Ei was delighted to be present as lead sponsor at the unveiling of a specially commissioned statue of the late Brendan O’Regan in his native Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare yesterday. Brendan was a visionary for the Region, and his legacy lives on to this day – from creating the Shannon Free Zone,  Shannon Town, to the expansion of Shannon Airport. Internationally, he became recognised as the ‘founding father’ of the €70 billion a year Duty Free business. In his later years he also played an important, but largely unheralded role in the promotion of peace and reconciliation in Ireland.

The striking statue, the workmanship of the sculptor Séamus Connolly was commissioned by Sixmilebridge Historical Society in partnership with Shannon Chamber of Commerce.

Speaking at the unveiling, Mick Guinee, EI Founder, Chairman and CEO paid tribute to the role Brendan O’Regan played in the development of not only the Midwest Region, but Ireland’s overall Industrialisation at a crucial time in the Country’s development.  Assuming the role of lead sponsor on the project was one Ei was pleased to take on he added, noting how Brendan had become a key enabler for Companies such as Ei Electronics to grow and flourish from modest beginnings dating back to 1963 to the global success story it is today.

Pictured:

Mick Guinee, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EI Electronics speaking prior to the unveiling;

Sponsors Eoin Gavin, Mick Guinee with Helen Downes CEO of Shannon Chamber and Tim Crowe, Sixmilebridge Historical Society, Brendan O’Regan’s son Andrew, and sculptor Séamus Connolly.

Photograph by Eamon Ward