Philip MullallyThe death of Philip Mullally on June 22nd at the age of 71 brought to an end a life of constant and varied achievement in the service of communities throughout Ireland.
This service was given in many ways. Mullally was a designer and builder of great ability and a co-founder (with Vincent Bowen in 1968) of what is now the Bowen Group, originally Bowen, Mullally and Company Limited. On his own initiative, he developed a new housing community, in the heart of which he and his wife, Molly, lived and reared their family, at Kilcoolishal, Glanmire, Co Cork. The Glanmire/ Glounthaune area remained his own greatly loved community until the day he died.
Perhaps the highest profile achieved by Mullally in the area of community service came through his leadership of An Taisce - the National Trust for Ireland. Initially chairman of the Cork association of the trust, he became national chairman of the organisation in 1975 and president of An Taisce in 1980.
During his time at the helm of Ireland's National Trust, a number of key initiatives, reflecting his orientation towards business and industry, were set in motion by the organisation. With Nicholas Robinson, William D Finlay SC and others, he was instrumental in the creation of the Heritage Trust, a grouping of business people and conservationists committed to the principle of balancing the economic development of Ireland with the protection of its environment.
Even though the late 1970s and early 1980s were a time of economic stringency in Ireland, the Heritage Trust achieved considerable success in raising funds from business for environmental projects. An Taisce itself was set on a solid financial basis for many years as a result of major grants from the Heritage Trust and donors. Philip Mullally was always particularly proud of the endowment-in-perpetuity by the Heritage Trust of a chair of environmental studies at University College Dublin.
During Mullally's term as chairman of An Taisce and at the time of the 1979 oil crisis, the organisation set up an objective and broadly-based energy study group, reflecting Mullally's concern for engaging with what he - as a practical engineer - considered "the real issues". Composed of economists, scientists, technologists, industrialists and environmentalists, the group reviewed Ireland's energy options, including the nuclear option, at a time when, as today, issues of oil price and availability had put in question the future of the State's energy supplies.
The study group's report, "Energy in Question", was a model of how a non-governmental organisation such as An Taisce could make a significant input into a vital national policy issue. Indeed, to quote Mullally himself, writing some 17 years later, "it changed government policy, that particular study".
By 1980 Philip Mullally's achievements in relation to important national issues were already so notable as to earn him a People of the Year award in that year. In 1984 he left Bowen Mullally to pursue a wide range of other interests, which were playing an increasingly large and significant part in his life. Much of his subsequent career was taken up with mentoring in various forms.
He served for several years as a member of the board of An Foras Forbartha, the institute for physical planning and research (subsequently dissolved).
Under his guidance, the Heritage Trust evolved into the Irish Resource Development Trust (IRDT), which, while retaining its involvement in environmental issues, became more orientated towards the unlocking and development of economic and social resources of communities throughout Ireland.
At this juncture, Mullally spent much of his time visiting towns and villages throughout the country to provide advice, training and business support to community leaders. As chief executive of the Enterprise Trust for a number of years, he was also, very much to his liking, in a position to harness the support of the national business community for local enterprise.
Philip Mullally was at all times a person at the forefront of thinking on the participation of local communities in the life of the nation. His own local group, Glounthaune Community Association, was identified in the report of the National Economic and Social Forum as a model of good practice in relation to Local Agenda 21, the Rio Conference objective embodying the principle of "think globally, act locally".
His personal dedication to the concept of social capital, with its recognition of the value of voluntary commitment to one's community, is reflected in the successful operation at Glounthaune of the Community Timebank. As a result of the success of the Glounthaune operation, Mullally had recently started the process of extending the timebank concept throughout the country.
Philip Mullally was a man who loved outdoor pursuits. An expert fly fisherman, he looked forward to an annual angling expedition with close friends to the lakes and rivers of the West of Ireland. He was an energetic hill walker and swimmer and, in connection with this, he and Molly, a talented artist, made great use of the family's holiday home near Derrynane, Co Kerry. In his last weeks, he was as active as ever, taking time out from his business and community responsibilities to enjoy a boating holiday exploring the Turkish coast with Molly and a large group of friends.
Philip Mullally is survived by his wife, Molly (née McDonnell), and his children, Kieran, Ailish and Kevin. His son, Rory, predeceased him in 1995.
Philip Aidan Mullally: born February 5th, 1935; died June 22nd, 2006