Developer dynasties
Tina Marie O’Neill, Donal Buckley, Killian Woods, Catherine Sanz and Emmet Ryan profile the key 100 individuals in the property industry
Brian and Luke Comer
Founders, the Comer Group
Comer brothers Brian and Luke, who started their careers as plasterers, established the group in the 1980s, building houses in Dublin before moving to London. There they specialised in converting institutional buildings into luxury homes, such as Royal Connaught Park, and their London landbank had capacity for over 20,000 units.
In the 2000s they established a billion euro-plus German portfolio which includes commercial space such as City Tower in Frankfurt and hotels, the most recent being Nord Port Plaza Hotel in Hamburg.
This year they bought the Magna Racino equestrian facility in Austria – an 850-acre landbank that will be developed as ‘Comer City’, a €3 billion high-value residential, events centre and leisure complex.
After the crash, the brothers pivoted back to Ireland and the €450 million Number One Ballsbridge office and residential complex was their flagship project.
Since 2015, they have delivered over 250 units annually, mainly retaining them as rental properties. Last year, they significantly ramped up residential output with 1,750 units under construction. These include the €400 million Oakfield development in Dunboyne, Co Meath, which will offer 715 units for sale this autumn.
In Sandyford the €350 million Rockbrook apartment project will deliver 538 rental units and include a health club and spa. The group is fully funded to deliver a further 3,500 units in Ireland. They also have a substantial portfolio in Greece.
Luke and Brian are active at the group’s helm while family members working in the business include Luke’s son, Barry, who manages the family’s interests in the Irish portfolio.
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Jodie Ronan
Chief operations officer, Ronan Group Real Estate
As chief operations officer of Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE), one of the most high-profile developers in the country, Jodie Ronan oversees the delivery of landmark office buildings and city-centre apartment blocks.
She is probably just as well known for her colourful father – Johnny Ronan – who founded RGRE in the 1970s and has been the main character of its operations.
But make no mistake about Jodie’s starring role in keeping the ship sailing and in navigating choppy waters through planning setbacks and tumultuous relations with lenders. Jodie is regarded as the most likely successor for the property empire Johnny Ronan has built over decades.
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Paddy McKillen jnr
Co-founder, Oakmount and Press Up
As co-founder with Matt Ryan of Oakmount property and Press Up hospitality groups, Paddy McKillen jnr was once heralded as the kingpin of the capital’s nightlife scene.
But the son and namesake of property mogul Paddy McKillen snr has been in the news more recently for the variety of hardships he’s faced which have centred on lenders turning the screw. He lost control of Press Up last year following completion of a debt for equity swap with Cheyne Capital, and in recent weeks has faced the appointment of receivers over a dozen Dublin properties.
Many onlookers expect McKillen jnr may look to buy back some of the assets in receivership, especially if he can secure fresh backing from his father after the latter resolves ongoing litigation against the Qataris in London.
It may be a bumpy enough road ahead, but even the most cynical spectator would be hard-pressed to bet against his resurgence. And many of his past creations, such as the Dean hotel group or the Elephant and Castle franchise, continue to thrive under new ownership.
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Jamie Rohan
Managing director, Rohan Holdings
Jamie Rohan is the managing director of Rohan Holdings, the business started by his father, Ken Rohan. The company is one of Ireland’s largest private property investment and development companies with extensive interests in both Ireland and Britain. Jamie joined the company in 2003 after five years as a strategic management consultant with Accenture in London and Dublin. Holding an MA from Trinity College Dublin, he took over the reins of Rohan Holdings in 2009.
Since then, Rohan Holdings has delivered prestige offices, business parks, industrial properties and more recently homes. Notable projects include Grand Canal Plaza and Charlemont in Dublin 2, as well as the Dublin Airport Logistics Park.
In 2022, Rohan Holdings reported a significant financial upturn, with pre-tax profits increasing fivefold to €32.24 million and revenues rising almost eightfold to €78.74 million, largely attributed to the development and sale of industrial units, strong lettings, and the refurbishment and sale of residential properties.
His brother David and his sister Ali Rohan, former Nama portfolio manager and now head of Ireland for Kennedy Wilson director, all hold equal stakes in Rohan Holdings.
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Alannah Smyth
Corporate counsel, Fitzwilliam Real Estate
Alannah Smyth has served as corporate counsel and property director at Fitzwilliam Real Estate Capital since 2009. In this capacity, she is responsible for overseeing the company’s legal affairs and managing its property portfolio.
Fitzwilliam Real Estate Capital was founded by her father, Noel Smyth and has a strong presence in both residential and commercial development across Ireland. Within the company, Smyth plays a key role in ensuring legal compliance, handling property-related negotiations and overseeing governance matters.
Her legal expertise continues to guide Fitzwilliam’s approach to property management and investment.
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Sean Mulryan
Founder, chairman and chief executive of Ballymore Group
A property developer recognised for transformative urban developments, Sean Mulryan established Ballymore in 1982. It has delivered over 35,000 homes and a pipeline of 371,612 square metres of commercial space, including mixed-use schemes across Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe. His visionary leadership has significantly reshaped key neighbourhoods and encouraged enterprises.
In Ireland, Mulryan has played a pivotal role in creating Dublin Landings, home to major corporate headquarters such as the Central Bank of Ireland and the National Treasury Management Agency. He is currently driving redevelopment of the Guinness Quarter in Dublin 8 and Dublin Arch at Connolly Station. Ballymore plans to deliver over 500 homes annually in Ireland with ambitions to expand its landbank further for future mixed-use projects.
