Byrne was one of a whole clutch of developers who got rich during the time of plenty in this country in the early years of the new century.
If you had any kind of a background in construction, the semblance of a business head on you, and a sackful of ambition, the Tiger was your oyster.
He was born in 1969, reared in Thomastown, outside Naas, and began his working life as a roofer. In the 1990s, he began working for himself, developing sites. In 2001, his main corporate vehicle, Barrack Homes, was set up.
He worked across the country, but mainly in the Leinster area. Pretty quickly, Mr Byrne was rolling in it.
He bought a mansion in Athgarvan in rural Kildare. He acquired the must-have toy for Tiger developers — a helicopter.
He was a feature at major race meetings, and his company sponsored the Pat Taaffe Handicap Steeplechase at the Irish National Hunt Festival in 2007.
Helicopter crash ahead of financial crash
The following year, Byrne came to public attention, really for the first time, when his €2.4m Sikorsky helicopter crashed in the carpark of a hotel near Bettystown in Co Meath.
Four people were reportedly hurt, but nobody sustained life-threatening injuries.
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