Clare O’Connor – Clare O’Connor Luxury Design Brand
Just like her designs, Clare O’Connor’s career has been a vibrant one so far. With a background in Graphic Design and two Bachelor’s degrees from IADT, Clare also has experience in the creative hub of Berlin as well as the calm canals of Venice, where she lived and worked as an artist assistant and in the Venice Biennale.
His back portfolio includes management of the redevelopment of Croke Park and the new Perth Stadium, but since returning to his native Dublin from Australia, Ian Keogh has his sights set on an even bigger project. It’s his goal, as founder and Managing Director of IKEO Group, to build 10,000 homes in ten years that will also lower the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by 300,000 tonnes.
James Parnell – A New Dawn in Ireland
Having spent 16 years living in Sydney, James Parnell and his wife Anne-Marie made the decision to uproot their family and move home to their native Dublin. It felt like a natural decision having welcomed three children to the mix while in Australia, children that they wanted to raise as Irish and near their grandparents. But nevertheless, it can be daunting for any Irish person living in a different country and culture to move home after so many years abroad.
Lisa Caffrey – Cabochon & Co
Lisa Caffrey never thought that a Christmas present she gave to her husband of a trip to Saudi Arabia could result in her moving there for ten years.While she was in Saudi Arabia, Lisa discovered diamond simulants and bought some as presents for friends and family. The simulants are created in a lab and are a conflict-free and more affordable way of wearing diamonds. Lisa was constantly asked where she had got the jewellery and soon she was getting regular requests from Ireland for the simulants.
Louis Boyce – Begin Coding Carrigart man Louis Boyce has called many places home, but the lure of his small Gaeltacht village at the base of the Rosguill peninsula in north Donegal was too great to stay away permanently. After spending five years working in construction in Boston in the 1980s and a further three in London from 2014 to 2017, Louis with his entrepreneurial spirit in tow, returned home to start his own business.
Patrick Barry – F45 Dublin IFSC
Patrick Barry and his wife Ciara were happy living in Australia but then they got that all-familiar itch to come home. They had spent six years down under – four in Perth and two in Melbourne – when the lure of being close to family became too strong and the couple packed their bags for home.The Cork native had always dreamed of setting up his own business and, with a strong interest in health and fitness already, he saw an opportunity to bring his passion and knowledge to the market.
Sinead Starrs – The Lovely Little Label
It was while planning her two weddings – yes two – that Sinead Starrs found her business idea. She was living in Sydney, Australia with her now husband Owen trying to navigate her way through the stress of wedding planning. Every bride and groom prays for good weather on their big day, but if it hadn’t rained on both occasions, The Lovely Little Label may have never been born.
Tracy Armstrong – KO Kombucha
While living in London, Tracy Armstrong and her partner in life and business (Ronan Coughlan) discovered kombucha, a raw fermented tea. Ronan fell in love with the health drink but thought that it was lacking in terms of taste, so decided to start experimenting with different flavours. After much trial and error, Ronan developed their original flavour which they began selling to friends and colleagues in London.