Privacy prevails for maestro behind Wilton deal

INTENSELY private, Joe O’Donovan is the man behind many of Cork’s biggest land deals.

But, unlike any of the city’s other major developers, he is never photographed at any property opening.

Ask those who have met the west Cork native — he still has relatives in Galley Head — and they describe him as intensely private and always shying away from any publicity.

In his early 40s, Mr O’Donovan attended Clonakilty Community College before taking on a variety of careers.

He worked in machinery with his uncle and also in the transport division of Musgraves.

He honed his expertise in retail by operating supermarkets in West Cork.

It is unclear how he became involved in some of Ireland’s biggest land acquisitions, but he is understood to have major financial backers both here and abroad.

Mr O’Donovan achieved nationwide prominence when, along with Howard Holdings, he acquired the Wilton Shopping Centre in 2004 in the biggest investment sale in Ireland in that year. Last week it was revealed that Howard Holdings, which had been interested in the property for its development potential, had sold its minority shareholding in the centre back to Mr O’Donovan, angry that its lesser share meant that it had little control over the decisions being made there.

Since then he has been buying up property in and around the Capitol Cinema — including the purchase of the Central Shoe Store — for a price tag understood to be close to €15 million. He is now being hotly tipped to create a massive retail development encompassing much of the corner of Patrick Street and Grand Parade.

Elsewhere, he has been involved in a variety of pub acquisitions around the country. He has also invested heavily in England and has been linked to deals in the US and Scandinavia.