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Paddy Jordan, who has died in a Co Dublin nursing home after a long illness, was one of the most energetic representatives of Irish business, at home and in Europe. He excelled in two other very different areas. He was a musician, playing piano, organ and violin: and a linguist, totally at home with French, able to speak German, Italian and Irish.
In Brussels from 1972 to 1978 he represented the Confederation of Irish Industry, helping Irish business adjust to the common market. A non-smoker and non-drinker, he was director of the Food, Drink and Tobacco Federation, and then the Irish Brewers’ Association.
As a man, he showed determination. He suffered from multiple sclerosis for almost 40 years. For most of his last 20 years, he also suffered Parkinson’s disease. He fought both to the point of exhausting himself, refusing to let them prevent him leading a normal life.
He was generous with his time and talents, mentoring younger people starting their careers. His proudest achievement was the European Orientation Programme, established in the early 1980s. This placed young Irish graduates with companies in Europe, to learn languages.
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Eldest of five
Patrick Joseph Jordan was born in Kilkenny in May 1941, eldest of five children to Michael Jordan, a civil servant from the country village of Tallaght, and his wife Maisie (née Woods), a national teacher from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. His mother and her family were musical, and she encouraged his talent.
When he was four the family moved to Dublin. Kilkenny birth left him with a lifelong loyalty to its hurling team, Dublin upbringing made him a supporter of the “Dubs” at football.
He received primary and secondary education at Synge Street Christian Brothers. At Leaving Cert, he received the school’s Roche medal for outstanding results. At 18, he entered the Department of Industry and Commerce as a junior executive officer. Within a few years he had moved on to the recently-established State body Córas Tráchtála, formed to sell Irish goods abroad.
Córas Tráchtala sent him to London, New York and Paris. In New York he combined his work with studying at St John’s University. In Paris he became hooked on French language and culture.
He had become increasingly interested in business, and supportive of the sector. He decided to become directly involved.
He spent two years with Robert Usher’s, towelling manufacturers in Slane and part of the Courtaulds group. There he showed elan. Australia was then the world’s fourth-largest cotton producer: he successfully broke into the Australian market.
He moved to Brussels as Confederation of Irish Industry representative in 1972, the year before Ireland joined the then EEC. He established the Irish business bureau there.
He showed mighty networking skills. He made it his business to know as many European Commission staff as possible, from commissioners to staff in the print room. Competition policy tended to be dominated by Germans: he always spoke to them in German first, to put them at ease. He became known for generous distribution of smoked salmon. He knew how to use his Civil Service contacts. Better, he knew how to get ahead of the civil servants.
His work was instrumental in getting Irish firms connected to the European market. He did not just represent them in Europe: he explained to them how the European Commission worked, and encouraged them to adopt European methods.
European values
After Brussels, he moved to the Food, Drink and Tobacco Federation. During his time there he established the European Orientation Programme. He was also awarded a medal by the Fondation du Mérite Européen for his contribution to the development of European values.
Following a brief first retirement, he went to work for the Irish Brewers’ Association. For most of the year, this was less stressful than his previous posts, though stressful at the period when prices for barley and hops were being set. He retired finally about a dozen years ago.
As a musician he played the piano, organ and violin to a very high standard. Some of Ireland’s leading classical singers used him as an accompanist. During his Brussels years he was noted for playing the organ at Christmas concerts at an abbey outside the city. He was a great lover of opera. That love was a major factor his decision to learn Italian. A devotee of several sports, he was an enthusiastic social golfer.
As a man who spent most of his life promoting Irish goods, he was aware of Irish faults. He once told The Irish Times the Irish were "linguistically backward". He made his contribution to changing that.
He is survived by his wife, Helen, daughters Mary, Deirdre and Niamh, sons Michael and Fintan, sisters Anne and Thérèse and brothers John and Philip.