JAMES KILBANE;JAMES KILBANE was one of the founders of Ireland's largest independent recruitment agency, Grafton Recruitment, which he built up into a formidable international business.
During his life he moved from Achill Island in Mayo to Dublin, then London, and later to Belfast and to Rostrevor, Co Down. In addition to his places of residence he was a prodigious traveller who spanned the globe.
He established branches of his company in countries including the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary. He also went further afield to places such as China, Russia, Chile, Hong Kong and Singapore. In all, he opened 70 offices in 16 countries.
He and his business partner, Belfast man Ken Belshaw, developed a winning formula which was so effective that it could be successfully transplanted around the world.
He was known as an innovative and creative risk-taker.
James Kilbane, the third of five sons, was born on Achill Island. His father had a small transport business, while his mother was the village schoolmistress. She first took him to school at the age of three, to child-mind him, and was later his teacher.
As a youth he was an enthusiastic GAA footballer, especially in the Scanlon Cup competition, which in Achill was a hugely important sporting feature.
He was known as a very fast and stylish forward, and in fact in the Scanlon Cup book, he is credited by one writer as being the best player ever seen in the competition.
After attending boarding school in Galway at Coláiste Éinde, he went to University College Galway. However the west of Ireland could not provide enough jobs for its people and so, like so many others, he moved to London.
He went into the nursing business, becoming the first person to take up the idea of 24-hour nursing recruitment services.
He is remembered for encouraging his staff to expand their horizons and to increase their acceptance of people from different backgrounds, ethnicity and nationalities.
In particular, he derived quiet satisfaction in providing work for many women raising their families alone.
He moved to Rostrevor in 1986 along with his Northern Ireland-born wife Paula, who went on to hold a key post as chief executive of the Eastern Health Board.
Northern Ireland served as something of a springboard for his travelling, as he built up Grafton Recruitment on both sides of the Border and then went further afield.
He was proud of the fact that his efforts twice helped Grafton to win one of the top accolades in British industry - the Queen's Award for Enterprise.
While he was in many ways a natural entrepreneur, his ebullient and outgoing personality added to his effectiveness, serving him well both in business and socially, for his interest in people of all types was obvious.
Although he always proudly regarded himself as a man of Achill and stalwart of the GAA, he developed links with other cultures, which included both the British Conservative Party and the world of rugby.
In London, his admiration for Margaret Thatcher led him to join the Tories and stand in a council election.
He remained a Conservative after his move to Northern Ireland, in fact featuring in the recent general election as one of the business leaders who backed David Cameron's pledge to oppose an increase in national insurance.
He argued that as an employer of more than 4,000 temporary workers, such additional charges would bring added burdens to the recruitment business in particular.
Because he had an apartment not far from the republican Short Strand area of east Belfast, he would joke that he was a founding member of the Short Strand Conservative Party.
He became a dedicated rugby enthusiast, first supporting London Irish and later combining business with pleasure by providing sponsorship for the Belfast Harlequins team.
For some years their grounds were known as Grafton Arena.
An associate said of him: "He was the kind of guy that people went to if they had a problem. He did a lot of things for people that he never spoke about - helped out those in trouble."
In a tribute, Grafton Recruitment said of him: "His vision, energy and commitment to the industry, his colleagues and staff turned Grafton into a company that grew to cover three continents.
"James was an innovator in the industry and an inspiring businessman with strategic vision, commitment and focus, with a keen eye for innovation and new business opportunities. He was a respected and well-loved entrepreneur."
He is survived by his wife Paula, sons Iarla and Jamie and daughter Caroline.
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James Kilbane: born November 30th, 1947; died June 10th, 2010.