he set up Ryanair with a colleague Christy Ryan, which began flying from Waterford to Gatwick. But by 1988 it was losing cash and tettering on the edge of bankruptcy.

    Two things then happened. It clinched a deal to fly from Dublin to Stansted and then made Michael O'Leary chief executive.

    Without whom, etc.

    Mike.


Comments

  • #2
    highlydebased
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,472 ✭✭✭highlydebased


    May he rest in peace. Never will be be forgotten....


  • #3
    kraggy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,414 ✭✭✭kraggy


    Anyone know what percentage of Ryanair he owned til today?


  • #4
    pclancy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,941 ✭✭✭pclancy


    I remember reading 5% somewhere before but could be wrong. The family did make a huge amount when it was floated.

    RIP he was someone id always wanted to work for. Great businessman.


  • #5
    Davidth88
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,181 ✭✭✭Davidth88


    Hi,

    Don't forget GPA (Guinness Peat Aviation). I still think of them as I travel the world and see EI-nnn on the side of aircraft everywhere.

    He certainly was a great buisnessman.


  • #6
    juuge
    Closed Accounts Posts: 792 ✭✭✭juuge


    I was curious as to why so little was made of the GPA collapse. A lot of people including some well known faces in Ireland lost a small fortune in that debacle yet very little reference was made to this. Perhaps for another day.


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  • #7
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    pclancy wrote:
    I remember reading 5% somewhere before but could be wrong. The family did make a huge amount when it was floated.

    RIP he was someone id always wanted to work for. Great businessman.

    What we got here?? Some kind of masochist.


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