In Business 2022

50 influencers who have made their mark this year

CARLA STOCKTON-JONES

The Irish woman driving Britain’s public transport recovery strategy post-Covid

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TIME TO REFLECT ON A YEAR OF GREAT SUCCESS

WELCOME back to your annual In Business magazine. Our 2022 instalment reflects on a year of great achievement for the Irish men and women in business across Britain and further afield.

It’s been another successful 12 months with historic wins and trailblazing firsts for many of the people who feature in these pages.

But it has also been a year of hard work and getting back on track after the years of Covid-related uncertainty we have come through.

For our cover star, Irish woman Carla Stockton-Jones, for example, it’s been a year of strategising and putting into effect a recovery plan to get the public transport sector in Britain moving again.

For the new Irish Ambassador to the UK, Martin Fraser, it has been a time of managing great change.

Ambassador Fraser’s arrival in August came at a time of unprecedented change in this country, with the mourning of a monarch, ascension of a new King and appointment of a new Prime Minister all occurring within weeks of his relocation to the capital.

In our exclusive interview, the Ambassador reflects on a remarkable first few weeks in office and reveals his plans for the year ahead.

And now, with the year coming to a close, what better time for us all to sit back and review the 12 months gone by.

Much has happened, much has been achieved and, as is the case for our 50 influential Irish people of 2022, there is much to reflect on, as you will see in the pages ahead.

Pages 4-6

Newly-arrived Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Martin Fraser talks Brexit, Northern Ireland and how he is settling into his new role

Pages 7-46

A-Z Profile Index Artists, Changemakers, Community Champions, Leaders, Pioneers, Innovators, Trailblazers

Pages 24-25

COVER STORY: Exclusive interview with Carla Stockton-Jones, the Irish woman leading Britain’s public transport sector’s post-Covid recovery

Visit us online: irishpost.com General Enquiries: +44 (0) 208 900 4137 Commercial Enquiries: +44 (0) 208 900 4229

Audley

Contributing Editor, The Irish Post

Fiona

ALL CHANGE AT THE IRISH EMBASSY

Irish Ambassador Martin Fraser arrived in this country in an extraordinary period of change. He comes with high hopes of further improving relations between Britain and Ireland and is optimistic that the ongoing Brexit issues can be resolved, writes FIONA AUDLEY

THE new Irish Ambassador, Martin Fraser has arrived in Britain at a time of great change.

In the months that passed between him landing in the capital to take up the post in August and his formal ‘presentation of credentials’ ceremony at Buckingham Palace in November, the country has mourned its longest-serving monarch, welcomed a new King, and had three different prime ministers leading the nation.

Such constitutional change meant Mr Fraser had to dive straight into the role.

“It’s been an extraordinary period in Britain,” he admits, “Boris Johnson was Prime Minister on the day I arrived, then I met with Prime Minister Liz Truss, then we had the loss of the Queen and the coming of the new King.”

He adds: “So quite early on the Taoiseach was over for the Queen’s state funeral, with President Michael

D Higgins, and to meet with Prime Minister Truss.

“Then the Truss administration went through what it went through, and we now find ourselves with the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“It has probably been the most remarkable period in British politics in generations and it has all happened since I arrived.

“It’s not my fault of course,” the Dublin native jokes.

“But it’s been a remarkable period to live through in Britain and to work through, of course,” he adds.

“There has been quite a lot of diplomatic work to do since I arrived, including the work arising from the political situation.”

Mr Fraser comes to the ambassador role from a lengthy period spent working at the Department of the Taoiseach in Dublin.

The diplomat previously worked as Secretary General to the Government and Secretary General

of the Department of the Taoiseach.

He has also been involved in the Northern Ireland peace process since 2004 and played a role in both the state visit of the Queen to Ireland in 2011 and the return state visit of President Higgins to Britain in 2014.

While British-Irish relations is his speciality topic, he admits the ambassador role does offer some challenges as a new position.

“I have been coming to the Irish Embassy in London since 2004 and I have been dealing with British-Irish relations, mainly the peace process, ever since then in various capacities,” he admits.

