Jack Fitzgerald, the co-founder of Golden Discs, died on Saturday aged 94.
Mr Fitzgerald, who died “peacefully” and surrounded by his family, according to his death notice, cofounded the Trans-Atlantic Record Agency with Tom Rogers in 1962. Four years later, it rebranded as Golden Discs, opening a store in Stillorgan.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Golden Discs became a cornerstone of the Irish music industry, offering everything from chart-topping albums to concert tickets and VHS rentals.
The company quickly expanded nationwide, offering home delivery as well as global mail-order services.
The introduction of CDs and DVDs in the 1980s and 1990s fuelled further growth, leading to the opening of more than 100 stores across the Republic and Northern Ireland.
However, the late 2000s brought significant industry changes with the rise of the internet, file-sharing, and streaming platforms.
Today, Golden Discs operates 20 stores nationwide, while Mr Fitzgerald’s son Stephen continues to develop the family business.
Speaking in 2022, Mr Fitzg
erald said: “I would never have thought that from our humble beginnings in Tara Street we would turn into a business that would still be going strong sixty years later, having employed tens of thousands of staff and served millions of customers.
“I am exceedingly proud to have served the Irish public and been a part of the Irish music landscape for so long.”
His son Stephen added: “The company’s superpower is our incredible staff who have an unrivalled product knowledge and passion for their stores and their customers.
“Our amazing staff and our loyal customers, many of whom have been shopping with us for decades, are the reason why Golden Discs remains Ireland’s largest music chain sixty years after we first opened our doors.”
Beyond Golden Discs, Mr Fitzgerald established traditional music label Tara Records, which is now called Tara Music, in 1972. The label’s first release featured a then-unknown Christy Moore.
Tara Records went on to release music from artists such as Planxty, Clannad, The Chieftains, Bill Whelan, Davy Spillane, and Liam O’Flynn.
