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Ben Dunne pictured at Westpoint gym in 1998. Rollingnews.ie

Businessman Ben Dunne has died at the age of 74

He was one of Ireland’s best known businesspeople.

Businessman Ben Dunne has died at the age of 74. He was one of Ireland’s best known businesspeople.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, and by his four children.

He is understood to have died in Dubai.

He was a former director of the family business, Dunnes Stores, one of Ireland’s largest retail groups.

Later he was a leading figure in the Irish fitness industry, including founding an eponymous chain of gyms. 

Born in Cork on 11 March 1949, he was the youngest of six children. His father, Ben Dunne Snr, founded Dunnes Stores in 1944.

In 1981, Ben Jnr was kidnapped and held for ransom by the IRA. He was released after a week.

In 1992, he was arrested in Florida for possession of cocaine, which ultimately resulted in him losing his position at the head of Dunnes Stores and set in train events that would rock Irish politics.

An internal investigation at the company revealed payments he had made to politicians, including former taoiseach Charlie Haughey. The revelations ultimately led to the McCracken and Moriarty tribunals. 

With reporting by Jane Matthews.

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    Mute Aidy McBride
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    Oct 29th 2022, 10:29 AM

    I’ll carve a turnip, as I always do

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Oct 29th 2022, 10:35 AM

    @Aidy McBride: I thought exactly the sae thing. That the correct vegetable to carve, it became pumpkin as turnips were not as plentiful in the states when the Irish wanted to follow their Halloween traditions far from home.

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    Mute Neil Reilly
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    Oct 29th 2022, 1:26 PM

    @Gary Kearney: I always read that they used pumpkins because they were easier to carve

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    Mute Mary Fitzsimons
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    Oct 29th 2022, 6:28 PM

    @Neil Reilly: who is this ‘they’ you speak of? Pumpkins are American. We always carved turnips.

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    Mute Jamie Murphy
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    Oct 29th 2022, 10:55 AM

    Food waste

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
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    Oct 29th 2022, 11:21 AM

    @Jamie Murphy: party pooper

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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Oct 29th 2022, 11:51 AM

    @Stephen Walshe: You would poop after pumpkin.

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Oct 29th 2022, 1:57 PM

    @Jamie Murphy: Not if you eat it!

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    Mute Mirabelle Stonegate
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    Oct 29th 2022, 3:50 PM

    @Jamie Murphy: Depends.

    We grow our pumpkins. No one in the house enjoys eating them, but they are nice to have when carved.

    Afterwards, they are thrown on the compost heap, which goes to helping the rest of the garden, including food grown that we do eat.

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    Mute Dick Barrett
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    Oct 29th 2022, 11:07 AM

    No, I will be too busy assembling my IKEA sacrificial altar in the back garden, and sharpening the knife. Then its just a matter of finding a virgin.

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    Mute Tom Anderson
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    Oct 29th 2022, 11:36 PM

    @Dick Barrett: It’s your lucky day, I have just had mine restored.

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    Mute Paul
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    Oct 29th 2022, 11:10 AM

    No. Have a turnip sized ceramic one with a tea light inside it so less waste and more available for vegans

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    Mute Tyrone Williams
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    Oct 29th 2022, 12:18 PM

    @Paul: Vegan friendly candles?

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    Mute Paul
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    Oct 29th 2022, 2:00 PM

    @Tyrone Williams: LED candles might be difficult to swallow

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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Oct 29th 2022, 3:01 PM

    @Paul: Hope that’s not one of the Aldi ones they’re recalling for health and safety reasons.

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Oct 29th 2022, 12:44 PM

    Pumpkin carving is pure Yankee doodle bull plop.

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    Mute Malachi Shanks
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    Oct 29th 2022, 9:44 PM

    Halloween, the worst couple of days of the year, signed,
    The Dog

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Oct 29th 2022, 1:56 PM

    If you carve a pumpkin, PLEASE don’t waste the flesh. It is fabulous roasted and makes delicious soups.

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    Mute Mirabelle Stonegate
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    Oct 29th 2022, 3:51 PM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: We carve them every year, but can’t stand the taste of pumpkin.

    We don’t waste money, though. We grow our own, and it all gets composted, so it gets used on other parts of the garden instead.

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    Mute Aidy McBride
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    Oct 29th 2022, 2:57 PM

    My friend tried to carve the pumpkin exactly like the one in the Halloween movie intro, he took the top of one of his fingers instead.

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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Oct 29th 2022, 5:50 PM

    I tried a few times, but it was such a disaster, I gave up lol

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