Everything to know about Michael Smurfit's daughter Sharon

Sharon Smurfit has said that while her father Michael taught his children invaluable lessons about business, he 'brought them up' to be 'very money conscious'.

Sharon, who worked closely with her business tycoon dad when he owned the five-star K Club and is currently working as a golf consultant, spoke candidly to EVOKE about the insights her dad taught her, not getting to see him much as a child, and the weight her surname holds.

She explained that though Michael is worth an estimated €368 million, he made sure to instill valuable lessons and avoid spoiling his six children. 'He was never a hand-me-out father', Sharon recalled. 'He instilled in us from an early age that you need to always exercise your brain and always keep learning.

'He's been a great influence throughout our lives about the importance of working and earning your own money and all of that,' she explained.

Sharon followed in her father's footsteps by beginning work the moment she left school rather than getting a third-level education. She moved to London when she turned 18 and started working in various jobs, including one at the London Hilton on Park Lane. 

Before his success, Michael left Clongowes Wood College at just 15 to join his father's business.

The mum-of-two spent a lot of time working with her father when she worked as Director of Golf at the K Club in Kildare, which he sold in 2019 for €70million. However, Sharon recalled not getting to see her dad much when she was young as he 'travelled a huge amount' throughout her childhood'.

'When my dad bought out his book, there were things that I didn't even know about because growing up he wouldn't have been around a huge amount', she admitted. 'He was building a business in those days and there were no phones and not many ways to contact him'.

Michael spent a lot of time abroad in the 1980s, having set his sights on making business deals in the US after becoming very successful in Ireland and Britain. The Smurfit family name holds a lot of weight in the business industry across the world and this is something Sharon is very aware of.

'I was always a very sketchy person about using my name in business', she explained. 'But I have grown to say to myself, "You have it, so you might as well use it". I've never gone by a married name, I've always kept my own'.

Michael, who is now 88, has been living in the South of France for the last three decades, with his children making the trip to visit him as often as possible.

'Every three weeks I pop in and say hello and see how he's doing', Sharon explained. 'Every time I go down, he seems to be better than the last time I saw him!'

She added that her father hasn't lost his intellect as he grows older. 'His mind is as sharp as ever,' she laughed.

Sharon has put her dad's entrepreneurial advice to good use, having started up a golf consultancy business earlier this year. Her new venture sees her advising clubs both in Ireland and further afield on how to improve things. You can find her website here.

She's also picked up some great business advice from her father over the years. 'Entrepreneurs often tend to drift from one thing to another. Do what you know and what you are good at, and don't drift off,' she recalled him telling her.

A documentary detailing Michael's career aired on RTÉ One on Monday night. Michael Smurfit: Succession acts as a profile of the millionaire businessman, delving into the personal and business challenges he faced to build his empire while offering a glimpse into his lifestyle.

The show, which was filmed in Michael's superyacht in Monaco, follows the businessman as he reflects on his life in front of a camera.

If you missed the programme, you can catch it again on the channel at 14:10 on Sunday afternoon. You can also watch the doc on RTÉ Player.