THE LOGISTICS involved in running a car ferry are quite simple. As passsengers are motorised, this gives the ferry operator total flexibility when choosing arrival and departure points. There is no necessity to link up major cities directly or even to consider a railway connection. by James Prufrock

IT IS EASY to understand why Fitzwilton should have attracted more attention than any of its imitators in Ireland. In the shell company pheenomenon in this country, Fitzwilton was by far the biggest. Its empire became so far-flung that the company is known well beyond these shores and, of course, it had the benefit of the golden aura of Tony O'Reilly to crown it all. But not that far behind Fitzwilton is another company, whose origin, structure and history is so similar as to make it almost an identiical twin. By James Prufrock