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Sir Peter O’Sullevan & CEO John Brennan | Waterford Technologies

John Brennan CEO of Waterford Technologies met this week with the BBC’s Legendary Sir Peter O Sullevan to discuss Waterford Technologies and

John Brennan CEO of Waterford Technologies met this week with the BBC’s Legendary Sir Peter O Sullevan to discuss Waterford Technologies and prestigious horse racing event The Yorkshire Ebor Festival.

Sullevan, originally from Kenmare, Co Kerry shared his knowledge as to how he became a leader in his field in the UK, an achievement John Brennan plans to replicate for Waterford Technologies as they grow their business in the UK from their Liverpool Office.

History

O’Sullevan was involved in some of the earliest television commentaries on any sport in the late 1940s and made many radio commentaries in his earlier years (including the Grand National before it was televised for the first time in 1960). On television, he was the voice who guided viewers through many of the biggest events of the racing year, from the Cheltenham Festival until 1994, The Derby until 1979, to the Grand NationalRoyal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood until he retired in 1997. During his career, he called around 30 renewals of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris and racing from the United States and Ireland as well as trotting from Rome during the 1960s.

During his 50 years of commentating the world’s most famous steeplechase, the Grand National, O’Sullevan called home numerous historic victories. These included Bob Champion‘s run on Aldaniti in 1981 after recovering from cancer, 100/1 outsider Foinavon‘s win in 1967, and the three-times winner Red Rum in 19731974 and 1977. Perhaps one of the most infamous Grand Nationals he was involved in was in 1993, which was declared void after 30 of the 39 runners failed to realise there had been a false start, and seven even went on to complete the course. As the runners approached the second-last fence in the race that never was, O’Sullevan declared it “the greatest disaster in the history of the Grand National.”