Thumbs up for Mullingar from Michael O'Leary

Mullingar has got a serious "thumbs up" from one of its best known natives this week, Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary.But, he says, the town has suffered from a lack of political influence.In a wide-ranging interview with the Westmeath Examiner just days before Christmas, Mr. O'Leary touched on his career ambitions, his life in Mullingar - and on where he sees Ryanair going.And he has tipped local TD Willie Penrose as a possible minister in the next Government.A native of Mullingar, Mr. O'Leary says he is very proud of the town."I grew up there. My family is from there. We have a lot of connections with the town. My brother still lives in Mulingar, my parents still live in Mullingar, I and my family live in Mullingar. I think it's a great town; it's a place to be proud of. I think Mullingar has an awful lot going for it."Mr. O'Leary said that he believes the town is developing strongly, and has a good future."Yes, it's going through a lot of pain at the moment because there was a lot of property speculation. But you look at the developments in Mullingar: the bypass has been effectively completed, the County Buildings have been completed; I mean there's been a lot of investment in infrastructure in the town. It has been transformed."I grew up in Mullingar in the 60s and the 70s and there was nothing in the town. It's now a very prosperous, thriving town. It is now less than an hour from Dublin. It has very good motorway connections and I would have little doubt that as the economy recovers, Mullingar will be one of those towns that will do extremely well."He does however believe that the town has suffered from a lack of political influence."Yes, it suffers, because doesn't have much political influence compared to Athlone or Tullamore. But these things are transient."The next government will probably be Fine Gael/Labour, Willie Penrose in those circumstances may well be a government minister, and I think he will be a very good one - although I would be no fan of Labour."But it's the nature of country towns: if you have political influence, you do very well. Trim has benefited from Noel Dempsey; Tullamore has benefited from Cowen, and Athlone has benefited from O'Rourke."'I want to spend more time in Mullingar'Mr. O'Leary has told the Westmeath Examiner he intends retiring in three years' time - but may end up steering Ryanair into the transatlantic market first, which could mean another five or six years at the helm."I would expect to be stepping down out of here in three years' time. In three years' time - I'm 48, so I'll be 50/51. I'll have done this job for just over twenty years. I think that will be the right time to go," he said."You can't keep going at this pace forever either. And there's lots of other things I'd like to do at that stage," he said."I've a young family too, and I'd like to be able to spend more time in Mullingar when my kids are growing up," he said.While he has large agricultural holdings in Westmeath, he doesn't see himself retiring to farm full time."I'd like to get involved in other businesses," he says."Would I see myself driving a tractor five days a week? No. I mean, I like farming. I love horses, cattle. But it's more I like the lifestyle. I grew up on a farm. My father was always involved in some bit of farming. It's a great lifestyle for children to grow up in. I'd like my children to grow up on an active, working farm."However, he said later, he does want to bring Ryanair's transatlantic plans to fruition."It can't happen until we get a fleet of long-haul aircraft cheaply, and because Boeing and Airbus have huge delivery delay problems - Airbus with the A380, their big double-decker airplane, and Boeing have similar problems with the 787, there's a backlog of four-five years for long-haul aircraft."I think it will happen, and I think we'll do €10 airfares across the Atlantic. But it's probably four or five years' away. It might be my retirement project!"PoliticsHe rules out completely any question of involvement in politics."In politics you have to pander to all these vested interests, and tell people what they want to hear. I don't have the patience for that. I tell people what I think - which is usually what they don't want to hear."So it's just never going to happen?"No. If I went to run for politics, the trade unions would go apoplectic.They would do everything to make sure I didn't get elected to something. I make no issue about it. I don't want to be involved in politics."What makes you successful in business ultimately dooms you to failure in politics. Business is about being tough, decisive and leading from the front.Being successful in politics - look at Bertie - is about being weak and vacillating , dithering and throwing money at every problem - and to hell with the country's finances." If he hadn't been an accountant, Michael O'Leary, like a lot of young lads growing up, would have opted to be a footballer."But I just wasn't good enough. Spike Fagan was the only good footballer when I was growing up in Mullingar."If you're not good enough to be a footballer, you'd better study hard to get a qualification. I played GAA, but I played more rugby than GAA, but like when we were kids, we played the street leagues: soccer, GAA, Spike Fagan was there, Paul Raleigh, but I played a lot of rugby in the rugby club in Mullingar. That was fun."Again, it's one of the great things about Mullingar.You look around: the GAA Clubs are terrific for kids; the rugby club is fantastic, the athletics club is brilliant, the swimming pool is great; the facilities for bringing up kids in Mullingar are fantastic, and apart from the drug problem - which is everywhere, it's a great place to bring up kids."