Harbour master

THE FRIDAY INTERVIEW/ John Killeen Cold Chon:What do one of this island's earliest road roundabouts and the first Irish stopover for a prestigious global yacht race have in common? Galway-based businessman John Killeen is so unassuming that he may not identify the link - himself.

There's a further common thread. The then young civil engineer with Roscommon County Council was told on a number of occasions that the mini-roundabout concept in the county town "just wouldn't work" many years ago.

A certain prominent politician in Galway West is said to have given a similar reaction to Killeen's initial attempt to secure the prestigious Volvo round-the-world yacht race for the Atlantic port.

There were other doubters, of course. Killeen knew that any such re-routing of the Volvo race could involve dropping the traditional northwest European stopover in Britain.

It would be one thing for an Irish port to pinch the race from the likes of Portsmouth, but could Galway hold a candle, never mind a compass, to Cork, which regards itself as this island's sailing capital? Such heretical thoughts became reality a short time ago when Galway was conferred with official host port status, among 11 stopovers, for the 2008-2009 event.

It was a considerable achievement for Let's Do It Galway Ltd, the lobbying committee chaired by Killeen, with Northern Ireland yachtsman Jamie Boag, Galway businessmen Eamon Conneely and Enda Ó Coineen, and harbourmaster Capt Brian Sheridan among its membership.

As part of the deal which will see a fleet of ocean-going yachts berth by the Claddagh in May 2009, Ireland has to submit its own entry. A design team is already working on this.

The Republic has participated in the 31,000 nautical-mile race only once before, with NCB Ireland in 1989-90. The vessel, skippered by Corkman Joe English, finished 12th among a starting field of 23. Since then a number of Irish sailors have been selected for international entries - Justin Slattery was bowman on the winning ABN Amro One in the 2005-2006 race.

NCB Ireland received the imprimatur of former taoiseach and keen sailor, the late Charles J Haughey, and generated high hopes, but its organising committee was said to have been far too top-heavy with business egos.

"It was a big achievement, to compete and finish," Killeen says, diplomatically. "We won't be raising too many expectations, but we'd hope to acquit ourselves well."

Formerly known as the Whitbread, the Volvo ocean race takes place every four years, and attracts the world's top competitive offshore sailors. The "wild ride around the planet", as a recent history of the event describes it, dates back to 1973 when there were no tracking beacons, no weather maps, radios were unreliable and navigation was by sextant alone. So any of the yachts could have "simply disappeared, like many of the clipper ships had done before", one early competitor noted.

Killeen and his fellow committee members have been involved on a pro bono basis - apart from Boag, recently hired as chief executive - as they all have busy day jobs to do. In Killeen's case, he is chief executive of Cold Chon, which manufactures bituminous binders for road surfacing.

Founded by industrialist Dr Danny Coyle in the 1930s, the company employs 450 people at six plants in the North, including Portadown, Co Armagh, on the west coast in Sligo and Galway, in Mallow, Co Cork and Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Shareholders include the French conglomerate, Bouygues, which holds the interest through its road-building division, Colas SA.

Investment in roads under the National Development Plan is generating much of Cold Chon's current business, but it also has significant export trade. The adhesive agents and emulsions made by its sister company, Chemoran, in Galway, are exported to more than 100 countries.

Killeen, a former Institute of Engineers of Ireland president (1995), has been with Cold Chon since he quit his safe local authority job with Roscommon County Council in 1976. He has built up the company to become one of Galway port's largest customers, and is supportive of plans to relocate the tidal harbour south-east of the existing basin.

Last year, Killeen was appointed chair of the vision group which drew up a strategy for the port's relocation which has been adopted under the new National Development Plan. In fact, his company acted as something of a catalyst, by securing planning permission for a new oil terminal in the outer harbour's existing enterprise park. The existing tank farm has been based in what many would regard as a high-risk location, close to the city and several hotels.

Originally from Roscommon, he rowed at secondary school in Marist College, Athlone, but took up sailing at University College, Dublin. He is an accomplished offshore yachtsman, with a number of Round Ireland races under his belt. In contrast to fellow Galway businessman Conneely, who has put his name on the international yachting map with his professionally sailed TP52 yacht, Patches, Killeen plays down his many achievements at sea.

All of his boats have been named Nimmo, after the pioneering Scottish engineer who directed construction of 243 miles of road in Connemara and surveyed two-thirds of the coastline. "Alexander Nimmo's name is on about 40 piers - and he probably built more bridges in the short time he was here in the 1820s than we have since," Killeen notes.

Killeen firmly believes that the 10-day Volvo berthing in Galway could generate up to €150 million for tourism in the region. It is expected that it could attract half a million visitors. Former minister for arts, sport and tourism John O'Donoghue pledged €8 million towards the required total budget of €20 million, and his successor, Séamus Brennan, who has strong Galway links, is "very much on board", Killeen says.

Richard Burrows, Bank of Ireland governor and a keen sailor, has been enlisted as a member of the committee, along with Robert Dix of KPMG who is chair of the Irish Sailing Association. Later this month, they expect to meet a delegation from Melbourne, Australia, which was involved in hosting a leg in the previous race that generated €250 million for the economy there.

If Galway hopes to tap into that, Ireland will also benefit, Killeen points out. A race "village" in each of the 11 stopover ports serves as a showcase for competing nations. "That's where Fáilte Ireland comes in, and it is very enthusiastic."

Killeen attributes Galway's undoubted coup in securing the stopover to "quite a lot of luck". Glenn Bourke, Volvo ocean race chief executive, has a great affinity for the west coast, he explains, to the extent that he named his daughter Shannon Bailey Bourke. However, those who know him, such as Capt Sheridan, say that Killeen's dynamism is infectious - "he doesn't see problems, only solutions".

The businessman has a vision for transforming Galway "post-Volvo". Vancouver is one model in mind, and he emphasises that change must be undertaken with great care - an oblique reference to Galway city's poor planning record. He also hopes that the race's presence will "generate a new imagination" about Ireland's involvement with the sea.