Pat Heneghan 1936 to 2025

Honouring our founder Pat Heneghan, who sadly passed away after a long illness on 15th January 2025.

From Headford in County Galway, his earlier professional life was spent in the Irish tobacco company PJ Carroll & Company, where he was public relations and sponsorship manager. In this role, he was a central figure in the establishment of the Carrolls GAA All Stars and the rebirth of the Carrolls Irish Open at Portmarnock Golf Club.

He spent a number of years in PR consultancy, where in 1988 the biggest project was on behalf of Irish Distillers, and the defence of the attempted hostile takeover and the eventual takeover by the white-knight bidder Pernod Ricard. This is regarded as one of the most exciting events in Irish corporate history and one where messaging and media communications were central to the successful outcome.

He established Heneghan PR in 1990, with our managing director, Nigel Heneghan. The company had the great support of Richard Burrows in Irish Distillers; Tom Roche in NTR; John Tuite and Alf Smiddy in Beamish & Crawford; and Larry Goodman in Anglo Beef Processors, now ABP. 

Pat served as president of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland on two occasions; and was awarded Honorary Life Fellowship of the Institute. A personal highlight for Pat was in 1979, when the Institute was prevailed upon by the Catholic Hierarchy, to facilitate the incoming global media contingent for the visit to Ireland of Pope John Paul II; and he managed the Knock Shrine (County Mayo) element of the Papal visit.

After his retirement from the business in 2003 and up until recently, he frequently called in to the office once or twice a week without fail.  Often a visit was to prevail on a colleague to help him print out airline tickets for his next trip!

Pat Heneghan played a role in elevating the public relations profession in Ireland, he brought it to the boardroom; and he helped to generate an understanding of the merits of a communications strategy and a positive reputation.

We will miss him greatly.

May he Rest in Peace.

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