Tributes paid following death of Kerrygold creator Tony O'Reilly - Agriland.ie

Tributes have been paid to the Irish businessman Tony O'Reilly, who has died at the age of 88.

Among his many roles during his career, O'Reilly was at a time the CEO of An Bord Bainne, the predecessor to Ornua.

While in the role he was responsible for creating the global Kerrygold brand, which, in 2019, became the first Irish agri-food brand to exceed €1 billion in retail sales value.

O'Reilly also co-created the Ireland Funds, a fundraising network active in various countries, including the US, for promoting and supporting reconciliation on the island of Ireland.

In 2001, he received a knighthood from the government of the UK for services to Northern Ireland, and was often referred to as Sir Anthony O'Reilly.

In a statement, Ornua said: "The Board of Directors and Ornua teams around the world sadly mourn the loss of one of the most important figures in Irish business and in Ornua's history. We extend our deepest condolences to the O'Reilly family.

"As the first CEO of An Bord Bainne, Sir Anthony O'Reilly was responsible for creating the much-loved Kerrygold brand in 1962," Ornua said.

Ahead of his time, Sir Anthony O'Reilly was a trailblazer. He had the vison, energy and optimism to create a brand for Irish dairy that would reflect the unique quality of grass-fed Irish milk in what at the time was a commodity market.

"This vision would define the future of the industry, bringing Irish food to a world stage and great joy to millions of consumers in markets around the world, as well as supporting the livelihoods of Irish dairy farming families across rural Ireland," Ornua added.

The dairy business said that O'Reilly "will be warmly remembered as the legend who brought Irish dairy to the world".

Also paying tribute, Taoiseach Simon Harris said O'Reilly was "a trailblazer who aimed big on the international business scene".

"Through his work in the UK, US and Ireland he forged a path that many other international business figures from Ireland would follow. Modern day Ireland likes to see itself as an island in the centre of the world. Tony O'Reilly was one of the first Irish businesspeople to truly believe that," the Taoiseach said.

He added: "The Ireland Funds is an example of peace and reconciliation done brilliantly from the ground up in communities. It has been one of the largest donors to our shared island and the cause of peace, and is still going strong. I know Mr. O'Reilly was enormously proud of the funds.

"Tony O'Reilly was a giant and his passing will be felt by the many people he encountered in his long life," the Taoiseach said.

Senator Victor Boyhan, meanwhile, said that Ireland's agriculture and food sector will be "forever grateful" to O'Reilly for his establishment of Kerrygold.

"Tony had vision and ambition for Ireland and understood and recognised the great loyalty of the Irish diaspora. His Kerrygold premium brand told the story of Irish dairy farming which connected strongly with our diaspora, as it was their story too," Boyhan added.

Danny McCoy, CEO of business representative group Ibec, said: "[O'Reilly's] vision and determination in turning Kerrygold into one of Ireland's most well-known global consumer brands remain one of the most incredible Irish business success stories. The legacy of this achievement will live on for decades to come.

"His leadership qualities were deservedly recognised through his ascension as first Irish person to be a CEO of a global corporate giant like the Heinz group, placing him at the helm of one of the most successful global food companies," McCoy added.