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Gordon Colleary

Image: Student Movement Archive, DCU

The death of student travel pioneer and business man Gordon Colleary has been announced.

The Union of Students of Ireland (USI) said today that it was with “profound sadness and loss” that it learned of Colleary’s death yesterday.

Colleary was co-founder of Magill magazine and a former chairman of the Sunday Tribune, as well as being involved with USIT.

The USI described Colleary as: “An inspirational figure in the student movement,whose development of student travel opportunities and USIT (originally Union of Students in Ireland Travel Bureau) created a social revolution which broadened the horizons of the Irish nation and ignited the J1 Visa phenomenon in Ireland and beyond.”

Under his leadership, said the USI, USIT “became a pioneering travel organisation”, adding that anyone who has ever availed of a student travel deal has him to thank.

Colleary studied at UCD and was President of USI from 1964 to 1966. He is survived by his wife Máirín, and children, Barry, Conor and Emma.

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