The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
ONE of the great Claremen of all time is the ‘forgotten man’ of Irish history, in the eyes of some. Tim Crowe of the Sixmilebridge Historical Society holds the view that Brendan O’Regan has nothing like the recognition that he deserves, despite having a list of achievements as long as your arm, and having had a seismic influence on the economy of Clare and the surrounding counties. His impact was massive and is wildly underestimated, according to Tim. “In his own way, O’Regan achieved as much as De Valera did, as Lemass did, O’Connell, Parnell, Collins. This guy invented Duty Free, brought Foreign Direct Investment industries, built the town of Shannon, the College of Hotel Management, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, was central to getting McDonough to buy Dromoland and turn it into a five star, he was chairman of Bord Fáilte for 15 years,” he said. “When the Troubles started, he brought Catholics and Protestants together through Co-operation North, …
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