Tony Ryan had a reputation as a dour individual and tough taskmaster, but those who worked closely with him say he also had a good sense of humour.

Jim King, who soldiered with Ryan for 15 years in GPA and was a good friend of the Tipperary-born entrepreneur, recalls a trip to the city of Sannaa in North Yemen in 1981.

"It was during Ramadan and we went out one evening through the markets," King recalls. "There was a wonderful aroma of coffee and Tony decided he had to go and buy some.

"So Tony troops off and buys about two stone of coffee beans. The following day he headed for Paris and I went to Sudan. Before I left, though, Tony rang me and said he'd left something behind in his hotel room and would I mind picking it up.

"It was only the two stone of coffee beans that I then had to get through customs at Heathrow and Ireland, which was no mean feat in those days. I must have sweated buckets.

"Back at base the following Monday morning, Tony comes up to me at the end of the meeting, smiles, hands me the keys of his car and says, 'Stick that coffee in the back of my car, like a good man'.

"He did the same thing to another fella with a big rug that he'd bought.

"He could be a tough boss but he also had a great sense of humour."