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Seán O'Connor (businessman)

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Seán O'Connor
Senator
In office
13 December 1982 – 23 February 1983
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
Personal details
Born (1960-04-29) 29 April 1960 (age 64)
Dublin, Ireland
EducationTerenure College
Alma mater
OccupationAcademic
Known forRally Ireland

Seán O'Connor (born 29 April 1960) is an Irish motorsport promoter and academic who previously served as a member of Seanad Éireann.

Early life and family

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O'Connor was educated at Terenure College, Dublin, where he was a member of the Senior Cup rugby team. He has a degree in marketing from Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), an MA in political communications from Dublin City University, and a doctorate from the Ulster University.[1]

A grandson of Taoiseach Seán Lemass, he lives in County Wicklow.[2] His son, Rory O'Connor, was a member of Wicklow County Council until 2024.[3]

Political life

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On 13 December 1982, after the November 1982 general election saw three members of the 16th Seanad elected to the 22nd Dáil, O'Connor was one of those nominated to fill the vacancies by Taoiseach Charles Haughey.[4][5] He was the youngest member of the 16th Seanad, at 22 years of age, and was also elected to the Fianna Fail National Executive at same time.[6] He did not attend the Seanad on 21 December 1982, its only subsequent sitting before its dissolution.[5][4][7]

O'Connor was an unsuccessful candidate in the Dublin University constituency at the 2007 Seanad election receiving 3.0% of the first-preference votes,[8] under the slogan "Graduate Equality", for opening the Seanad university constituency to graduates of all third-level institutions in the state.[9][10] He had successfully petitioned the High Court to give candidates the same access to the NUI electoral register which incumbent senators have.[10]

Business career

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O'Connor was based in Dubai working for Philip Morris sponsorship of motorsports, in the mid 1980s, including promotion of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.[2][11]

Together with Ronan Morgan, he co-founded Rally Ireland in 2005, which was considered leading rally and had World Rally Championship status from 2007 to 2009.[2][12] According to a research, over 250,0000 spectators has attended the event with an economic benefit of €48 million.[13]

In 2009, he joined the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates as Director of Strategy to assist in the staging of the first Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix.

He has been active in academic research and was co-editor in 2015 of the first academic book on sport management in the Middle East.[14]

In 2021, he was appointed campaign manager for the bid by Mohammed bin Sulayem to become the first non-European President of the FIA, the governing body for Formula One.[15]

Bibliography

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  • O'Connor, Sean; Sulayem, Mohammed Ben; Hassan, David (23 May 2013). Sport Management in the Middle East: A Case Study Analysis

References

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  1. ^ "Staff Members | ATCUAE".
  2. ^ a b c "World Rally coup for Morgan and O'Connor". Sunday Independent. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Young man from a deep political heritage". Irish Independent. 3 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Nomination of Members". Seanad Éireann (16th Seanad). Houses of the Oireachtas. 21 December 1982. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Seán O'Connor". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  6. ^ Oireachtas, Houses of the (1 January 1970). "Seán O'Connor – Houses of the Oireachtas". www.oireachtas.ie.
  7. ^ "16th Seanad — Seán O'Connor". Find a Debate. Houses of the Oireachtas. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.; "Table of Contents". Seanad Éireann (16th Seanad). Houses of the Oireachtas. 21 December 1982. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  8. ^ Oireachtas (23 July 2007). "Seanad Éireann General Election Results 2007" (PDF). Stationery Office. pp. 40–41. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  9. ^ Mullen, Rónán (11 March 2009). "Seanad Reform: Motion". Seanad Éireann (23rd Seanad). Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 25 March 2019. I commend the work of Graduate Equality, which was founded by a former Member of this House, Mr. Seán O'Connor, who worked very hard on this issue.
  10. ^ a b "Seanad hopeful allowed to see register". The Irish Times. 11 November 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  11. ^ "The UAE Desert Challenge, the rally that became 'an advert for the country itself'". The National. 1 July 2015.
  12. ^ Hamill, Sammy (19 September 2008). "O'Connor and Morgan depart Rally Ireland". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  13. ^ "Rally Ireland generates huge economic boost". 11 January 2008 – via www.rte.ie.
  14. ^ "Sport Management in the Middle East: A Case Study Analysis". Routledge & CRC Press.
  15. ^ Rawcliffe, Tom (1 April 2021). "Mohammed ben Sulayem announces bid for FIA presidency".
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