Death of a great Offaly giant of business and politics

The death has taken place of one of Tullamore's great personalities John Flanagan. It would take a book to detail his full life story and business career, the many strands of it.

A native of Cappincur, he was one of Offaly's greatest business and political figures. A long serving Fianna Fail councillor, serving on both County and the old Tullamore Urban District Council, he was a loyal, passionate party man.

He was a construction giant, a prolific builder of houses, estates, shopping centres, units and much else. He was an early partner in Banagher Concrete. His company Flanagan Properties rebuilt the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore after its 1983 fire, built the Tullamore Court Hotel and several housing estates.

His company Flanagan Properties rebuilt the Church of the Assumption in Tullamore after its 1983 fire, built the Tullamore Court Hotel and several housing estates.

In his 90s, he was great, gregarious, engaging company with a huge appetite for conversation and debate. Much will be said about his political and business career. His political contribution to town and county was immense. He could see the wood from the trees and was full of common sense. He could become embroiled in fierce political rows, he oozed Fianna Fail blood and he stood his ground but his guiding motive was always a better Tullamore and Offaly. In politics and business, his policy was very much one of a rising tide raising all ships.

As a business man with his hand in so many pies, a hard nose and ruthless streak were an absolute necessity. He never shied away from that but this was balanced by a sense of fairness and sound principles. He was a great employer and the fact that many of his employees, particularly those from his own generation, were “lifers” or worked for him for years speaks volumes about his character and the way he treated people.

Away from all that, there was another more private, less public, endearing, very attractive side to the man.

There was John Flanagan, the fiercely loyal, proud, devoted husband and father.

 There was John Flanagan, the passionate, hugely dedicated golfer. A former captain of Tullamore Golf club and a low single figure handicapper in his prime, he was often at his happiest in Tullamore Golf Club, playing rounds, hitting countless balls on the practice range between the fifth and seventh holes, chipping on the chipping green and putting. He loved daily practice when he could, was a great man to offer gentle advice on the game – he wasn’t one of those who gave unsolicited advice or told someone how to play the game but was more than happy to offer guidance when asked and it was always in an encouragement came. He had a great knowledge of the technical aspects of golf while the sociable coffee and chat in the club house afterwards was an important part of the fun for him.

He was a very competitive golfer, a regular entrant in the prize winners' enclosure and frequent member of inter-club teams as well as managing them.

He was not a fan of the new online booking system when introduced at Tullamore Golf Club some years ago and rarely embraced it. Johnny, as he was affectionately known, like to play his golf more casually and informally in later years. It was a sign of the esteem and respect he was held in that he was one of the few people that would have been tolerated in the club as he jumped in on the first tee box or out on the course as the opportunity arose – he didn’t delay on the course and was not one of the people responsible for slow play.

There was John Flanagan, the man who embraced retirement after a hectic business and political life, albeit keeping business interests afloat. Like any business man, he had his knocks and things that didn't work, he lost money in some deals, made buckets of it in most and he was hugely successful and astute. He was very proud of the Church and the Tullamore Court Hotel and he was very disappointed that the private hospital at the old Tullamore Soccer Club grounds didn’t get off the ground as the recession kicked in – the Flanagan’s had got that land from Tullamore AFC at Puttaghaun in an audacious land swap that entailed them building a new ground for the club at the Ballyduff end of town.

A non drinker, he was a very sociable man and very much a creature of habit. He was entertaining and opinionated, not afraid to air controversial views. He loved his morning coffee and nightly visit to the leisure centre at Tullamore Court Hotel for years. For years, his daily routine in retirement included morning coffee, golf and a swim and sauna in the Leisure Centre. During his business heyday, it was a different story as he showed a great energy and enthusiasm for work and getting things done quickly.

He also had a great interest in the GAA and was very proud of Offaly’s many successes – he was one of the lucky people who witnessed and enjoyed all the big wins from 1960 on and he had a great understanding of what the GAA meant to Offaly. The Flanagan's were fantastic financial supporters of Offaly GAA . His sons Tony and John jnr were key members of O Connor Park redevelopment and various County Board finance committees for years. John supported that and him and the group dug deep into their pockets whenever asked.

His longevity was remarkable and he was remarkably fresh, engaged and active well into old age. It was only in the past couple of years that Fr Time caught him and he could no longer do many of the thins that he loved but when that happened, he accepted it and embraced that final stage of a long, very well lived, full life.

He leaves a huge legacy to his beloved town and country. Despite success that most can’t dream of, he remained very grounded and proud of his humble Cappincur roots throughout his long life – he grew up in a small rural cottage at the the Clonmore-Springfield townlands when times were tough, resources scarce and this upbringing remained a part of his DNA. He was a self made man, a real success story. He called a spade a spade, didn't suffer fools gladly, took hard knocks on the chin, bounced back and he was one of the great forces of nature in Tullamore and Offaly for several decades. A great man has passed away.