Mr Patrick Joseph Currivan (52), who died on Tuesday, was described by his sister as "one of the Irish success stories".
Mr Currivan, an engineer from Dublin, was travelling from Boston to Los Angeles when his United Airlines aircraft crashed into the second tower at the World Trade Centre.
After graduating from Trinity College Dublin in 1971, he worked at St Andrews in Scotland before moving to Paris. He spent 20 years in France before being head-hunted by a Boston company. A few years ago, he returned to Paris and his latest business card described him as senior vice-president of the clearing business unit of the Atos Euronet company.
Mr Currivan's sister, Ms Helen Redden, who lives in Rush, said he had thirst for knowledge about other cultures and countries. A constant traveller, he would frequently arrive in Ireland with his suitcase bulging with gifts of wine, champagne and chocolates. "There was nothing but the best. He was a very generous person, and very clever," she said. "He had an extraordinary love of life and was a lover of all the fine arts, a regular theatre and opera-goer."
He is survived by a brother, Dan, and his wife, Kate, and their children Mike and Emma, as well as Ms Redden and her husband, Martin. Mr Currivan was not married.
Ms Redden said he kept in close contact with his family in Ireland. "He rang twice a week and e-mailed all the time about all his travels."
As members of Mr Currivan's family watched the tragedy unfold on television, they were unaware he had been on board one of the aircraft. They were later informed by his lawyer in Boston.
Ms Redden said it was difficult to comprehend her brother had been lost in "the most spectacular tragedy of modern times". "We are all going to miss him terribly. It's incomprehensible," she said.
Mr Currivan was travelling to Los Angeles for a conference but had stopped off in Boston to meet friends from Trinity's alumni branch in the city. He was a past president of the organisation.
One of the friends he contacted while in Boston was Ms Anne McMonagle, originally from Dublin, who was also involved with the alumni organisation. "He phoned me on Monday night to find out how the association was going. He was all enthusiastic and in fantastic form," she said.
Ms McMonagle said he had a "tremendous network" of friends throughout Europe and America, who would remember him as "a great character".
