West Cork school begins work on new 400-seat theatre in honour of past pupil
An artistic rendering of the proposed Shane Fitzsimons Riverside Theatre which is being developed in Kinsale Community College in Cork.
A school has begun converting its old gym into a new 400-seat theatre for West Cork in memory of a past pupil, benefactor and business leader, following a generous donation from the firm for whom he was working when he died.
The principal of Kinsale Community College in Cork, Fergal McCarthy, said he hopes the new 400-seat venue will be a fitting legacy to the late Shane Fitzsimons, global insurance firm AIG’s former chief financial officer, who grew up and went to school in the town but who died from cancer in the US last year.
It is hoped the project will also benefit from public funding either through Cork County Council or the Government.
Mr McCarthy invited local politicians and representatives of various local businesses to visit the school where the work is already underway to discuss its potential benefits to the town and wider region.
“We initially planned this theatre in January 2020, but the covid pandemic delayed our efforts. Thanks to AIG and the Fitzsimons family this dream is now a reality,” Mr McCarthy said.
As well as hosting live school and community shows, the new venue will also allow the school to offer the new Leaving Certificate programme in Film and Drama to its students.
Born in Belfast in 1967, Mr Fitzsimons' family moved to Kinsale where he grew up and attended secondary school in the 1980s, before studying at Rockwell College in Tipperary.
He began his career in the early 1990s as a trainee accountant with his father Garry, in his accountancy practice in Kinsale, Fitzsimons Flynn & Co, before he landed a role with General Electric (GE) where he held leadership positions in several GE businesses across the world over the next two decades.
He joined AIG in 2019 and was appointed CFO in 2021.
Despite his high-flying finance role, he never forgot his roots, and visited Kinsale regularly, including in 2017 when he donated €50,000 to the community school to fund the development of a floodlit running track around its all-weather pitch. The track has been used in recent months by Olympians training for the Paris games.
Tragically, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. He died last October in the US where he lived with his wife, Deirdre, and their children, Keelin, Eoin, Conor, and Ciaran. He was just 55.
AIG chairman and chief executive officer, Peter Zaffino, described him as a highly respected member of the global business community who had left a legacy of extraordinary leadership, resolute commitment, and a passion for striving towards excellence in everything that he did.
“Shane operated with the highest integrity, brought remarkable energy, a tireless work ethic and a never-give-up attitude that was contagious and inspired teams around the world,” he said.
A few months later, the company contacted Deirdre to discuss with her a project that might honour her husband’s legacy, and she suggested developing a theatre in Kinsale — something Shane’s late father had championed.
Contact was made with Mr McCarthy, and arrangements were made for AIG to make a substantial six-figure donation to fund the construction of The Shane Fitzsimons Riverside Theatre.
Recently, Deirdre, her children, and Mr Fitzsimons' siblings, Paula, David and Barry, and his mother, Anne, met with Mr McCarthy to discuss its design, and they expressed their delight that his memory will live on in Kinsale through the development.
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