Mentor Jerry remembered at school he once supported
Ruairi McGinly (Chair), John Scanlon, David Delaney (Green Tiger Co) and Fr Michael Murtagh

Mentor Jerry remembered at school he once supported

MENTOR and businessman Jerry Kiersey was honoured with a plaque in his memory, at a school he supported during his tenure as a leading figure in the transport haulage industry.

Blessington resident Mr Kiersey, who was hugely influential in the growth of the Irish haulage sector, died on May 4, May 2022, at the age of 76 while doing what he loved – sea swimming in Portmarnock.

A former navy man and hard working innovator, Jerry was a road transport operator, industry advocate and representative, a commentator, political activist and a volunteer for many charities and good causes.

One of these good causes was the homework club in St Ultan’s school in Cherry Orchard.

Mr Kiersey was a prominent employer in the Naas Road area, forming Blueflite Nationwide Distribution and in later years the Green Tiger Company in Newcastle.

In a few short years Blueflite went from being a transport company doing set routes around Ireland to specialising in overnight distribution.

Blueflite mainly focused on car parts delivery, and by 1990 was operating over 40 trucks, had a network of regional agents and delivered over 60 per cent of automotive spare parts nationwide.

While Blueflite was growing Jerry was also involved in other projects, including the St Ultans childcare project in the mid-1990s.

This began as a homework club for disadvantaged children, but it was so much more than a homework club, they provided meals and playtime for the children

The late Jerry Kiersey

An obituary published in Fleet Transport last August revealed Jerry often said that the hours spent with the children in Cherry Orchard was his “favourite way to deal with stress”.

“He always encouraged learning and personal development for the kids,” said the piece.

In 2008, and with government help, a nursery was built at St Ultan’s and Jerry and his colleagues Gerry Reilly and Jerry O’Connor, lobbied the state to get the school off the ground.

Despite of all his work and commitment, Jerry’s family trumped everything and were the most important part of his life – his wife Helen and children Ben, Nick and Rachel.

Originally from Enniskillen, Jerry lived in Blessington.

He eventually sold Blueflite to Danish forwarder, DFDS, where he assumed the role of CEO, and established Green Tiger Express, a leading automotive logistics service provider active in both Ireland and Britain.

According to Fleet Transport, Jerry’s charity work was also evident during the Romanian crisis in the early 1990s, as the Blueflite warehouse became the holding centre for all the aid that was gathered and sent out.

Thirty years later, Jerry made a significant contribution to the ongoing aid effort for Ukraine in the weeks leading up to his death.

Jerry was also involved in the Dublin Branch of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) and went on to serve a tenure as President.

With others he formed the Irish Transporters Consociate, a loose alignment of trade associations which had common goals. He was also involved in the establishment of the Transport Users Group (TUG) to improve operating conditions for those entering and exiting Dublin Port.

For a period Jerry became a political activist, as a member of the Progressive Democrats (PD).

Fleet Transport likened Jerry to a personal trainer “who challenged your thoughts, sometimes to the point of irritation, but always forcing to keep the thought process agile.”

TAGS
Share This