Kevin McCourt (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Kevin McCourt was a Irish businessman and Director-General of RTÉ
between 1962 and 1968. He also served as Managing Director of Irish Distillers
and the Dutch firm Hunter Douglas
.
, second son among three sons and one daughter of John McCourt, originally of Banbridge
, County Down
, clerk with the congested districts board at Tralee, and later a distributor with Argosy Libraries, and Mary Christina McCourt (née Small) of Co. Down. He was educated at the Chritian Brothers in Dún Laoghaire
, Co. Dublin, and Blackrock College
. He left school at 16 he joined the Dublin United Tramway Company as a clerk (1933–7), during which time he continued his education part-time at the Rathmines College of Commerce. On qualifying as both a chartered secretary and a certified accountant he became client company secretary (1937–40) with Kennedy, Crowley & Co., chartered accountants, later becoming secretary and accountant (1940–44) to McAuley & Co., wool merchants.
. After his brief tenure with the IDA he worked for seven years as executive director (1951–8) with P. J. Carroll, tobacco manufacturers, where he learned the problems of production. He helped to modernise the firm's antiquated manufacturing processes and brought Don Carroll into the company. He attempted to persuade the family run company to be more brand aware and to spend more money on advertising. Between 1958-1963 he worked in Holland with international aluminium manufacturers Hunter Douglas
NV as joint managing director.
, then Taoiseach
, asked him to return to Ireland to become the second director general of RTÉ. Despite a significant drop in remuneration he took up the post on 1 January 1963. The time was a controversial one with attempts at interference from Archbishop John Charles McQuaid
and the views of Lemass, who believed it should be "an instrument of public policy", he insisted that RTÉ remain independent of both church and state.
Shows such as The Late Late Show
prospered during this time and had a profound influence on Irish life.
Under McCourt the organization developed and covered several notable events in Ireland including John F. Kennedy
's visit to Ireland in 1963, Roger Casement
's funeral in 1965 and the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising
in 1966. His tenure always caused unrest within sections of the organisation when in 1968 he decided to integrate the 7 Days programme within the RTÉ News division.
). Throughout his ten years with the group he spearheaded the integration of a company that had been created from an amalgamation of three competing distilleries and oversaw the modernisation and rationalisation of the firm by moving all whiskey production to a single site in Midleton, Co. Cork. He was also instrumental in the purchase of Bushmills Distillery and responsible for creating a partnership with the Canadian firm Seagrams, who purchased 20% of United Distillers. In 1972 he agreed to write a series of articles for the Sunday Independent
, which embroiled him in a controversy between the newspaper and the National Union of Journalists. The NUJ objected to his writing the articles on the basis that it was a threat to the employment of their members. The dispute caused the non-publication of one issue of the Sunday Independent, after which he ended the dispute by withdrawing the articles.
During an all-out strike at Irish Distillers Group in 1974, McCourt focused on trade unions saying; "Our country is involved in a war, a war that threatens the development we all legitimately seek . . . We can go a long way towards winning our share in Ireland of this particular war by putting in more than we try to take out, by some reduction in self-interest in favour of the national well-being."
By the time he retired from United Distillers the company's profits had risen from £500,000 to £3,500,000. After his retirement he remained on the board until 1983.
He was also director (1965–9) and chairman (1969–73) of Gorta, the famine relief agency, and chairman of Irish Steel (1975–86); Alexander Stenhouse (Ireland) Ltd (1980–87); Algemene Bank Nederland (Ireland) Ltd (1980–85); Irish Agricultural Machinery (1982–8); and Hibernian Life Assurance Ltd (1987–9). He held a number of other directorships in Foir Teoranta (1972–9), Jefferson Smurfit Group (1979–89) and Peterson Tennant Group Ltd (1979–82). Even in later life he remained involved in business becoming director of Fran Rooney
's Baltimore Technologies. He was a benefactor of University College Dublin
's Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School with the McCourt University Challenge named after him from 2004.
He died 13 May 2000 in Dublin.
Director-General of RTÉ
The Director-General of Raidió Teilifís Éireann is chief executive and editor in chief of RTÉ. The current Director-General is Noel Curran, and is the most senior person in the Public Service Broadcaster, Noel Curran replaced Cathal Goan in the role in February 2011.The RTÉ Board appoints the...
between 1962 and 1968. He also served as Managing Director of Irish Distillers
Irish Distillers
Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate Pernod-Ricard S.A.. It was acquired in 1988 in a friendly takeover.-History:...
and the Dutch firm Hunter Douglas
Hunter Douglas
Hunter Douglas N.V. is a Dutch public corporation and major worldwide manufacturer of window coverings and architectural products. Hunter Douglas has its head office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and a management office in Lucerne, Switzerland...
.
Early Life and Education
He was born 14 April 1915 in Tralee, County KerryCounty Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, second son among three sons and one daughter of John McCourt, originally of Banbridge
Banbridge
Banbridge is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It was named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. The town grew as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, clerk with the congested districts board at Tralee, and later a distributor with Argosy Libraries, and Mary Christina McCourt (née Small) of Co. Down. He was educated at the Chritian Brothers in Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
, Co. Dublin, and Blackrock College
Blackrock College
Blackrock College is a Catholic voluntary secondary school for boys aged 14–18, located in Williamstown, Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland. The College was founded by French missionaries in 1860, to act as a school and civil service training centre. Set in of grounds, it has an illustrious...
