THE funeral of London construction magnate Patsy Byrne is to take place tomorrow in Co. Kerry.
The chief executive of construction and engineering powerhouse The Byrne Group passed away suddenly at his home in Co. Kerry in the early hours of Monday morning.
He was 64.
Mr Byrne’s family have requested that instead of flowers, those who would like to make a charitable contribution should donate to the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.
Tomorrow all Byrne Group construction sites and offices will stop work at midday for five minutes, so that members of staff wishing to pay their respects to Mr Byrne are able to do so at the same time as he is laid to rest.
A long-term supporter of the Irish community in Britain, Mr Byrne was also a regular at charity events in London.
He was also a prominent horse and greyhound owner. The Byrne Group were sponsors at the annual Cheltenham racing festival.
Tributes flooded in on social media as the news spread of My Byrne’s untimely death, with champion jockey Tony McCoy saying: “Sad news about Patsy Byrne, a great man and friend.”
Cheltenham Racecourse tweeted: “We are very sad to hear about the passing of Patsy Byrne, he was a great supporter of Chelt and will be much missed.”
The Byrne Group has been involved in the construction of a number of high profile developments across Britain over the years, most recently The Shard in London Bridge and the One New Change quarter in St. Pauls.
Mr Byrne is survived by his wife Bridget, sons Michael and Sean, daughter Siobhán and his grandchildren.
A memorial mass and service will be held in London at a later date.
