John Kirby Retires

The retirement of John Kirby on Friday January 27th saw unprecedented numbers gather to say farewell to a hugely popular and committed member of ESB. Johnny Shine, Executive Director, ESB Networks, paid tribute to John, who to all of those who knew him could only be described as a gentleman in every sense of the word. In his early years, John won a Scholarship from CBS in Tralee to UCC when scholarships were hard to come by. Coming from a farming family in Kerry, John, armed with a degree in Electrical Engineering, joined ESB in 1968 with what seems ‘a stipulation’ that the position be in Distribution Department – a ‘stipulation’ he seems to have held for 38 years!

From about 1989 John has been actively involved in shaping the Distribution function and latterly the regulated Networks business, where he has played a hugely influential role. In his tribute Johnny Shine said that he brought a unique leadership and value to all the areas he was involved in. “John’s wisdom, common sense and technical genius will be sadly missed but he has left a wonderful legacy of achievement which can hardly be surpassed.” John has many interests including walking, and we hope to continue to meet up with him at the Sligo Walk. We wish John and Mary and their family a wonderful life ahead.