Business

Death of Brian Britton, champion of renewables

Leading businessman was a founding director of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce

Brian Britton at a press conference during his time at Oriel Windfarm Ltd. Photograph: Patrick Bolger Photography

Tue Feb 20 2018 - 21:40

Leading Irish businessman Brian Britton has died after an illness. The long-time deputy chief executive of Larry Goodman's beef processing business Goodman International, he was more recently focused on the renewable energy sector.

Mr Britton, who trained as an accountant and worked with KPMG, was also a founding director of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce.

A Rossnowlagh native who moved later to Blackrock, Co Louth, he was managing director of Oriel Windfarm, which announced only four months ago that, with a joint venture partner, it would deliver Ireland's first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the North Irish Sea.

Among his fellow backers in Oriel were Glen Dimplex's Martin Naughton and former Grafton chief financial officer Colm O'Nualláin.

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Back in Donegal, he was regularly referred to as the "father of surfing" for his involvement in the sport both as a champion participant and an administrator long before it became a widely popular pastime in Ireland.

He was also involved in the hotel business, taking over his parents’ business in the Sandhouse hotel in Rossnowlagh, when they retired.

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