Probus Dún Laoghaire Marine
Probus Dún Laoghaire Marine News for Members


Jim Farrelly RIP
Published on 29/05/2020

Former Club Secretary Jim Farrelly passed away on 29May 2020 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Jim joined Probus in 2014 and served as Secretary in 2017.

A native of Oldcastle Co Meath, Jim was raised on a farm. His formative primary school education took place at at Gilson Endowed School Oldcastle - a school endowed with £25,400 - proceeds of the estate of Laurence Gilson, a native of the town who made his fortunes in England and died in 1810. The school, designed by Charles Cockerell (1788 -1863),an English architect and was built in 1826 in the Palladian style.

Jim's secondary education was at St Finian's College Mullingar which was founded as the Diocesan college of the Diocese of Meath in1802.

Jim then spent seven years at the Jesuit Novitiate at Emo Court Portarlington - an imposing neo-classical mansion designed in1790 by James Gandon (1743 -1823) that had been the residence of the Earl of Portarlington until the late 1920's when the residence and 280 acres was acquired by the Jesuits for £2,000. (The Earl's estate in the late 19th century comprised 12,800 acres which was acquired by the Land Commission and redistributed). Jim was also a student at UCD and the Milltown Institute of Philosophy of Philosophy, a Jesuit institution whose genesis can be traced to the 1880's.

His extensive newspaper career began with Independent Newspapers in1968 five years before AJF O'Reilly and his family purchased it. Jim was a reporter and a columnist for ten years before joining the first Sunday Tribune in 1979 as News Editor and Deputy Editor. He studied law at Kings Inns and was called to the Bar in 1977.

He was appointed Editor of the Daily News in 1981, a tabloid newspaper launched by Donegal born entrepreneur Hugh McLaughlin (1918 - 2006), who also launched Business & Finance in1964 and was co-founder of The Sunday World in 1977. Independent Newspapers acquired a majority stake in The Sunday World in 1978..

The Daily News ceased to publishing 1982 and Jim rejoined Independent News & Media where he was Features Editor. He was appointed Managing Director of several provincial newspapers owned by Independent Newspapers - the Drogheda Independent from 1990 to1996;the Kerryman from 1996 to 2000 and he also held the role of Managing Director of the Independent Newspapers regional newspapers (ten provincial publications) in this period. Former Club Secretary Jim Farrelly passed away on 29May 2020 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Jim joined Probus in 2014 and served as Secretary in 2017. He retired as Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday Tribune until his retirement in 2004.

A native of Oldcastle Co Meath, Jim was raised on a farm. His formative primary school education took place at at Gilson Endowed School Oldcastle - a school endowed with £25,400 - proceeds of the estate of Laurence Gilson, a native of the town who made his fortunes in England and died in 1810. The school, designed by Charles Cockerell (1788 -1863),an English architect and was built in 1826 in the Palladian style.

Jim's secondary education was at St Finian's College Mullingar which was founded as the Diocesan college of the Diocese of Meath in1802.

Jim then spent seven years at the Jesuit Novitiate at Emo Court Portarlington - an imposing neo-classical mansion designed in1790 by James Gandon (1743 -1823) that had been the residence of the Earl of Portarlington until the late 1920's when the residence and 280 acres was acquired by the Jesuits for £2,000. (The Earl's estate in the late 19th century comprised 12,800 acres which was acquired by the Land Commission and redistributed). Jim was also a student at UCD and the Milltown Institute of Philosophy of Philosophy, a Jesuit institution whose genesis can be traced to the 1880's.

His extensive newspaper career began with Independent Newspapers in1968 five years before AJF O'Reilly and his family purchased it. Jim was a reporter and a columnist for ten years before joining the first Sunday Tribune in 1979 as News Editor and Deputy Editor. He studied law at Kings Inns and was called to the Bar in 1977.

He was appointed Editor of the Daily News in 1981, a tabloid newspaper launched by Donegal born entrepreneur Hugh McLaughlin (1918 - 2006), who also launched Business & Finance in1964 and was co-founder of The Sunday World in 1977. Independent Newspapers acquired a majority stake in The Sunday World in 1978..

The Daily News ceased to publishing 1982 and Jim rejoined Independent News & Media where he was Features Editor. He was appointed Managing Director of several provincial newspapers owned by Independent Newspapers - the Drogheda Independent from 1990 to1996;the Kerryman from 1996 to 2000 and he also held the role of Managing Director of the Independent Newspapers regional newspapers (ten provincial publications) in this period. Jim retired as Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Tribune in 2004.

'Ni bheidh a leidheid aris' –

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