Basil Brindley, Irish ad man, has died aged 91

Basil Brindley, the man behind advertising agency Brindley Advertising, has died aged 91.

The family-owned company was once one of the biggest advertising agencies in the State and was known for its work with government and public sector clients, holding valuable deals to place government notices in print media and plan State campaigns.

The son of a stockbroker, Mr Brindley was one of five children. Born in Dublin in 1927, he went into the advertising business after deciding stockbroking was not for him, beginning his career at the McConnell’s agency.

He set up his own company, Brindley Advertising, in 1956 in offices over the Lincoln's Inn pub near Trinity College Dublin. It later moved to a building named Brindley House on Upper Mount Street. Mr Brindley served as managing director of the agency, in which he worked alongside his brother Donald Brindley.

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The thriving business was acquired 49 years later by the British company Aegis in 2005 in a deal worth up to €12 million.

Mr Brindley, who spent his retirement in Co Meath, was a racehorse breeder, keen hunter and one-time rugby referee. He also had an interest in motor sports in his youth, both as a car and motorcycle racer and as a journalist.

In 1987, The Irish Times described him as “one of the best known characters in Irish advertising” and said his agency had “stood the test of time”.