. He left school at 16 he joined the Dublin United Tramway Company as a clerk (1933–7), during which time he continued his education part-time at the Rathmines College of Commerce. On qualifying as both a chartered secretary and a certified accountant he became client company secretary (1937–40) with Kennedy, Crowley & Co., chartered accountants, later becoming secretary and accountant (1940–44) to McAuley & Co., wool merchants.
Businessman
In 1944 he became secretary (1944–9) to the Federation of Irish Manufacturers (FIM) (subsequently the Federation of Irish Industry and then the Confederation of Irish Industry) where he helped to create the public relations committee (1945) and came into close contact with the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Seán Lemass. In 1949 McCourt was appointed a director (1949–51) and founder member of the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) by Lemass's successor, Daniel MorrisseyDaniel Morrissey
Daniel Morrissey was an Irish politician who served in Dáil Éireann for thirty-five years.He was a native of Nenagh, County Tipperary. He was first elected to the 3rd Dáil at the 1922 general election as a Labour Party Teachta Dála for Tipperary Mid, North and South...
. After his brief tenure with the IDA he worked for seven years as executive director (1951–8) with P. J. Carroll, tobacco manufacturers, where he learned the problems of production. He helped to modernise the firm's antiquated manufacturing processes and brought Don Carroll into the company. He attempted to persuade the family run company to be more brand aware and to spend more money on advertising. Between 1958-1963 he worked in Holland with international aluminium manufacturers Hunter Douglas
Hunter Douglas
Hunter Douglas N.V. is a Dutch public corporation and major worldwide manufacturer of window coverings and architectural products. Hunter Douglas has its head office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and a management office in Lucerne, Switzerland...
NV as joint managing director.
Director General of RTÉ
Seán LemassSeán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966....
, then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
, asked him to return to Ireland to become the second director general of RTÉ. Despite a significant drop in remuneration he took up the post on 1 January 1963. The time was a controversial one with attempts at interference from Archbishop John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid
John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp. was the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland between December 1940 and February 1972.- Early life 1895-1914:...
and the views of Lemass, who believed it should be "an instrument of public policy", he insisted that RTÉ remain independent of both church and state.
Shows such as The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
prospered during this time and had a profound influence on Irish life.
Under McCourt the organization developed and covered several notable events in Ireland including John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's visit to Ireland in 1963, Roger Casement
Roger Casement
Roger David Casement —Sir Roger Casement CMG between 1911 and shortly before his execution for treason, when he was stripped of his British honours—was an Irish patriot, poet, revolutionary, and nationalist....
's funeral in 1965 and the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
in 1966. His tenure always caused unrest within sections of the organisation when in 1968 he decided to integrate the 7 Days programme within the RTÉ News division.
Later career
He stepped down from RTÉ in 1968 and became managing director of the United Distillers of Ireland Ltd. (later Irish DistillersIrish Distillers
Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate Pernod-Ricard S.A.. It was acquired in 1988 in a friendly takeover.-History:...
). Throughout his ten years with the group he spearheaded the integration of a company that had been created from an amalgamation of three competing distilleries and oversaw the modernisation and rationalisation of the firm by moving all whiskey production to a single site in Midleton, Co. Cork. He was also instrumental in the purchase of Bushmills Distillery and responsible for creating a partnership with the Canadian firm Seagrams, who purchased 20% of United Distillers. In 1972 he agreed to write a series of articles for the Sunday Independent
Sunday Independent
The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. The newspaper is edited by Aengus Fanning, and is the biggest selling Irish Sunday newspaper by a large margin ; average circulation of 291,323 between June 2004 and January 2005,...
, which embroiled him in a controversy between the newspaper and the National Union of Journalists. The NUJ objected to his writing the articles on the basis that it was a threat to the employment of their members. The dispute caused the non-publication of one issue of the Sunday Independent, after which he ended the dispute by withdrawing the articles.
During an all-out strike at Irish Distillers Group in 1974, McCourt focused on trade unions saying; "Our country is involved in a war, a war that threatens the development we all legitimately seek . . . We can go a long way towards winning our share in Ireland of this particular war by putting in more than we try to take out, by some reduction in self-interest in favour of the national well-being."
By the time he retired from United Distillers the company's profits had risen from £500,000 to £3,500,000. After his retirement he remained on the board until 1983.
He was also director (1965–9) and chairman (1969–73) of Gorta, the famine relief agency, and chairman of Irish Steel (1975–86); Alexander Stenhouse (Ireland) Ltd (1980–87); Algemene Bank Nederland (Ireland) Ltd (1980–85); Irish Agricultural Machinery (1982–8); and Hibernian Life Assurance Ltd (1987–9). He held a number of other directorships in Foir Teoranta (1972–9), Jefferson Smurfit Group (1979–89) and Peterson Tennant Group Ltd (1979–82). Even in later life he remained involved in business becoming director of Fran Rooney
Fran Rooney
Fran Rooney is an Irish businessmen and Barrister.The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, presented Mr. Rooney with the Businessman of the Year award in 2000 . He was Bank of Ireland Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001...
's Baltimore Technologies. He was a benefactor of University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
's Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School with the McCourt University Challenge named after him from 2004.
He died 13 May 2000 in Dublin.