*Mary Considine.
MARY CONSIDINE is stepping down as CEO of the Shannon Airport Group to become CEO of Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail).
On Tuesday, the Shannon Airport Group confirmed that Mary was stepping down “after six transformative and successful years” where she led the growth of Shannon Airport.
West Clare does indeed have a storied history when it comes to rail but with Lissycasey native Mary succeeding Cooraclare born Jim Meade it is certainly a unique occurrence for one West Clare person to be replacing another in a state owned enterprise.
Meade will step down from his role at the end of this year, Iarnród Éireann have confirmed.
Deputy CEO, Ray O’Driscoll will become Interim CEO of the Shannon Airport Group with a recruitment process to appoint Considine’s successor to now begin.
During a three-decade career in aviation, Mary has climbed the ranks going from senior roles including Shannon Airport Director, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy CEO – before becoming CEO of The Shannon Airport Group in 2019. She was instrumental in the creation of the Shannon Group in 2014.
Her leadership was marked by strategic investment, resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a strong focus on regional development, with The Shannon Airport Group’s activities, including its significant property portfolio, supporting over 20,000 jobs and contributing €4 billion to the Irish economy.
Mary’s tenure saw Shannon Airport in 2024 record a fifteen-year high in passenger numbers at 2.1m. So far this year, passenger numbers have exceeded 1.04m which is a seven percent increase on the same time last year. The transformation and improvement during her time will be remembered.
Speaking on behalf of The Shannon Airport Group, Chair, Conal Henry, thanked Mary for her exemplary service and wished her well. “In her time at Shannon, Mary has been central to all that has been positive. In her six years as CEO, she has established The Shannon Airport Group as the national force for regional balance that it is today. She has shown that she is a leader with vision, courage and integrity and she will be sorely missed”.
Reflecting on her time as CEO, Mary Considine said: “Leading The Shannon Airport Group has been an extraordinary journey. Together, we’ve navigated challenges, embraced innovation, expanded global connectivity, enhanced passenger experience, and strengthened our role as a gateway for trade and tourism.
“I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made and deeply grateful to our talented employees whose dedication, creativity, and resilience have been the driving force behind our success. I also want to thank our Chair, Board, partners, stakeholders, and communities for their unwavering support. I leave with immense gratitude and full confidence in the exceptional team that will carry this legacy forward,” she added.
Of her new role, Mary stated, “It is an honour for me to be taking up the role of Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann. Our railway, at the heart of Ireland’s sustainable transport network, as well as Rosslare Europort, are critical national assets, and I look forward to meeting and working with the team at Iarnród Éireann to deliver on the company’s huge ambition during such a transformative era. I am excited for what the future holds, across the company’s passenger and rail freight services, its unprecedented investment programme, and its role as Port Authority for Rosslare Europort”.
A board member of Ibec and national council and President of IBE Mid-West Regional Committee, Mary is also a member of Ibec’s Experience Economy Committee and a member of the Board of Trustees and the governing authority of Mary Immaculate College. She is also on the board of Limerick Chamber, a past president of Shannon Chamber and a member of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce. She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland; she holds a Certificate of Professional Competence from the Chartered Institute of Transport in Ireland and a Certificate Airport Economics & Finance, from the University of Westminster, London; and completed The Director As Strategic Leader, Cranfield School of Management; and AVIRA (Global Executive Leadership Programme) INSEAD.
In June, she was named as the Clare Person of the Year for 2025, an award she will accept at the Clare Association Dublin’s awards night and dinner dance next month at The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon.
Steve Murphy, Chairperson of Iarnród Éireann, said Mary’s appointment comes “at a crucial time in Ireland’s and Iarnród Éireann’s sustainability journey. The calibre and experience of Mary as a strategic leader and a key advocate for a sustainable future, at a local, national and international level, will be invaluable to Iarnród Éireann. Mary will lead our 5,300-strong team at Iarnród Éireann to realise our ambition of delivering an €8bn nationwide programme of capital investment projects which will almost double the current passenger numbers by 2030, delivering safe, customer-focused rail services daily, as well as developing our port development and Offshore Renewable Hub plans at Rosslare Europort”.
Paying tribute to Jim Meade, Murphy praised “his vision and leadership of the Iarnród Éireann team during a time of unprecedented opportunity and transformational change. His leadership has been exemplary over his more than four-decade career in Iarnród Éireann and in particular the last seven years as CEO. Working with regulatory and government stakeholders, he has developed and implemented the long-term strategy and secured record investment which will leave a true legacy of sustainable, customer-focused expansion of the role of rail in Ireland’s economy, society and environment. He has also been at the helm through some challenging times such as the Covid pandemic, and enabled Iarnród Éireann to emerge from these as a stronger, better organisation. I have witnessed first-hand just how welcome and respected Jim is when he visits the IÉ teams around the country, befitting someone who joined the railway as an apprentice, and charted a career to ultimately lead the organisation. He has been a strategic, people centred leader and his legacy will be long felt. I wish Jim well for the future”.