“I think I have met every Prime Minister and worked with every Taoiseach going back as far as Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern and most recently with Micheál Martin and Liz Truss, and now Micheál Martin and Rishi Sunak and in the near future it will be Leo Varadkar and Rishi Sunak,” he explains.

“At one level the topic of British-Irish relations is what I know best, it’s the one I have worked on the most,” he adds.

“The community I don’t know very well personally, but I have worked on diaspora and community work in Dublin, and obviously trade and business would have been part of my role at various times in the past, so the substance of the ambassador role I am familiar with.

“The big difference, of course, is being Ambassador,” he admits.

“Obviously there is more front-of-house work, more speeches, more events, you are very conscious that you are a representative of Ireland and your role, your demeanour, what you say and do, is closely watched.

“So, it’s a different kind of responsibility to the job I had at home, which I suppose had the ultimate responsibility in government at civil service level, because you are effectively

Ambassador Martin Fraser and wife Deirdre pictured with the team at the Irish Embassy in London

responsible for everything - from housing to Ukraine, to Brexit, to health, to climate.

“You were very conscious of your responsibilities, although you were never seen, but you are always seen as an ambassador,” he adds.

“It’s important that you are seen, people want to see you and they want to talk to you, they want to know that you are listening and that you care about what their concerns are.

“So, I will try to do that to the best of my ability and I have a lot of experience to draw on which helps me with that.”

So what does Mr Fraser hope to achieve during his ambassadorial term?

“At the heart of the role is the relationship between Britain and Ireland and I would hope this would improve in the years ahead and that we can navigate the current problems with Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol and navigate whatever future problems come along, but that goes for all ambassadors,” he says.

“All my predecessors have had different problems to deal with and different opportunities,” he adds, “it’s not that the Ambassador makes things greatly better or greatly

worse, you just have to deal with the challenges of the moment and take the opportunities of the moment as well and try and shape and improve the relationship as you go.

“But in every period that you might serve as an Irish Ambassador in Britain, an awful lot will happen within the community, within business and trade and particularly within politics.

“So as with all my work on British-Irish relations, it’s always been about making things better.

“Trying to improve the relationship and trying to improve life for people in Britain and Ireland in so far as you can in your own way.”

Ambassador Fraser is clear that the ongoing issues with Brexit and the political stalemate in the North of Ireland are among the top priorities in progressing relations between Britain and Ireland.

“With Brexit, as the Taoiseach has said, we need to get into negotiations and try and deal with the practical issues,” Mr Fraser states.

“I think we accept that people have issues and concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol.

“Now obviously, this is an agreement that we reached in good faith with the British Government, and we would prefer that they

Kelly House, Fourth Way, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9

King Charles III with Ambasssador Fraser at Buckingham Palace (Pic: Aaron Chown/Getty Images)

would just abide by the agreement they made, but we accept that that isn’t their position and therefore there has to be negotiations between London and Brussels.

“We would obviously encourage people to come to arrangements which are practical and which address people’s concerns.”

He added: “In the near future, and there has been so much political instability in Britain recently so it is understandable that they maybe haven’t made as much progress as we would like, but what needs to happen in the near future is that we

need the British Government to get into serious talks about the main issues with the European Commission.”

Mr Fraser is optimistic that the political stalemate currently being witnessed in Northern Ireland can also be resolved.

There has been no Northern Ireland Executive in place to lead the region since February, due to the DUP’s refusal to return to powersharing over its Brexit concerns.

“In our view the European Commission has been flexible, and obviously we are part of the

European Union in this negotiation, and we are represented by the Commission, but we hope the British Government can get into negotiations and we get to negotiate a solution as soon as we can,” Mr Fraser confirms.

“That in turn we hope would unlock the situation in Belfast as well.”

On whether he can see a resolution coming in the North, he claims “there is always hope for resolution”.

“If everybody wants to move forward together in the North then

there is always a way in moving forward together,” he adds.

“We recognise the genuine concerns that people have in the North on all sides, but I tend to be optimistic by nature.

“We have solved lots and lots of problems over the last 25 years.

“Northern Ireland is unrecognisable from 25 or even 50 years ago and British-Irish relations are unrecognisable,” he explains.