He continues to shape major projects in London, such as Embassy Gardens, London City Island, Ladbroke Grove, the Edgware Town redevelopment, Royal Docks and a new skyscraper at Canary Wharf, while actively supporting community and charitable initiatives across both jurisdictions.
He has also reinvigorated his horse racing activity in recent years.
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Pat Gunne
3RE Capital Ventures
When it comes to the art of the deal, Pat Gunne has shown that timing is crucial. In advance of the great financial crash, he cashed in his stake in the CBRE Ireland estate agency that he had built. Then in 2013, he joined property doyen Stephen Vernon to introduce a reit vehicle to the Irish property and stock markets in the form of Green Reit.
Pat Gunne returned from London in 1997, aged 25, to take over the family-owned Gunne estate agents on the death of his father, Fintan. He then set about building Gunnes into the country’s largest commercial property agency before overseeing its sale to CBRE in 2005 for about €20m.
Green Reit acquired and developed a €1.48 billion portfolio including Dublin landmark properties. Then in 2019 they sold it to Henderson Park for €1.34 billion. That was just before Covid, working from home, construction cost inflation and the jump in interest rates knocked the steam out of office demand and valuations.
Subsequently, Gunne provided asset and development management consultancy to some international investors. Then in 2023 he saw the gap between vendor and purchaser price expectations and decided to bring the band back. With some of his former Green Reit team, he formed 3RE Capital Ventures and last April launched a joint venture with fund manager Aermont to invest £700m in London offices in a key area which includes the West End and around the Elizabeth tube railway line.
The joint venture has bid on some brown-to-green prospects with the aim of transforming dated offices to appeal to institutional buyers.
Gunne is also hoping to get back into Dublin’s commercial market.
Pat’s brother Niall is the senior director of capital markets at JLL. Pat’s son, Fintan, made his Leinster debut in a victory against the Sharks in South Africa last month.
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Emma Maye
Head of Ardale Property Group and Core Builders Providers
Business graduate and former EMEA and global manager with Salesforce, Emma Maye was plunged into the construction industry in 2008 following the sudden death of her father, Liam Maye, co-founder of Castlethorn and a development partner behind the Dundrum Town Centre and Adamstown in West Dublin.
Together with husband Alan Hegarty, a chartered accountant at EY who later worked with Bennett Construction, she managed her late father’s property portfolio and sorted through a €649 million legacy debt with Nama before the duo set up Ardale Property in 2012.
The company has built over 400 homes, with a pipeline of hundreds more under construction or in planning. Notable projects include Heatherside in Arklow (200 units), Tinakilly Park in Rathnew (365 units), Clermont Grove in Rathnew (45 units), and Mariner’s Point in Wicklow (74 units) with several more progressing to pre-planning or planning stages.
Maye, the Image PwC Businesswoman of the Year 2024, opened her first building supplies company, Core, in 2015, of which there are now six across Dublin with plans for more.
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Sean O’Neill
Managing director, Park Developments
Sean O’Neill came to Park Developments 22 years ago with a background in finance and accounting and became managing director of the 63-year-old, third-generation family firm almost 10 years ago.
He joins the man behind Park Developments, chairman Michael Cotter, on Park’s management team, alongside two of Michael and Angela Cotter’s four daughters, directors Emma and Jilly. The firm has built more than 14,000 homes across Dublin and an impressive list of commercial projects including the M50 Business Park and the landmark Reflector building in Dublin 2.
Sean O’Neill told the Business Post that, “Park Developments is one of the few developers that continues to build apartments for the private market”.
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Barry Duffy
Commercial director, Duffy Property Group
Barry and Mike Duffy and their sister Laura Purcell, directors of Duffy Property Group, look set to continue the family business of which their father Bernard is chairman.
Headquartered in Galway, the group focuses mainly on residential development and has undertaken projects across Galway, Cork and Dublin. Current projects include Lisieux Park, a 200-apartment development in Leopardstown, Dublin 18, for affordable housing body Respond which will provide 67 cost rental units and 133 social housing units.
In Galway, Duffy Property Group is building 102 houses and apartments in Roscam for the sales market and in Cork city, it is building 170 apartments and 930 square metres of commercial space on Kinsale Road, near Virgin Media Park (formerly Musgrave Park), the Cork home of Munster Rugby.
Investment is a small part of the group’s business and includes its three Westbourne student accommodation blocks in Limerick.
Barry Duffy has been a member of the Developers Club for housebuilders under the age of 40 and the club’s Irish members aim to build 5,000 homes by 2030.
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Jim and Colm McBride
Directors, B&C Building contractors
B&C Building Contractors, part of the B&C Group, was founded 50 years ago by Michael McBride Senior in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan. It is now run by his two sons, Jim and Colm McBride, and a third generation, Stephen and Michael McBride.
B&C has offices in both Monaghan and Dublin. It specialises in residential, commercial and industrial projects in Dublin city centre, Dublin county and nationwide.
Dublin residential projects include Castle Court in Sandymount, Dublin 4, Dun Óir in Kilternan, Dublin 18, its current launch of homes at Grange Oaks, also in Kilternan, and some 700 homes under construction at Adamstown, Co Dublin.
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