Our esteemed former colleague and close friend, Gerald Kinsella, passed away on Saturday 6 September 2025.
To us all, Gerald was Gerry - a man who epitomised generosity of spirit. For more than 40 years, Gerry was not just a partner in FRKelly, he represented the soul of the firm.
Gerry was a Barrister and European Patent Attorney. His contribution to the Intellectual Property profession both in Ireland and internationally was immense. Gerry was President of APTMA (the Association of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys) from 1994-1997. For his service to the Association, Gerry was awarded the Honorary Members’ Plate, which is the highest accolade of the Irish profession, and was elected a Life Member. He served as a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the European Patent Institute, a role in which his unwavering ethical compass was a significant asset to the profession across Europe. Gerry was a former President of the Irish Group of AIPPI (the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property).
All of Gerry's considerable achievements reflected the camaraderie that he brought to everybody's table. You could not leave Gerry's company without a smile on your face - his sense of humour was contagious. Gerry was a superb raconteur and many an expression or turn of phrase has his hallmark. One of our favourites was his oft-repeated description of a partnership as a lifeboat, where all the partners needed to take care of one another to make it safely ashore – an idiom prescribed by a true coxswain.
Gerry is remembered with close affection and gratitude. His legacy remains with us.
