7 minute read
IRD Duhallow Mourns Founding Chairman
By Maura Walsh - IRD Duhallow CEO
As 2023 was drawing to a close, Jerry Sheehan, the man responsible for setting up IRD Duhallow, passed away peacefully, comforted by his family. Jerry had led a very active life up to recently when health issues forced him to slow down.
Jerry Sheehan has left an indelible print on the Duhallow landscape with significant economic, cultural, environmental and rural development legacies for the wider Duhallow region. Firstly, he founded Avonmore Electrical in Millstreet and developed it from an initial local service to agriculture and domestic clients in Millstreet into a multimillion-euro service and manufactoring industry that provides over 100 high skilled jobs high skilled jobs and has payroll injection above €6m annually into the region’s economy. It services and rewinds huge motors that drive the turbines for the ESBs power stations, pharmaceutical industries and Intel, the major dairy processing plants, cement plants, and other industrial operations. They moved to larger premises in Roskeen to facilitate the increase. Jerry was always open to new ideas and innovation and was ahead of his time in that he travelled to trade shows in Europe and the USA where he shared his ideas and expertise, through those international networks. He had a keen eye for innovation to further perfect the business he ran. Avonmore Electrical was one of the first to attain ISO standards and the first to introduce precision balancing in the early 90s by installing the first computerised balance machine in the country thus raising the standard for all his customers.
Jerry was a long-time member of the famed Banteer Sports, which was run to such a high standard that it became the qualifier for participation in the International Olympic Games. The cinder cycle track installed there was a first and attracted world-class cyclists from all over the country and further afield. Banteer Sportsfield hosted many major events and Jerry meticulously kept the records and press reports. This treasure trove has now gone on display at the new Banteer Astro Turf Hub and Café.
Along with Tim Lucey and Michael Doyle who also served on the Board of IRD Duhallow with Jerry, the ownership of the pond field was transferred from the trustees to Banteer Community Sports Committee. This transfer allowed for major leisure, sports and recreation facilities to be developed in Banteer. I believe he was very proud of Banteers achievements of winning the All-Ireland Pride of Place Community Wellbeing Award in 2023.
His love of nature led to him establishing ambitious projects that will be a legacy to be valued more and more as climate change fall out becomes more apparent. Jerry established Millstreet County Park in the early 90s showing once again his entrepreneurial skill and ability as well as his vision. It comprises 500 acres for biodiversity and an extensive arboretum, managed wetlands, miles of meandering walks through the various herb rich meadows and high landscape as well as its deer farm.
Finally, Jerry had a great love of salmon and trout angling on his beloved Blackwater an Abhainn Mhór, from which he coined the name Avonmore for his then Millstreet based electrical business. During long evenings angling there in the 1980s with friends like the late John Ronan of (Ronan Daly Jermyn Accountants Cork), Jerry and John discussed what could be done to stem the decline and economic depression, which was taking a heavy toll on the region. He spoke with other anglers Michael Twohig, Tim Lucey, and Derry Fitzpatrick and broadened his circle to include Michael Doyle, Martin Corcoran, and the late Conor O’Flynn, Frank Healy, and Vincent McSweeney.
His conclusion was to establish their own locally led and locally focused development company that would address the issues of lack of jobs leading to out migration. Their immediate response was to develop the angling potential of the Blackwater and its tributaries that would attract visitors and anglers that would kick start the local economy. First, they established IRD Blackwater, but that venture was too large in scale to get and hold local buy-in. Not deterred, Jerry put up the seed capital and got the local Dairy Co-ops and businesses to do likewise, and so in November 1989 IRD Duhallow held its first meeting.
Jerry was elected Chairman, and he led the Board of IRD Duhallow to develop a strategy with ambitious projects. Not least, he led IRD Duhallow to apply for the new innovative European Rural Development Programme called LEADER in 1990/1991. IRD Duhallow was successful in its application and went from strength to strength under Jerry’s expert leadership taking on more programmes that focused on training and social inclusion. His entrepreneurial skills, high standards, pragmatism, determination, vision, and courage, to identify and embrace innovation and enthuse others into action provided a rock-solid foundation for IRD Duhallow to grow and flourish, and fulfil its mission to make the wider Duhallow region a place where people can live, work and enjoy rural recreation. He was the best mentor that anyone could wish for and set IRD Duhallow on a course that valued Economic, Social and Environmental Development.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal agus go meadi Dia a stór sna flaithis.