“I presented my credentials to the King last month and the type of conversation we were having was very much one where I represented a friendly neighbouring country, with which he had great familiarity and very much shared objectives.

“I do think everybody wants to get to a better place, so I think we can, but I don’t underestimate how difficult some of these issues are.”

He concludes: “In particular, around Brexit, it’s very hard to negotiate some of these details that we are having to deal with, but we have to be optimistic, and we have to be determined, all of us, to move forward.

“The two governments, all the parties, the European Commission and the American government, we all have to focus on resolving our issues and getting to a better place.

“I am not naïve about it, but I am optimistic about it and as long as everybody is trying to do the right thing, I think we will move forward.”

Ambassador Fraser was joined by his wife Deirdre when he presented his credentials to King Charles III at Buckingham Palace last month

Ambassador Fraser is keen to improve relations between Britain and Ireland further through his new role

Kenneth Branagh

ACTOR, FILMMAKER

After more than three decades in the film industry, 2022 has proved something of a highlight year for actor, director and screenwriter Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh.

Despite a hugely successful career to date, it was only this year that he won his first Oscar, for his critically acclaimed box office hit Belfast

It comes 32 years after his first Academy Award nominations, for Best Director and Best Actor in 1989’s Henry V

He had three more unsuccessful Oscar nods in the years that followed, although throughout that period the Irishman racked up a number of other accolades - including BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Emmys, Grammys and an Olivier award.

But it was Belfast, which achieved three Oscar nominations this year, that saw his luck change, securing him the Best Screenplay gong in Hollywood in March.

Written and directed by Belfast-born Branagh, the film chronicles the life of a working-class family living in the city during the late 1960s.

The writer, who was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2012 and received the Freedom of the City of Belfast in 2018, has confirmed that the tale is a semi-autobiographical take on his childhood, which saw him growing up in the city at the height of the Troubles.

He also revealed that he wrote it during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020.

Following the film’s release in November 2021, the 61-year-old explained that he had spent the best part of 50 years “agonising” over how to approach the subject of his childhood spent in a turbulent Northern Ireland.

“Basically, I didn’t want to just be staring at my own navel,” he said.

“It wasn’t personal therapy; it was really to see whether the story of a family in a difficult situation – where there’s humour and all the other coping mechanisms we come up with to try and deal with difficult times - could speak to other people,” he added.

“This lockdown promoted that, I think, because the introspection and the feeling unsettled that we’ve all shared really drove me back to that time.”

It turns out that his story could speak to people the world over – with the film becoming an instant hit once it opened in cinemas and on movie streaming platforms across the globe.

And those in the industry were as impressed with Branagh’s offering as the public were, as the film quickly racked up award nominations in early 2022 – including three nominations each in the Academy Awards, the Grammys and the BAFTAS.

It would go on to win one gong at each of those events, with Branagh’s Oscar win proving his most significant.

And he used his acceptance speech to dedicate his win to the people of Ireland.

Confirming that his story was “the search for hope and joy in face of violence and loss,” he added: “We lost some people along the way: Johnny Sessions, [Belfast star Jamie Dornan’s father] Jim Dornan, Leah Newman. We miss them; we love them; we will never forget them.

“And we will never forget all of those lost in the heart-breaking, heart-warming, human story of that amazing city of Belfast on the fabulous island of Ireland.”

Since then, Branagh has been gracing the smaller screen disguised as a certain former prime minister.

In a remarkable transformation, the Irish actor played Boris Johnson in the six-episode Sky series This England which aired in October.

Admitting it took between two and three hours every day to get into his makeup and costume for the role, Branagh adds that playing Boris was a “life-changing part” for him.

He explains that his approach to the role was to “read everything that [Boris] had written, in addition radio programmes and interviews” as well as “examples of how he dealt with difficult questions”.

MORGAN BULLOCK Irish Dancer

When Morgan Bullock posted videos of her unique Irish dancing skills to Tik Tok and Twitter in 2020 she could have had no idea of where it would take her.

Fast forward two years and the young woman from the US is now touring the world as a cast member with Riverdance and has been awarded a Presidential Distinguished Service Award by Irish President Michael D Higgins for her contribution to the Irish arts.

