Frank Costello retires from Emerald Star after 55 years

A Carrick-on-Shannon man who spent more than five decades working on the Shannon has retired from Emerald Star. Frank Costello marked his retirement in early December 2025 after 55 years with the company, where he became known for his dedication, reliability and exceptional repair work on the hire fleet.

Manager John Beirne paid tribute to Mr Costello’s work ethic and skill, saying he was the kind of employee you could always depend on when problems arose. “He was just a great employee, and you could, you know, he might have worked with a boat aground, and you could call him night or day, and he was always there,” Mr Beirne said.

He said Frank’s experience meant customers and colleagues had complete confidence that boats were safe once he had worked on them. “He had so many years of experience to fix a hole in a boat or something like that… and it would be safe after Frank,” he said.

Mr Beirne described him as highly gifted with fibreglass repairs, explaining: “Frank would cut the piece out, and he'd glass it up and roll it in, and he would leave it like brand new again.”

He added: “He really loved what he did.”

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer, Mr Costello said he had “a lot of memories” from his years working on the water, but admitted it can take time for them to come flooding back. 

Mr Costello said he began in the industry in 1970, at a time when Carrick’s boating scene was only beginning to take off. “When I started off, we had only about 16 boats at the time. That was in 1970,” he said. He said the fleet grew dramatically over the years, adding: “We had 200 boats at one stage in Carrick, I think.”

Mr Costello said his work involved everything from day-to-day maintenance to repairs, and helping new customers get to grips with the Shannon. “Anyone that ever hired a boat wouldn't have any experience at all, you know, and it was part of our job to give them an hour’s tuition, of course, before they went out on the river,” he said.

Mr Beirne also wished him well for the years ahead, adding: “He’s in great health now, and he’ll have many happy years of retirement too.”

Mr Costello said he hopes to stay active and keep busy with smaller jobs in retirement. “I’ll probably do a bit of repairs and stuff like that,” he said. And while he does not currently own a boat, he said he intends getting back out on the water again. “I’m going to start repairing one now to get myself on the water, anywhere I can,” he said.

Mr Costello said fishing is high on his list of plans, adding: “I love fishing and things like that.”

He also recalled the early days of boating on the Shannon and the many visitors who passed through Carrick over the years. “I have such a memory to the Shannon, you know, like, when I started, and people… dignitaries who have come on the Shannon… back in the 70s and 80s,” he said.

He added that one memorable visitor included a member of the Kennedy family. “I remember one of the Kennedys coming on the Shannon in that time,” he said.

A presentation was made to Mr Costello by Emerald Star manager John Beirne, with assistant manager Liz McAvoy also present. Frank was joined on the day by his wife Bridgie, as work colleagues gathered to wish him well. In a second presentation, Mr Costello was also shown a personalised book containing press cuttings highlighting every year of his working life with Emerald Star.

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