FOUR ‘super-rich’ billionaires based in the Republic of Ireland share a total fortune of £8.411bn between them.
They were revealed over the weekend as London was confirmed as the super-rich capital of the world in the The Sunday Times Super-Rich List.
According to the list, for the first time there are more than 100 billionaires in Britain, 72 of whom are London-based.
New York has 43 and Hong Kong places sixth with 34 people worth £1bn or more.
As for the Irish entrants, retailing magnate Galen Weston, his Irish wife and family, all combined, came in a very respectable 11th place on the mega wealthy list.
Worth an estimated £7.3bn, the Westons made their billions in food, clothing and drug stores. They bought and ran Brown Thomas as well as Penneys, which later became the world famous Primark budget fashion chain, and also own Britain’s prestigious Selfridges stores.
Media tycoon and mobile phone man Denis O’Brien is currently Ireland’s richest individual.
O’Brien’s success with his Digicel Group and its 13 million subscribers places him at number 22 on the list, with a worth of £3.854bn.
He even beats off British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and family, who place two spots below him.
Ranked 63rd is Dermot Desmond, whose worth has risen to a jaw dropping £1.467bn (up £162m from last year).
Desmond has made his enormous fortune in media, venture capital, technology and diamonds.
The 63 year old is tax resident in Switzerland but runs his business from a Dublin penthouse. He owns property in London, is a horse racing enthusiast and art collector.
Desmond’s interests also extend to football, and he is the largest shareholder of Celtic Football Club.
At 54 on the list is John Dorrance, the American whose vast fortune comes from shares in his grandfather’s iconic Campbell Soup Company. Dorrance relocated to Dublin in 1994 for tax reasons.
But the overall first place slot was taken by London based Indian-born brothers Sri and Gopi Hinduja with a combined £11.9bn fortune.
The pair runs the family-owned Hinduja Group with interests in oil, automotive, banking, property and media.
THE SUNDAY TIMES SUPER-RICH LIST 2014: IRELAND'S BILLIONAIRES
1.Hilary Weston and family £7.300bn - Up £650m
2. Denis O'Brien £3.854bn - up £486m
3. John Dorrance £1.659bn - up £79m
4. Dermot Desmond £1.467bn - up £162m
5. Martin Naughton £1.431bn - up £562m
6. Lady Ballyedmond and family £1.400bn - up £540m
7. Paul Coulson and family £960m - down £5m
8. Pearse Lyons and family £950m - up £30m
9. The Earl of Iveagh and the Guinness family £850m - No change