Bullock, a Baffa Academy of Irish Dance member from Richmond, Virginia, began dancing at the age of three.

At 10 years old she saw Irish dancing for the first time and was instantly drawn to the intricate footwork and discipline it requires to master the steps.

A champion level dancer, she studies with the Baffa Academy of Irish Dancing under Jessie and Megan Baffa, both former Riverdance cast members.

During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she choreographed a dance showcasing

her Irish step dancing and posted a video of her performing it on her social media platforms.

It quickly went viral, with over three million views to date.

Since then, her choreography has been featured in festivals worldwide, and her story has been told by media outlets across the globe.

In October 2021 Bullock announced that she had joined Riverdance as a cast member for its 25th anniversary UK tour – fulfilling a lifelong dream.

“Could not be happier to officially announce that I will be joining the cast of [Riverdance] for the UK tour that is kicking off at the end of this month,” she said at the time.

Last month it was announced that Bullock is among the recipients of Ireland’s Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad for 2022, which are due to be presened in December.

“It is an honour and a privilege to receive a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad from President Michael D Higgins,” Bullock said of the news.

“And as someone who does not come from Ireland, I have always felt at home here and have felt a deep emotional connection to the culture.

“I feel so fortunate to be able to spread Irish culture through dance, around the world, in a way that shows its beauty that is meant to be shared, appreciated, and celebrated.”

Ireland’s Presidential Distinguished Service Awards were established by the Irish Government following the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum as a

means to recognise the contribution of members of the Irish diaspora.

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said of the 2022 recipients: “I am delighted to have the opportunity once again to formally recognise the achievements of high-achieving members of our diaspora and their contribution to Ireland and to Irish communities abroad.

“Their service and commitment is a shining example to us all and I am delighted that they have been selected to be honoured by President Michael D Higgins in such a fitting manner.”

MARTIN MCDONAGH Playwright, Screenwriter

Second generation Irish writer Martin McDonagh’s star continues to soar.

The man behind film classics such as The Guard, In Bruges and his Oscar-winning Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, was back with another hit in 2022 in the form of The Banshees of Inisherin Set on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland in the 1920s, the film reunites McDonagh with his In Bruges stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

Released in October, it won both Best Actor (Colin Farrell) and Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival in September, and continues to receive critival acclaim across the globe.

The story centres on Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson), two long-time friends whose relationship is about to come to an

end.

Out of the blue, Colm decides he no longer wants to speak to or socialise with Pádraic, leaving the latter shellshocked over losing his best friend.

While his sister (Kerry Condon), tries to temper his reaction, Pádraic refuses to adhere to the new status quo which causes Colm to take increasingly drastic measures.

McDonagh says he wrote the script with Farrell, Gleeson, Condon, and Barry Keoghan, who plays the troubled but good-hearted Dominic, in mind.

And the project has actually been a long time coming.

London-based McDonagh, whose parents live in Galway and who spent his childhood summers on his grandparents’ farm in Co. Sligo, says he sent a complete script for the film to both Farrell and Gleeson “maybe seven years ago” but claims he himself thought it was “crap” at the time.

Now that it is finished he is happier with the end product.

“It’s a really beautiful film, with brilliant performances,” he says.

“And it’s funny… but it’s sad. No one really tries to make sad films anymore.”

McDonagh, who is currently dating Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame, has also enjoyed great success in the world of theatre.

Plays such as The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Lieutenant of Inishmore received rave reviews when put on in the West End and on Broadway.

But the writer, now 52, has recently decided to stick with filmmaking rather than writing any

more plays, claiming films are “quicker”.

“I always used to think they took longer than plays, but with this one we were filming it a year ago, and now it’s out,” he says.

“But if you’re lucky enough to have successful plays, which I have been, then they start off-West End, like at the Royal Court, then you go to the West End, then to off-Broadway, and then to on Broadway.

“And to get that right with each move, to cast it and take care of it, go to rehearsals, that’s five years of your life.”

LISA MCGEE Playwright, Screenwriter

She’s the original Derry girl, but after three hit series writer Lisa McGee has closed the book on her wildly successful sitcom Derry Girls

The final series aired on Channel 4 in May 2022 - to critical acclaim – the same channel where it had first started back in 2018.

