Patrick (Pat) Collins-McCarthy

Patrick (Pat) Collins-McCarthy, Monasterboice, Co. Louth and formerly of Clonakilty, Co. Cork and Donnybrook, Dublin 4. 2nd August 2022. Unexpectedly yet peacefully aged 76 years in the company of his loving wife, son and Fr. Joseph, and under the care of his doctors, nurses and caregivers. Beloved husband to Iris (who worked for the Medical Missionaries of Mary and Robert Berney, Jr. before becoming a housewife) and loving father to Siobhán (guest teacher, Cape Town City Ballet Company & former guest artist, Sarasota Ballet) and Seán (a social entrepreneur, sports & media consultant, filmmaker, and former intl. ranked tennis player). Sadly missed by his wife and family, son-in-law, Ross, daughter-in-law, Jess, grandchildren, Haley, Hannah, Lily and Lucy, brother-in-law, Tom, sister-in-law, Margaret, nephews, nieces, relatives, extended family, and close family friends, especially the Huerta Eguiluz and Huerta Murphy family of Madrid, Cuenca & Santander, Spain, as well as his many business, media & humanitarian colleagues.

Patrick displayed great courage and strength throughout his life as a son, husband, father, grandfather, humanitarian and social innovator.  Recently, he served as Chairman and Director of COLHQ International, a holding company founded with his son, Seán, and with the support of his friend & financial advisor, Vincent Flood of Vinny Flood Financial Services (d. 2021) and friend & former RTÉ colleague, Lawrence Fee of Yard Media.  He also served as Executive Producer of Master Discovery, a creative multi-genre documentary series currently in production that focuses on humanitarian & sustainable development efforts of prominent Irish leaders (and world leaders with close connections to Ireland) - incl. JFK, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Garret FitzGerald, Marian Finucane, Barack Obama, Denis O’Brien, et al. - supporting grassroots organisations & NGOs focused on low-cost interventions & innovations for marginalised women, at-risk children and smallholder farm families in developing and least developed countries.  Previously, he served on the Horizon Advisory Board in Washington, D.C. alongside his daughter-in-law, Jess (UF and Purdue University graduate and intl. development economist) and many renowned industry, military and non-profit leaders including Dr. Charles N. Toftoy (GWU, Raytheon & Lear Siegler); Joan Hisaoka (Hisaoka PR - d. 2008); Gen. William G. T. Tuttle Jr. (US Army - d. 2020), Peter A. Kirsch (Office of James V. Kimsey - Founding CEO & Chair, AOL), et al.  He also served as a Special Advisor to his son’s former U.S. private equity firm (THG) - alongside Garry Campbell (Robert M. Bass Group), Gregory C. Breunich (IMG), George McGill (Danske Bank) and Peter A. Kirsch - which served as the investment vehicle for an acquisition attempt to acquire IMG from Forstmann Little & Co. in 2011.

Patrick was a close relative of the Irish Statesman & Political Activist, Michael Collins, through his maternal Great-Grandfather, John Collins, of Woodfield, Clonakility, West Cork.  In 2014, he co-founded the Michael Collins Foundation Initiatives with his son, Seán, in consultation with relatives, Michael O'Mahony (retired solicitor) and Nora Owen (former TD and Minister for Justice) at Leinster House, and John Bruton (former Taoiseach & Ambassador of the EU to the USA) with IDA Ireland senior representatives at Wilton Park House.  He was closely involved in overseeing media, marketing, licensing & social impact initiatives inspired by Michael Collins’ vision, ethos and approach incl. films, special events, consumer products and humanitarian initiatives.  In 2001, Patrick alongside his son, Seán, established the special events company - Collins McCarthy Promotions Ltd. t/a Propriety Management - and raised venture-funding from high-net-worth individuals & corporate finance firms to finance the Collins Cup (dedicated to Michael Collins), a Ryder Cup format women’s tennis tournament held at the RDS, Dublin in 2002 featuring the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Anna Kournakova, Iva Majoli, Jennifer Capriati, etc., which was televised live/delayed to over 750 million viewers worldwide (Sky, Star Asia, ESPN, Gillette World Sport, Trans World Sport…).  Even though the Collins Cup and associated events (benefiting child victims of the Chernobyl disaster) drew worldwide media attention and praise, it failed to draw adequate support from the Irish market, and consequently, this lack of support coupled with the high barriers to entry and predatory behaviour experienced by his company in the Irish market created a negative sequential effect that forced the company into liquidation in 2003.  He and his son, Seán, went on to win a legal battle in the High Court of Ireland, whereby the High Court declared on 16 Feb. 2005 that the Company and its Directors, both Patrick and Seán, acted honestly and responsibly at all times in relation to the conduct of the affairs of the company; thus substantiating the lack of support and predatory behaviour experienced by their special events company and its strategic partners incl. the Mark H McCormack group of companies (IMG).

Patrick began his professional career as a Broadcast Engineer with RTÉ (headhunted into Master Control and promoted into the Intl. Unit where he oversaw satellite communications and broadcast production, logistics & distribution for major sports events, Papal & State visits and current affairs programming) and was educated at the College of Technology (later DIT and now Technological University Dublin) followed by professional training at BBC Pebble Mill Studios, Carr Communications and the Irish Management Institute.

May He Rest In Peace

Reposing at Townley’s Funeral Home, Crosslanes, Drogheda (A92 XN75) on Wednesday 10th August from 5 o’clock until 7 o’clock.

In celebration of his life, Patrick’s Requiem Mass will take place on Thursday at 12 noon in St. Peter’s Church, West Street, Drogheda.

Burial afterwards in St. Peter’s Cemetery.