Willie Coonan was born and raised in Larine, Maynooth, Co Kildare, and completed his schooling in Castleknock College. He went on to become a Fellow of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).
The Coonan practice in Maynooth was founded by Edward A. Coonan in 1892 and was taken over by his son, Billy (Willie’s father), in 1935. Upon Billy’s early passing in 1948, his wife Eileen Coonan took over the business as the first female auctioneer and ran it successfully, with the help of Dick Brophy, for many years. It was after his Leaving Certificate in 1961 that Willie joined the business at the young age of 18. After taking charge in 1978, Willie’s hard work and dedication soon led to the firm becoming a leading agency in Ireland. Willie’s son Will has headed the company in recent years with business partner Philip Byrne, but Willie remained very involved on a day-to-day basis as a consultant.
Willie was regarded as an expert in the area of stud farm valuations and handling the sale of all types of equestrian properties. Throughout his illustrious career, he was involved in the sale of over 60 stud farms and prestigious properties.
Business was central to Willie’s life and it was no surprise he was the first agent to achieve in excess of a million pounds for a farm in the late 1970s. The farm achieved over a million pounds at an historic auction and the farm was located in Kilkea, Co Kildare. Willie famously said after the auction that one of the reasons for its strong price was; “It’s only money, but we are giving you land and they stopped making the stuff a long time ago”.
Willie is survived by his wife Mary and their children Will, Sally and Lisa, sons and daughters-in-law, seven grandchildren and his brother and sister. While private family funeral arrangements have been made in conjunction with COVID-19 lockdown rulings, a more public celebration of his life will be announced when the crisis has ended.
Willie J Coonan was born in July 1943. He died in April 2020, aged 76.
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Hammer falls at €2.7m for Castlesize
183 acres in Lucan sells for nearly €50,000/ac
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Willie Coonan was born and raised in Larine, Maynooth, Co Kildare, and completed his schooling in Castleknock College. He went on to become a Fellow of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI).
The Coonan practice in Maynooth was founded by Edward A. Coonan in 1892 and was taken over by his son, Billy (Willie’s father), in 1935. Upon Billy’s early passing in 1948, his wife Eileen Coonan took over the business as the first female auctioneer and ran it successfully, with the help of Dick Brophy, for many years. It was after his Leaving Certificate in 1961 that Willie joined the business at the young age of 18. After taking charge in 1978, Willie’s hard work and dedication soon led to the firm becoming a leading agency in Ireland. Willie’s son Will has headed the company in recent years with business partner Philip Byrne, but Willie remained very involved on a day-to-day basis as a consultant.
Willie was regarded as an expert in the area of stud farm valuations and handling the sale of all types of equestrian properties. Throughout his illustrious career, he was involved in the sale of over 60 stud farms and prestigious properties.
Business was central to Willie’s life and it was no surprise he was the first agent to achieve in excess of a million pounds for a farm in the late 1970s. The farm achieved over a million pounds at an historic auction and the farm was located in Kilkea, Co Kildare. Willie famously said after the auction that one of the reasons for its strong price was; “It’s only money, but we are giving you land and they stopped making the stuff a long time ago”.
Willie is survived by his wife Mary and their children Will, Sally and Lisa, sons and daughters-in-law, seven grandchildren and his brother and sister. While private family funeral arrangements have been made in conjunction with COVID-19 lockdown rulings, a more public celebration of his life will be announced when the crisis has ended.
Willie J Coonan was born in July 1943. He died in April 2020, aged 76.
Read more
Hammer falls at €2.7m for Castlesize
183 acres in Lucan sells for nearly €50,000/ac
Stud farms make €5.8m
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