Mondello Park racing circuit owner and successful real estate developer Martin Birrane passes away

By Kim O'Leary

The owner of Mondello Park in Co Kildare, Martin Birrane, has sadly passed away at the age of 82 on Saturday 9 June, his family have confirmed.

Mr Birrane was also a property developer and he also ran the UK-based business Peer Group and Lola Cars, but he was well-known in Co Kildare as the owner of the hugely successful Mondello Park racing track which he purchased and revitalised in the 1980s.

A proud Mayo man, Mr Birrane lived in the UK for a number of years before spending time living in Geneva, Switzerland and Canada, where he developed his great interest in the property market. He returned to the UK in 1960 where he started his own real estate business before becoming the chairman of property developer giant Peer Group in 1983 and at the time, Peer Group’s assets were £2 million sterling.

However, by the end of 1996 they were worth £70 million and are now worth about £190 million, and in 1985 he engineered Peer’s game-changing purchase of the Hop Exchange, on the south bank of the Thames, close to London Bridge.

Development of Mondello Motor Racing Circuit

In 1986, Mr Birrane purchased Mondello Racing Circuit in Co Kildare and after much redevelopment works, the 3.5km international circuit opened in 1998 and today it is the only Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-licensed track in the State.

Mr Birrane’s great love and interest in motor racing started in his youth and in 1990 he also competed in the Irish-land speed record on an unopened stretch of Dublin’s M50 motorway, and he also won Le Mans 24 Hours ten times as a driver.

During the 1990s he bought racing car maker Lola Cars International and would eventually start to broaden its business into other fields such as aerospace.

In recent times, Mr Birrane was working to arrange events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mondello Park as well as the 60th anniversary of Lola CRS at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July as well as his diamond wedding anniversary to beloved wife Susan before his death, and the upcoming events will be a lasting tribute to the self-made business man.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, whom he married in 1958, along with children Lis, James, Bridget and Amanda, and five grandchildren.