Sir, – Vincent Browne is certainly consistent is his relentless campaign to write negatively about as many people as possible (“Ingenious, driven, reckless, avaricious”, Arts & Books, September 21st).
Tony Ryan was determined and demanding. He gave many people a chance, including me.
I worked for him between 1983 and 1985 as a personal assistant (aka general dogsbody). It was interesting, challenging and exciting. I made mistakes but I certainly learned an awful lot from Tony Ryan.
In my mind he was unquestionably one of Ireland’s greatest entrepreneurs – not just because in GPA he built the world’s largest aircraft leasing company. A failed flotation resulted in him leaving the company. But, for me, his greatest achievement and his most outstanding contribution to Ireland economically and socially, has been Ryanair. He was a man who had taken a very public humiliation but got back into the cockpit and headed skywards again.
By any yardstick Ryanair is one of the world’s most successful airlines and that is down to the unique combination of Tony Ryan and Michael O’Leary.
Ryan was proud of his roots and was a consummate Irishman. He supported Irish artists, loved hurling and embarked on one of the finest restoration projects undertaken in the past century, the Lyons Estate.
His family has continued the generous and discreet philanthropy he practised.
Once again Vincent Browne gives his version of events and chooses to omit many salient and relevant details in relation to matters he was directly involved with Tony Ryan. He declined to be interviewed for the book. That has its own wry irony for a person who berates all and sundry for not subjecting themselves to his erratic form of scrutiny.
When I was growing up, my parents always counselled me not to speak ill of the dead. – Yours, etc,
DENIS O’BRIEN,
Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2.