Man behind Cork to Swansea ferry deal named person of year

THE man who looks set to rejuvenate the tourist industry in the south-west region got a standing ovation yesterday when he received the Cork Person of the Year Award from President Mary McAleese.

Conor Buckley, chairman of West Cork Tourism, was the driving force behind the purchase of a ferry which will restart the Cork-Swansea route on March 1.

He joked that he had spent a lot of time in the last year away from his wife, Celine, trying to tie the deal down. He used to tell her when he returned home at night that he’d spent the day with a German called Julia – a big lady who weighed in at nearly 3,000 tonnes.