Gillian Bowler, the founder of Budget Travel who died last December, left almost €4 million in her will.
Her estate was valued at €3.92 million, probate documents show.
Ms Bowler, who became one of Ireland’s best-known business figures, was a pioneer in the Irish travel trade. After coming to Dublin from London in the early 1970s, she founded Budget Travel from a basement in Baggot Street in 1975.
She grew the business, which initially sold holidays to Greece, by competing aggressively on price and service and capturing consumers’ attention through sharp marketing.
Expansion
Budget Travel expanded over the next decade to a network of 30 shops, making Ms Bowler and her husband and co-director, Harry Snyder, influential figures in the travel industry.
British group Granada bought 90 per cent of the company for 4.5 million Irish pounds (€5.7 million) in 1987. Ms Bowler and Mr Snyder kept 10 per cent. Nine years later, Thomson paid between £9 and £10 million for the company, buying out the couple in the process.
Ms Bowler later served as an independent director on several boards, while she also chaired Irish Life and Permanent between 2004 and 2011. She died aged 64 after a long illness.
