Eoghan Nolan, the late advertising copywriter and creative director, has been posthumously awarded an honorary fellowship of the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) at an industry ceremony.
Mr Nolan, who died in February 2021 after a distinguished career, was named an honorary fellow of IAPI alongside three other well-known people in the Irish advertising and communications industry: former McCann Dublin managing director Orlaith Blaney; Alan Cox, who is the founder and former chief executive of marketing group Core; and former Rothco chief executive and co-founder Patrick Hickey.
“It has been five years since IAPI awarded fellows of the industry, so we’re delighted to recognise this extraordinary group of individuals who have, over the past couple of decades, raised the bar for the entire industry,” said Seán Hynes, IAPI president and the co-founder and creative director of the agency Bonfire.
IAPI said Mr Nolan had been an award-winning “creative trailblazer” who ranked “among Ireland’s truly great creative directors and copywriters” before his death aged 63.
“Eoghan made time for everyone, particularly new and emerging creatives. He fostered and introduced a huge amount of new talent to our industry during his time and lectured at TU Dublin for five years. Eoghan was a generous, measured and personable sounding board for anyone who approached him.”
Lynne Tracey, a fellow of IAPI and its former president, accepted Mr Nolan’s award on behalf of his family.
Ms Blaney, who was the youngest person to lead an international advertising agency in Ireland, is now the director of corporate affairs for Irish Water. Since leaving Core earlier this year, Mr Cox has set up a software company focused on business transformation, while Mr Hickey, who last year departed Rothco — owned since 2018 by Accenture Interactive — is now executive chair of Mobility Mojo.