Shock at death of prominent local businessman

The communities of Athlone and Moate are reeling from shock at the tragic passing of prominent local businessman Andrew Mannion. Mr Mannion passed away on Sunday and is remembered as an extremely kind man who was well organised in both his work and leisure pursuits. Mr Mannion, who lived at Garnafailagh House, Garnafailagh, established his company Andrew Mannion Structural Engineering (AMSE) 21 years ago and since then, it has established a first class reputation in his field. His company was located on the Clara Road in Moate and also had offices in the UK. The premises in Moate was expanded in 2006 and the expansion was officially opened by the then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Mr Mannion will have not only left his mark on the local community, having been a member of Lough Ree Yacht Club and also behind charity initiatives in Moate, but more than that he will have left his mark on the country, having been involved in a number of high profile engineering projects over the years. These include the new Croke Park stadium, Galway Greyhound Stadium, GMIT, the Dublin Port Tunnel, the M1 toll plaza, Cork Airport, Malahide Community School, the DCU School of Nursing and the Mater Hospital. Closer to home Mr Mannion's company was involved in projects at AIT, the Wineport Lodge, Glasson Golf Club, the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone Towncentre and Lough Ree Yacht Club. He was laid to rest in Kiltoom Cemetery yesterday (Tuesday) after a funeral service in Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Coosan. Mr Mannion is survived by his loving wife Mai, sons Andrew and Peter, daughters Sarah and Christine, daughter-in-law Naoise, cousins, in-laws, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.