Barra Kelly – SHD Consulting Engineers
Barra Kelly was working on a project for BP in South Korea when he got the call from his wife, who was at their home in Scotland, to tell him she was pregnant. It was then he realised that he no longer wanted to live so far from home and the couple set the wheels in motion to move back to Ireland.
Carol Banahan – Carol’s Stock Market
Carol Banahan left her job as a stock trader in Canada to make hand-made stock back home in Ireland.“I had no idea if I had what it took to be an entrepreneur, but I am absolutely loving it.”
Ciara McGuane- Rahoo
Ciara McGuane spent nine years in the UK where she trained and worked as a teacher before branching out into professional development for teachers. Ciara returned to Ireland in 2016 and, the following year, set up her business, Rahoo, in Co Clare.
Colin Brett – PlayerStat Data
It was in London that Colin became a football analyst for Football Radar and this set him on route to set up his business, Suir Analysis(rebranded in July ’20 as
PlayerStat Data), in 2018, based in Waterford.“It was a difficult decision to uproot from London, but one that was going to have to be made at some point,” says Colin.
Darragh Lynch – Ucello Designs
“There’s a sense of safeness and familiarity when the plane touches down at Dublin airport, no matter how long you’ve been away or how beautiful or exotic the location you are returning from.”
Kevin Finn – KF Physio
KF Physio provides training and education for healthcare professionals in the sports injury sector, alongside advising athletes with an injury prevention consultancy service.
Kevin Gallivan – Co-Digi
“Setting up the business was nerve-racking initially. You have the same fears and worries as anyone else. But business is very good.” Set up in January 2019 in Dublin, Co-Digi started trading in April 2019 and works with innovative tech companies to help them hire key sales and account management personnel.
Mark Holland – Sport in Schools
Mark Holland returned to Ireland from Australia to follow his passion for nurturing children’s health and well-being.“I’ve always wanted to start my own business and I’m very passionate about children’s health and well-being.”
Nicholas Ryan- Thomond Gate Whiskey
Nicholas Ryan initially left Ireland in 2011 and worked in the FinTech and Finance industries for eight years before finding the pull of home too strong. He moved home with a dream of creating Limerick’s first whiskey in 100 years.
Shane Bourke – Clearspace
Shane Bourke returned home to Dublin in 2018 when the birth of his daughter and a desire to be closer to family coincided nicely with the recovery in the economic fortunes of the country he’d left prior to the financial crisis a decade earlier.
Shayne Murphy – SDM Performance
After spending more than 10 years working with elite football clubs in the UK, including Manchester City and Liverpool FC, Shayne Murphy returned home to set up SDM Performance, making his expertise and experience available to a broader range of athletes, teams and businesses.