And McGee admits saying goodbye to the show has been “emotional”.

“It’s emotional, because it’s become a bigger thing than I ever thought it would be,” the Derry native, who attended Thornhill College before heading to Queen’s University Belfast to read Drama, explains.

“I don’t just mean as a piece of work or whatever, but for my city as well.

“It’s been this amazing, massive thing in my life for more than six years now.”

She adds: “I read one of those platitudes people

put on Instagram that said, “Don’t be sad it’s over, but glad it happened” and that’s how I feel.

“I am so grateful to have been able to do this in the first place, and the fact that I’ve been allowed to finish it the way I wanted to finish it has been incredible.

“I don’t think many writers can say that, that they’ve been given the chance to really say what they want to say, the way they want to say it. It’s such a privilege and an honour, really.”

Set in 1994, McGee’s Derry Girls is based partly on her own teenage years in the 1990s, growing up in Derry and attending a Catholic convent

school.

In it she took a caustic, irreverent and nostalgic look at life in the city, primarily through the eyes of a group of teenagers living out what they see as ordinary lives.

Full of dark humour, McGee’s characters were preoccupied with the ins and outs of their daily life, rather than the Troubles, which consistently erupted around them.

It was an instant hit when it came to our screens in 2018 and its intergenerational fanbase only grew as the years went on.

When asked the secret to the series’ success, McGee suggests “maybe that it’s just joyful, and you’re going to be cheered up, and it’s nostalgic”.

“But maybe it’s the characters,” she adds.

“Everyone has their favourite, or Grandpa Joe will remind them of their dad or something, so it’s like a big cast of characters where there’s something for everybody. A bit like the Spice Girls.”

Away from Derry Girls McGee has an impressive back catalogue of work for the stage as well as the screen and has plenty to keep her busy now the final chapter on Derry Girls has closed.

Of her plans she confirms: “I’m doing another thriller with Toby [husband Tobias Beer]…and then I’m going to start writing something else, another comedy, that I’ve put on hold for a while.”

She adds: “It’s really exciting but a bit scary. Because I’m a bit like, ‘how do I write other funny people? I don’t even know’.

“Coming up with a world, how each episode works and all that stuff. But I’m ready.”

SIOBHÁN MCSWEENEY Actor, Presenter

She ruled the hallways of Our Lady Immaculate College with an iron fist over three series of Derry Girls.

But now that the hit sitcom set in Northern Ireland has come to an end, Cork native Siobhán McSweeney is exploring other opportunities and loving every second of it.

When she filmed the very final episode of Lisa McGee’s hugely popular Channel 4 series last year – which aired in May 2022McSweeney, who has been there as Sister Michael right from the start, admitted that it felt weird.

“I only sort of stopped crying yesterday. It was emotional. It was very very strange,” she said.

“Derry Girls has been part of my life for so long and it’s changed my life.”

But she has embraced numerous opportunities that have come her way since the groundbreaking comedy set in Ireland at the height of the Troubles flung her into the spotlight, and the actor is clear that now that Derry Girls is finished it should be left to rest in peace.

When asked if she would like to see another series made, McSweeney said: “I think you have to leave it alone.”

She explained: “As a fan myself, and as a television fan as well, I understand why you want to keep something going.

“But there’s an integrity and a dignity to the storytelling that needs to stop at a proper place.”

She added: “It’ll never be up to me anyway, but I think it’s finished.

“Unless we all have huge tax bills to pay in a couple of years, like the Sex Pistols.”

And McSweeney is now too busy exploring all manner of new projects anyway.

Since January 2021 McSweeney has presented The Great Pottery Throwdown, which returned to our screens in February this year for its fifth series.

In March McSweeney starred in ITV’s Holding, alongside fellow Irish actors Conleth Hill, of Game of Thrones fame, and the legend that is Brenda Fricker.

The television series is based on Graham Norton’s bestselling novel of the same name.

And last month McSweeney was out and about in London for the TV Choice Awards, where she was nominated in the new Best Comedy Performance category for her role in Derry Girls

She lost out to Ricky Gervais, who got the gong for his Netflix show Afterlife, but the Irish star claimed it didn’t matter as her night was full of “craic and giggles”.

