Standish Collen Standish Collen, who has died aged 88, had been been a leading figure in the construction engineering business through the family firm and a prominent personality in the Irish equestrian world for many years.
For almost 40 years he and his brother, Lyle, ran the Collen Brothers construction company which was responsible for large marine projects like the Alumina plant at Aughinish on the Shannon estuary and an extension of Dublin Port and Docks facilities.
At the same time he was prominent in hunting and racing circles, the Royal Dublin Society and the Fairyhouse and Leopardstown racecourses. He raised horses himself on his large estate at Streamstown, Malahide, where a neighbour was the former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, with whom he used to ride on Portmarnock strand.
Standish William Neil Collen was born in Dublin on January 24th, 1916. He was educated at St Andrew's College and studied civil engineering at Trinity College Dublin. He was clearly destined to join the Collen family firm which had originated in Co Armagh at the end of the 18th century when an ancestor, Thomas Collen, who had Scottish origins, set up business as a stonemason.
One hundred years later the name Collen was associated with large engineering projects such as the Great Southern Railway, the Cavan-Leitrim railway, the Curragh Camp, Kylemore Abbey, Killarney House, Portrane Asylum and the RDS main hall. The firm expanded under Standish's father, Joseph Harcourt Collen, who married Mary Arnott Collen.
Standish Collen's career as a civil engineer was interrupted by the second World War when he joined the Royal Engineers in the British army and served as an officer in the preparations for D-Day. He was part of the Allied advance across France and Germany and helped build temporary bridges across the Rhine.
He met his future wife, Claire Wilson, during a leave period in Dublin. She was on leave from the New Zealand Air Force. They both shared a passion for horses and married on August 18th, 1947. They were to have four children. The wedding was a "dry" one in accordance with the Presbyterian principles of the Collens. Under the joint direction of Standish and his brother, Lyle, the firm expanded from the 1960s when the economy began to take off.
They set up the company's own cement readymix batching plant to meet the demands of the big engineering projects. One unusual "offshore" project was the construction of a home on Inishvickillaun for Charles Haughey. They were both members of the Ward Union Hunt.
Collen was noted for his courage and style on the hunting field and at point-to-point meetings. At his funeral service the showjumper, Tommy Brennan, paid tribute to his feats.
He was very proud of the equestrian successes of his daughters. Anne was the first woman trainer to win the Galway Plate with her father's horse, Randoss, in 1987. Two years later Sarah, on Bold Flyer, became the first, and so far the only, woman to ride the winner in the Galway Plate.
Standish was active in other areas of horseracing such as the Turf Club and the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee. He helped set up the Ballsbridge horse sales at the RDS when Goffs moved to Kildare and he was involved in bringing the Tattersalls bloodstock agency to Dublin.
He was a president of Fairyhouse racecourse and directed its redevelopment. He was also a member of the Killanin Commission which set out a useful plan for the future development of racing in Ireland.
He retired from day-to-day activity in the family firm in the mid-1980s but remained chairman until 1996. The company continues in the ownership of the sixth generation of the Collen family.
The death of his wife, Claire, in 1985 was a grievous loss. He himself suffered from failing eyesight in latter years but used an electric scanner to attend to his correspondence. During his lifetime he was noted for his benevolence and his readiness to help people when needed.
He is survived by his daughters, Diana, Anne and Sarah, and son, David.
Standish Collen: born January 24th, 1916; died April 24th, 2004