Kerry Man Receives Ireland-US Council Excellence In International Business Award

THE Ireland-U.S. Council this evening presented its 2026 Excellence in International Business Award to Maurice Regan, recognising his remarkable success in Ireland and the US, and acknowledging his philanthropy.

The award was presented on behalf of the Council by The United States Ambassador to Ireland, Edward S. Walsh, at the annual Ireland-U.S. Council Midsummer Gala dinner in the historic Round Room of the Mansion House in Dublin.

Mr Regan was recently in Kerry where he visited the Kerry GAA Centre of Excellence in Currans, viewing the extensive developments that have taken place at the state-of-the-art facility over many years.

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At the event in Dublin, Ambassador Walsh spoke of Maurice Regan’s early days in County Kerry, remarking that after the Leaving Cert he had initially planned to be an electrician: “Luckily for us all, he instead chose to study construction — a decision that would ultimately reshape the skylines of some of America’s greatest cities.”

Under Regan’s leadership, his firm, JT Magen, has since 1992 delivered some of the most iconic and complex projects in the United States, including major corporate headquarters, the construction of the first-ever Apple Store in New York City – with the unique template being built in advance and in secret — and the rollout of Microsoft stores nationwide.

Today, 35 years on, the firm oversees construction across the United States and is building a 1,000-foot skyscraper in Manhattan.

Regan has a significant presence in the hospitality industry in both Ireland and the US, as well as in horse-breeding, through his Newtown Anner stud farms in Kentucky, New York, and Clonmel.

He is also known for his exceptional support for Kerry GAA, and for his generous donations to a number of organisations in the United States and Ireland which raise crucial funds for sport, education, mental health, addiction and neurological research.

“Maurice Regan has built a business empire, but more importantly, he has built a reputation defined by integrity, loyalty, and quiet generosity. He is a true Kerryman, a proud Irishman, and a most deserving recipient of this honour,” Ambassador Walsh said.

Regan said he was honoured to accept the award:  “I would like to thank the Ireland-U.S. Council for this recognition, which is in effect a tribute to my colleagues in our businesses who work so hard in the US and Ireland to deliver every day.  The ties that bind the US and Ireland are a tremendous asset to both nations and I welcome the Council’s ongoing work since JFK’s visit in 1963 to strengthen those connections.”
Also honoured at the event were James Coffey of J Coffey Construction, and Niall O’Leary of Regeneron.

The Ireland-U.S. Council and Irish Arts Review Portraiture Award for 2026 was presented to artist Oliver Murphy for his painting, Lana. It forms part of the Royal Hibernian Academy’s Annual Exhibition.

The evening came to a close with a performance of Lord of the Dance introduced by Michael Flatley.

The Ireland-U.S. Council for Commerce & Industry, Inc. was founded in 1963 to build business links between America and Ireland, and to develop dialogue and improved understanding between leaders in business and government on both sides of the Atlantic.

A non-profit organization, with no partisan, political or religious aims or affiliations, its membership ranks are comprised predominantly of senior executives in business corporations in America and Ireland.

Honorary membership is accorded, by tradition, to both the Ambassador of the United States to Ireland and the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States.