So despite the end of Derry Girls, it would seem there’s plenty more craic to be had and much more of McSweeney to come.

DANIEL O’DONNELL Singer

Much has changed in the musicmaking world since Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell released his first single My Donegal Shore on February 9, 1983.

Now, as he prepares to celebrate the 40th anniversary of that record, he is as busy as ever and preparing to tour.

There are few in the industry as dedicated and successful as O’Donnell, whose ever-growing fanbase now includes multiple generations of families – with grandmothers, mothers and daughters all coming out to watch him perform.

So, what is his secret?

“I’m not a million miles from 40 years ago, you know, I am still singing My Donegal Shore, it sits in there along with Down at the La De Dah, you know,” he says.

“I don’t know really, they still just enjoy the music, they enjoy the shows, the fans.

“And it’s like people grow into music, that maybe they wouldn’t have listened to me 20 years ago but they are now. I don’t know what that is, you know.”

Whatever the secret, O’Donnell’s career is a lesson in how to do

business in the music industry.

Since his first hit in 1983 the Donegal native has simply not stopped working.

Over the past four decades the Irishman has become a global star and a household name among Country and Irish music fans.

In the UK alone, he is one of the most successful recording artists of all time.

And in 2021 O’Donnell broke his own world record by becoming the first recording artist to chart at least one new album every year in the Artist Albums Chart for 34 consecutive years.

During his lengthy career so far, he has amassed 19 Top 10 albums, with 17 of them this century - a feat not matched by any other recording artist.

The 62-year-old has no plans to stop producing music any time soon –with his latest studio album I Wish You Well released last month, and a 2023 tour to look forward to.

So, what does he make of the changes in the industry over the

past four decades?

“From a technical side, the changes in the music industry have been like day and night,” he says.

“And in the way of getting your music out to people, with social media and the internet, it’s a whole different thing now.

“Television is still important, but social media is hugely important as well.

“It’s hard to get used to,” he admits, “I find it very unusual, the whole thing.”

For O’Donnell the guts of his work remains the same – which is just as he likes it.

“I have to be honest I have had very good people around me, throughout my career, so I have never really got involved in the business side of things,” he says.

“I had a very good manager for 30 years, Sean Riley, and when he retired Kieran Kavanagh took over, I have never had to do anything more than what I want to do, so I have been very, very blessed.”

ARDAL O’HANLON Comedian, Actor, Author

There is much to frown about in the post-pandemic world we find ourselves within – but not on Ardal O’Hanlon’s watch.

No, the comic is determined to bring laughter back into our lives one gig at a time.

Currently on tour in Britain and Ireland, with his show Off Must Go On born stand-up, writer and star of such TV hits as  Paradise and, most recently, a cameo role in Lisa McGee’s Girls, is determined to do his bit to counteract the negativity we find around us.

He claims crises like Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the rising cost of living, provide many a dark place for people’s minds to wander to.

But he is confident that comedy can unite us all in happiness.

“To be honest with you, particularly post-pandemic, I am all about being joyful and using comedy as a vehicle to unite people, to have fun and for a bit of escapism – as people are in a pretty dark place at the moment with the cost-of-living crisis and everything else,” he says.

“So that is my main priority at the moment, to make people laugh.”

And there are few better placed to do that – with O’Hanlon’s lengthy career one that boasts consistent successes wherever he has laid his hat.

Having first shot to fame in the cult Irish sitcom Father Ted 1990s as Father Dougal McGuire, O’Hanlon has been a regular on our TV screens ever since, in the likes of My Hero Skins, Death in Paradise most recently his cameo appearances in Lisa McGee’s hit Derry Girls

He has also written and presented various documentaries, including Leagues Apart great footballing rivalries in Europe, Guess Who’s Dead for RTÉ, Tree of the Year Showbands for the BBC and with Ardal O’Hanlon

His theatre credits include Of Carnage at the Gate Theatre and The Weir in London’s West End, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award.

He writes too, with his acclaimed bestselling novel, Town, published in 1999 and his

second novel, Brouhaha released earlier this year.

