The quantity surveying profession and the construction industry lost a great colleague with Brendan Merry’s untimely death in November 2008.

Brendan, was brought up in Glasnevin. His secondary education was at Belvedere College and he retained contact with the College and his school friends throughout his life.

Brendan studied quantity surveying through the College of Estate Management passing the professional examinations of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to become a Chartered Quantity Surveyor in 1962.

It was in Aidan Whelan & Associates where Brendan started his career in the early 1960’s. Eight years later he founded Brendan F. Merry & Associates, which went from strength to strength and provided quantity surveying services on landmark construction projects in both the public and private sector.

Under his direction, the practice developed and became Brendan Merry & Partners, bringing a continued commitment to providing excellent service to clients, which was and still is, the ethos of the practice.

Brendan’s dedication to detail, his calm manner, great humour and infectious laugh is well known and stood to him in many tricky situations. He was held in the highest regard by the many clients, architects, engineers, surveyors and contractors he worked with. He was also a great listener and gave sound advice to those who sought it.

He gave generously of this time to the Society of Chartered Surveyors. He was Chairman of the QS Division in 1976 and 1977 and Chairman/President of the Society in 1981. During his tenure he participated in the negotiations with the RICS resulting in the Society of Chartered Surveyors coming into existence as an independent body.

Brendan also represented the Society in the construction industry and was a past Chairman of the Construction Industry Liaison Committee.

Brendan had a great interest in all sports and the depth of his knowledge was awesome. His great passion was rugby and he had a life long association with Old Belvedere, of which he was a past President and Trustee. He was a familiar figure at home and away fixtures and at functions.

He is greatly missed by his family and all at Brendan Merry & Partners.