Gerry O'Connor, who died in a climbing accident in the Macgillycuddy Reeks in Co Kerry earlier this month, was a council member and former president of the Irish Hotels Federation. Over three decades he achieved much as a hotelier and contributed greatly to the growth of the Irish industry.
The chief executive of the IHF, John Power, said that he had been involved in every major development in the industry over the past 20 years, and described him as "a man of great integrity and great vision".
Born on July 26th, 1955, in Ballinabrackey, Co Meath, he was one of the seven children of Kevin and Mary O'Connor. He was educated at Kinnegad National School and St Finian's College, Mullingar.
Having taken part in a trainee management programme at the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, Killiney, he went on to complete a diploma in hotel management through block release at the Regional Technical College, Galway, over a period of four years.
He subsequently gained valuable experience, working as a waiter, receptionist, chef and barman in hotels in the United States and Germany.
Returning to Ireland after five years, he worked at the Forte Crest Hotel at Dublin Airport. Promotion quickly followed, and he was in 1984 appointed manager of Forte's Acton's Hotel in Kinsale, where he met Elizabeth Bond, a recreation manager. They married and in 1987 purchased the Blarney Park Hotel in a joint venture with Blarney Woollen Mills. Through their efforts the reputation of the popular family and short-break hotel was considerably enhanced.
A council member of the IHF since 1986, O'Connor was elected president of the federation in 1994 and served a two-year term. While in office he focused on the future of Ireland's tourism industry and was influential in establishing Be Our Guest as the definitive accommodation guide in Ireland.
As IHF president he was part of the monitoring group that supervised the implementation of the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-1999.
He also helped to devise the hotel classification system and was a central figure in launching the first Overseas Tourism Marketing Initiative (OTMI), which transformed the approach to marketing Ireland abroad as a holiday destination.
In 2002 he branched out in a new direction when he sold his interest in the Blarney Park Hotel to form Bottomline Solutions, a hotel consultancy business.
He had an enduring passion for sport and was a staunch supporter of the Meath Gaelic football team and an avid fan of Manchester United. One of his most enjoyable sporting experiences was to be present at the Nou Camp in 1999 when United completed the treble by winning the Champions' League final. Dedicated to physical fitness, in 1995 he completed the Sean Kelly 50-mile Classic Cycle in Blarney in three hours 15 minutes.
He was also a keen hill walker, and took up mountain climbing seven years ago, training with Pat Falvey. His conquests included Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, at 23,000ft the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas, and more recently, in October 2004, he succeeded in climbing the Island Peak (Imja Tse) in the heart of the Himalayas.
A charming and genuine man, he was renowned in the hotel industry as a mentor to younger hotel managers, particularly during his time at the Blarney Park Hotel.
Well liked and widely respected, he had many friends in the business. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, sons, Daniel, Brian and James, parents, brothers and sisters.
Gerry O'Connor: born July 26th, 1955; died January 3rd, 2005.