He is also the patron of the

DID YOU KNOW?

O’Hanlon’s comedy career started in 1988 when, after leaving Dublin City University (DCU), then known as the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE Dublin), he founded the Comedy Cellar, Dublin’s first comedy club, with fellow graduates Barry Murphy and Kevin Gildea. They would perform comedy routines once a month. Five years later he travelled to London to crack the comedy circuit and has not looked back since.

DO YOU GET PRE-GIG NERVES?

“You know very quickly when you are losing an audience on a stage, and you can bring that in

SALLY ROONEY Author

There are very few people in the post-Covid world who don’t know the name Sally Rooney.

The Irish author was already a huge success prior to the pandemic, with bestselling novels Conversations with Friends and Normal People both winning awards and garnering fans across the globe.

But it was the TV adaptation of Normal People - which aired in Britain during lockdown 2020, featuring rising stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar Jones – that propelled her into the consciousness of the public at large.

With a gorgeous cast, set against the stunning backdrop of counties Sligo and Dublin, and a captive audience, the 12-part BBC series was a huge hit in Britain, Ireland and the US.

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, the series earned four Emmy Award nominations in 2020.

In February 2020, it was announced that the novel Conversations with Friends would also be made into a 12-episode miniseries, again for BBC Three and again directed by Lenny Abrahamson and co-written by Alice Birch.

That aired in May 2022, shortly after Rooney had published her third novel, Beautiful World, Where are You in late 2021.

And so the name Sally Rooney continues to be spoken as the author, born in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, continues to produce works of fiction that capture the hearts and minds of her ever-growing fanbase.

But fame is not for this author, who finds the cult of celebrity questionable, to say the least.

“As far as I can make out, the way that celebrity works in our present cultural moment is that particular people enter very rapidly, with little or no preparation, into public life, becoming objects of widespread public discourse, debate and critique,” Rooney states.

“It’s irrelevant whether or not fame was part of their plan,” she adds, “they just randomly happen to be skilled or gifted in some particular way, and it’s in the interests of profit-driven industries to exploit those gifts and to turn the gifted person into a kind of commodity.”

As such Rooney, 31, has removed herself from Twitter and other social media platforms, and doesn’t read reviews of her work.

But she is still there, working away, creating her next masterpiece.

And we’ll all just have to wait and see what she has in store for us next.

SINGER, ACTIVIST, PHILANTHROPIST

The lead singer of U2, Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin.

He met The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton at school, and in 1978, U2 was formed.

The band released their first album, Boy, on Island Records in 1980 and to date have released a total of fourteen studio albums that have sold 157 million copies worldwide. Heralded by Rolling Stone as “a live act simply without peer,” the band’s recordbreaking 360° Tour (2009–2011) remains the highest-grossing concert band tour of all time.

U2 have won numerous awards, including twenty-two Grammys, more than any other duo or group, as well as an Academy Award nomination and the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award.

In 2005, U2 was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Alongside his role in U2, Bono is a ground-breaking activist.

A leader in Jubilee 2000’s Drop the

Debt campaign, he next took on the fight against HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty, co-founding sister organisations ONE and (RED).

ONE is a movement of millions of people dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease.

With ONE, Bono has lobbied heads of state and legislatures all around the world, helping to ensure the passage of programs, such as the U.S. PEPFAR AIDS program, that have helped to save tens of millions of lives over the past twenty years.

(RED) – which’ partners with companies to raise public awareness about, and corporate contributions for, the AIDS crisis – has to date generated more than $700 million for the Global Fund to treat and prevent AIDS in Africa.

Since 2020, ONE and (RED) have also been fighting Covid-19 and its impact on the developing world.

In 2016, Bono co-founded the Rise Fund, a global impact fund investing in entrepreneurial companies driving positive social and environmental change in alignment with the UN’s

DID YOU KNOW?

Surrender’s subtitle, 40 Songs, One Story, is a nod to the book’s forty chapters, which are each named after a U2 song.

Bono has also created forty original drawings for Surrender, which appear throughout the book.

Sustainable Development Goals.

