Tributes after deaths of leading businessmen

Two of Ireland's leading businessmen died at the weekend.

Frank O'Kane, the chairman and chief executive of Mercury Engineering, died on Saturday while walking in the Dublin mountains with a group of friends. He collapsed and was rushed to Tallaght hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Paddy Wright, a former leading executive with the Smurfit paper and packaging group and ex-chairman of the RTÉ Authority, died of cancer on Saturday at the age of 66.

Mr O'Kane (65), was a native of Strabane, Co Tyrone. He co-founded Mercury in the early 1970s with Dubliner Joe Morgan to provide electrical engineering services.

It later expanded into mechanical engineering, fire protection and IT and became the largest engineering services company in Ireland with annual revenues of more than €400 million and operations in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

Mercury has worked on a number of large projects in Ireland, including the construction of the Luas lines, the Dublin Port Tunnel and the Dundrum Town Centre.

Mr O'Kane is survived by his wife Rosaleen, his sons Eamonn and Ronan, and daughters Clodagh and Rachel.

Speaking on behalf of Mercury, Mr Morgan said: "Frank was a life-long friend and an outstanding leader and colleague. His energy, drive and enthusiasm infected all of us and helped us build Ireland's leading construction services firm."

Mr Wright was a former personal assistant to Sir Michael Smurfit before he went on to lead the group's Irish operations and become president and chief operations officer of its worldwide activities.

"He was an inspirational and motivational leader who led from the front," a statement from Smurfit Kappa said. "He will be sadly missed by all of those who knew him."

A resident of Malahide, Mr Wright was also a director of Anglo Irish Bank and chaired the RTÉ Authority between 2000 and 2005.

Cathal Goan, RTÉ's director general, praised Mr Wright's contribution. "His vision, his determination and his leadership was critical for RTÉ at a very important time in the company's transformation," Mr Goan said. Mr Wright is survived by his wife Carol, daughters Louise, Carol, Sandra and Alison, and son Patrick.