D.C. O’Donovan – BE, ME, C.Eng, FIEI, MIWES, RCons EI     Company Founder

It is with great regret and sadness that we learn of the death this weekend of Derry O’Donovan, former partner and founder of the company that bears his name to this day, Jennings O’Donovan.

A native of Dunmore in County Galway, Derry graduated in 1953 with a degree in Civil Engineering.  He came to Sligo in March 1962 to work with Austin Jennings, who had established a Consultancy Engineering firm in the town in 1950.  Company archive records show that one of the first projects he worked on was Dripsey Water Supply Scheme in April 1962 for Cork Country Council.  Derry and Austin developed a strong working relationship and in 1966 entered into a partnership and the practice that is Jennings O’Donovan was formed.

Derry was one of the most technically gifted and brilliant engineers of his generation.  He was a recognized international expert on Water Supply System and his writings and papers were published in various international journals.  Those papers included “A review of the technique and potential of ozonization with particular reference to the treatment of Irish Waters” published by the Institute of Civil Engineers of Ireland in 1963 and the “Treatment with Ozone” published in 1966 in the journal of the American Water Association in New York and in the journal of Water and Waste in Tokyo.  His work in developing the concept of treating water with ozone for drinking water supply was pioneering at that time.  It followed through with the opening in 1973 of the first ozonization water treatment plant in Ireland, the Cairns Hill Water Treatment Plant in Sligo which to this day is successfully providing quality treated drinking water to the residents of Sligo town and surrounding areas.

But it was not just in Ireland that Derry was pioneering developments.  It was in the international field, particularly in the Middle East and in Africa that he demonstrated true pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit  as he led the company into overseas markets.  The list of countries that Jennings O’Donovan worked in under his leadership as far back as the 1970’s is impressive even by today’s standards.  Those countries in Derry’s wide portfolio of work included Egypt, Ethiopia, Gaza, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Sudan and Tanzania.  This was a remarkable achievement in different times when ability to travel and communications were not what they are today and where for weeks at a time Derry would be gone overseas and without any contact with home or office.

He led an Ireland Trade Mission to Iraq in November 1979 and it was in Iraq that some of the largest projects ever undertaken by Jennings O’Donovan were based, projects such as Kirkuk Water Supply which provided a water treatment plant to a population of 1 million people and Amara Sewerage Scheme which treated wastewater for a city of 500,000 people. 

Though his strategic leadership and innovation, Jennings O’Donovan provided highly skilled employment to some 100 people at that time in the late 1970’s in Sligo working mainly on these overseas projects.  In recognition of this achievement, Jennings O’Donovan received the “Award for Business Enterprise” for 1980 presented by Sligo Chamber of Commerce, an award which Derry accepted on behalf of the firm. 

He achieved the highest accolades possible in his professional engineering career being a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland.  He was approved as a Registered Consultant Engineer by the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI),  and he was the ACEI Delegate on the Comite de Liaison des Ingenieurs – Counsels Du Marche Commun and on the Euro – Arab Expert Group.

Derry was a proud Irishman, proud of the culture, heritage and traditions of our country.  His photograph hangs on the wall of the O’Donovan Suite named in his honour in 2005 in the Jennings O’Donovan head office in Sligo.  No doubt Derry would be pleased that the same O’Donovan Suite serves today as the central hub and communication link to provide the backstopping and support activities to the firms ongoing work in Bahrain in the Middle East.

A true family man, Derry was pre-deceased by his wife Maura late last year.  We know he will be missed by his sons and daughters.  To Paddy and Diarmuld, Cathy, Mary and Roisin, we extend our heartfelt sympathies at this time.  He will be laid to rest today Monday after 1pm mass in the Cathedral in Sligo.  Derry’s name will live on in the company that proudly bears both his and Austin’s name, Jennings O’Donovan.

Each and everyone of us are indebted to his vision and leadership for the work we have today.

Ni bheidh a leithead arís ann. Ar dheis De gó raibh a h-anam dilis.  May God have mercy on his soul.

“A Naomh Mhuire, a Mháthair Dé, guigh orainn na peacaigh, anois agus ar uair ár mbáis”

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