The Big Interview

Barry O’Connell, Dublin Port boss: ‘We need people to understand how important the port is’

The Cork native is keen to bring the government and the public with him in the ongoing sustainable development of a port that processes €40bn worth of business annually

Barry O’Connell, chief executive at Dublin Port Company. ‘Revenues through the port are important because we reinvest everything back into the port.’ Picture: Fergal Phillips

Barry O’Connell, standing on the rooftop of Dublin Port Company HQ at North Dock, unfolds an A3-sized map and points east.

Freight containers sit stacked near Alexandra Quay as lift-on, lift-off ships deliver the morning’s cargo after sailing up the River Liffey fairway towards the port.

“Quiet today,” O’Connell remarks, pointing out the railway tracks leading up to the terminal where bulk ore from Tara Mines in Co Meath is transported via rail before gesturing ...