Henry J Lyons

Anthony K Lyons, architect, passed peacefully on from this world on Wednesday 19th April 2023. Tony was a Partner and later a Director and Chairman of Henry J Lyons, joining on his graduation from UCD in 1968. He was the first in the third generation of Lyons architects, playing his part in the expansion of the ‘family business’ through his early years, to the transition to an LLC in 1996 and forging on into the new territory of an architectural practice supporting almost 200 people when he retired in 2007.

Tony graduated from Castleknock College leaving behind a proud and distinguished record as head prefect and as a member of Castleknock’s Leinster School Senior Cup winning squad in 1959, on the cusp of the new decade of great change in Ireland.

The early years of distinguished architectural practice under the leadership of Tony’s grandfather, Henry J Lyons and subsequently Henry's son Samuel V Lyons, had laid the foundations for the business. In 1968, as Tony graduated from UCD, Henry J Lyons was a family practice with one architect, Samuel Lyons, an architectural assistant and a secretary.

Unfortunately, Tony’s father Samuel Lyons, took ill at this time, and Tony inherited the responsibility of running the practice. As he grew the business, Tony employed additional architectural staff and moved offices from South Frederick Street to 104 Lower Baggot Street.

Back in the 1960’s, Ireland was busy throwing off the shackles of protectionism and opening up to international trade and industry. By the 1970’s a new, confident and influential entrepreneurial class was leading a drive to put Ireland on the international map.

In the early 1970’s, Henry J Lyons & Son won a project to design a new 500 bedroom Hotel in Ballsbridge Dublin 4. The project was particularly focused on providing Dublin with Convention facilities that would attract international business to Ireland and it was actively promoted by an Bord Fáilte. The client was the dynamic hotelier PV Doyle, who, throughout the 1960’s had developed a group of hotels in Dublin including the South County, Montrose, Green Isle and Skylon hotels.

The first convention in the new Burlington Hotel was booked for April 1972, hosting IFATCA, the council representing Air Traffic Controllers across 130 countries. As the concrete frame rose out of the ground in Ballsbridge in late 1971, six months before the inaugural conference, Tony realised he was in a race against the clock, he set to, and persuaded Martin Henihan, a classmate from UCD, that together they could successfully address the challenge.

The Burlington Hotel was completed just in time for the conference, and the ceiling tiles were famously installed with the assistance of the entire Henry J Lyons staff complement who were up ladders for long hours in the days up to the arrival of the first guests.

The successful completion of the project heralded the beginning of a partnership between Tony and Martin that was to last almost 40 years. It wasn’t too long before Tony and Martin were joined by Maolíosa Ó Floinn, and, for too short a time, Nigel Keane, who died tragically in a car accident in the late 1980’s.

Tony loved people. He had no social inhibitions, and his natural empathy endeared him to colleagues, clients and a legion of friends. These categories were completely interchangeable, that new colleagues and clients would become friends was a natural progression.

He engendered a strong family atmosphere in his third-generation business, which he had a deep respect for and fierce loyalty towards his colleagues.

Conscious of his grandfather’s presbyterian roots in Co Down and reaching out to connect this history with ‘the troubles’, Tony once advertised for staff in Northern Ireland. He took great pride in identifying a suitable candidate who had never set foot outside the six counties. He wrote a cheque at the interview to cover the young candidate’s costs and welcomed him on board. Wilson, still on board, has since raised his own family in ‘the south’.

Tony was the quintessential ‘bon vivant’. Through the 80’s and 90’s as the practice expanded the parties at Henry J Lyons became the stuff of legend. Summer outings included skinny dipping at Dalkey Island, suckling pig barbeques in the Wicklow mountains, treasure hunts on the Dart, and the annual trip to Charlie Cheung’s Kingsland on Dame Street during Christmas week.

A call came from Tony the day before the Christmas party, reminding everyone of their duty to attend, which built up the sense of expectation and fun. The outings began early and were well underway by lunchtime, always anchored by an irreverent disregard for any sort of formality, and fuelled by a belief that on party nights, sleep became optional and those who took the option were frowned upon.

New recruits attended these initiation ceremonies with eyes wide at the colour of the conversation and the contempt for the conventional. Tony would always have a new joke for these occasions, picked up during the previous year in Portmarnock Golf Club or Joys nightclub, saved and honed for the occasion. They always involved an energetic physical routine and props.

Tony garnered enormous pride from the growth and success of Henry J Lyons, and was first to acknowledge the value of collaboration and the strength to be found in combining complementary talents. His years in the practice oversaw a staff complement averaging 15 in 1975 to 180 when he retired, after which he watched the Lyons ‘family business’ grow to more than 300 people today.

Tony was always a staunch and steadfast friend and supporter of his fellow directors and colleagues at Henry J Lyons, and his common decency set a standard to aspire to. His professional guidance and gregarious irreverent presence are fondly remembered and sadly missed.

After he retired, Tony continued to visit Pearse Street regularly and enquire with great enthusiasm about new projects and people new and old, until ill-health and the pandemic joined forces to steal his independence.

These won’t be the last words remembering Tony. For those who knew him well his adventures in this life will continue to pop up wherever anecdotes of decency, or colour, are called upon.

We would also love to record some more of these stories and if you have a memory to share of your time in Tony’s company please click here: [Submit Stories about Tony Link]

Tony leaves behind his loving and beloved wife Sandra, his children Ciara, Jennifer, Sam and Amy, and their spouses and his beloved grandchildren, and also his siblings Jaqueline, Joan, Avril, and brother Sam and their families. We remember them all and share their grief at this very sad time.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.