Irish racing has long lacked a visible and charismatic leader - and Jonathan Irwin could have been that person

Once described by Robert Sangster as "the most intelligent man in racing", Jonathan Irwin died last week at the age of 82, prompting heartfelt tributes that reflected two distinct chapters of his life. It was Irish racing's immense loss that he devoted the second chapter to what we must admit was the worthiest of causes.

Irwin is mourned by those who knew and admired him as a dynamic personality on the Irish and international bloodstock scene, and by those whose paths he crossed during the last 25 years of his life, dedicated chiefly to the magnificent work of the Jack & Jill Children's Foundation which he set up in 1998 with his wife Mary Ann O'Brien following the death of their young son Jack. His was truly a life of two halves, both lived well. 

Irwin maintained a keen interest in racing and bloodstock affairs. However, he was involved only peripherally for the last 30-odd years, a period during which he directed his energy, vision and compassion into campaigning for the most vulnerable members of the infant population. Thus, Irish racing ceased to benefit from his wisdom, his capacity to generate a raft of ideas, and his priceless ability to inspire those in his orbit.