Harry Crosbie

Harry Crosbie, OBE (born 1945 or 1946) is an Irish property developer and entrepreneur from the Dublin suburb of Drumcondra. He is known for his work in redeveloping the Dublin Docklands, and his association with arts and events venues in Dublin city, including the Convention Centre, Vicar Street, The Point Depot/3Arena and the Grand Canal Theatre,  as well as the Point Village, and the Wheel of Dublin ferris wheel.

Early life
Crosbie grew up on Clonliffe Road in Drumcondra. His father came from East Wall in the Dublin Docklands, where he later ran a haulage business. He attended school at Rockwell College.

The Point Theatre and O2
Crosbie bought the closed CIE Points Works in Dublin's Docklands depot for 750,000 Irish pounds in 1988, and redeveloped it into the Point Theatre, later expanded as the Point Depot, and then the O2, now known as the 3Arena, Ireland's biggest music and event venue.

Kittiwake


In 2007, Crosbie purchased from the Commissioners of Irish Lights the Kittiwake, a 1950s 40-metre light ship, built by Philip and Son in Dartmouth, Devon. It was the second-last lightship to serve in Irish waters, ending service in 2005. He had plans to lift it from the Liffey onto the quayside but was unable to reach agreement on a dry land location with the local authority. He had work done on the ship anyway, removing engines and asbestos, with a view to opening a cafe inside it, and stated that over half a million euro had been spent on the project. The port authority, the Dublin Port Company, said that they had purchased the boat from the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) in 2012, and lifted it from the Alexandra Basin West, in December 2022, for future display in a heritage area on the Alexandra Road. Crosbie disputed both the purported sale and the move, and threatened legal action.

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Crosbie built a large theatre on the Grand Canal Docks south of the Point, commissioning Daniel Libeskind to design it. Later known as the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, it was put up for sale from 20 million euro by NAMA in 2014.

The Point Village and later developments
Crosbie planned a multi-element development north of the Point Theatre, to include a hotel (now the Gibson), a shopping centre, apartments, office space, the 39-storey "Watchtower" which was to be the tallest building in Ireland, a "U2 Experience", a ferris wheel and a sculpture. At one point, he had budgetary plans for investment of about 850 million euro in this.

In 2017, Crosbie sold the Gibson Hotel in the Point Village to Deka Immobilien, and in 2023, he announced plans for a larger music venue close to Vicar Street.

Recognition
In 2012, Crosbie was awarded an honorary OBE, being invested by the British Ambassador to Ireland in Glencairn House, in recognition of services to Anglo-Irish cultural relations and for organising an event during the state visit by Elizabeth II to Ireland in 2011.

Personal life
Crosbie is married for the second time, his first wife, with whom he had three children, having died. He has at least six grandchildren. He moved from a large house on Shrewsbury Road to a converted warehouse on Hanover Quay in the Docklands. He published a book of short stories in 2021.