Bono has received a number of awards for his music and activism, including the Freedom of the City of Dublin (with U2), Chile’s Pablo Neruda Medal of Honor, the Légion d’honneur from the French government, an honorary British knighthood, the Fulbright Prize for International Understanding, and TIME magazine’s Person of the Year (along with Bill and Melinda Gates).

And 2022 has seen a new first for the Irish star, who has written and published his memoirs.

Bono

Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono was released in November to critical acclaim.

Of the book, the artist says: “When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I’d previously only sketched in songs. The people, places, and possibilities in my life.”

Of its title, he adds: “Surrender is a word freighted with meaning for me. Growing up in Ireland in the seventies with my fists up (musically speaking), it was not a natural concept.

“A word I only circled until I gathered my thoughts for the book.”

He explained: “I am still grappling with this most humbling of commands.

“In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist.

“Surrender is the story of one pilgrim’s lack of progress…With a fair amount of fun along the way.”

WHERE’S HOME?

Bono is a global icon, but home is where the heart is and his heart remains in Dublin where he lives with his wife, Ali Hewson and their four now adult children Jordan, Eve, Elijah and John.

CAREY FITZGERALD Managing Director, Silver Mountain Productions

Film and television industry entrepreneur Carey Fitzgerald set up her company Silver Mountain Productions in 2017.

Prior to this her extensive career in production, distribution, advertising, financing, sales and marketing, saw her enjoy Oscar nominations, secure a-list festival selections and achieve a wide range of successful TV commissions.

Now, through Silver Mountain Productions she offers film production, distribution, and training services.

Based in Cork, her father’s home county, the company specialises in creating film, drama and creative documentaries for the international market which also aim to focus on stories of the historically underrepresented.

In addition to developing and releasing its own productions, Silver Mountain also produces and co-produces content from all over the world in all languages.

Fitzgerald splits her time between Ireland and Britain, where she is involved in a number of other projects, many that support the Irish community directly.

The film industry stalwart is a partner and producer at Ballpoint Films, Co-Chair of BOFTV (Business of Film & TV), a Business Mentor for Screen Skills Ireland, Co-Founder of the Wise Women mentoring platform and Co-Chair of the London Irish social inclusion charity Ashford Place.

In February, it was announced that Fitzgerald would take on the role of Chair of Irish Film London, an organisation founded in 2012 to champion Irish film and animation in the UK.

Elsewhere this year Fitzgerald founded Shout London: The Ashford Place Mental Health Film and Arts Festival.

The inaugural festival, which took place in October, was so successful that the 2023 instalment has already been confirmed and plans for a nationwide tour are also in the pipeline.

BLINNE NÍ GHRÁLAIGH

Barrister

Described in the legal directories as a “fiercely intelligent barrister” and “tactically brilliant” Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, of Matrix Chambers in London, is no stranger to controversial cases.

The second generation Irish woman, whose parents hail from

counties Mayo and Dublin, has an extensive practice across human rights, public international law, criminal law and public law.

She advises and acts for individuals, States, NGOs and other national and international bodies, appearing in domestic courts at all levels, and before international courts and tribunals.

In January Ms Ní Ghrálaigh was the sole female barrister to defend one of the ‘Colston Four’, representing the only female defendant, Rhian Graham.

The four protesters were cleared by a jury in Bristol Crown Court of criminal damage for toppling a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston.

The statue was brought down and thrown into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020.

While the Colston Four did not deny toppling the statue, they relied on a number of “lawful excuses” to the charge of criminal damage.

Ms Ní Ghrálaigh was able to draw on her previous experience in the case, including acting for anti-arms fair protesters in the case of Director of Public Prosecutions v Ziegler - a seminal Supreme Court case, which clarified that freedom of speech and freedom of assembly rights could provide a defence to a protestrelated criminal charge.

Speaking after the verdicts were delivered, Ms Ní Ghrálaigh, said: “This case demonstrates the fundamental importance of trial by jury.

“That is because juries represent the collective sense of justice of the community.”

She had argued that in this case, “a conviction for the removal of this statue – that glorified a slave trader involved in the enslavement of over 84,000 black men, women and children as a most virtuous and wise man – would not be proportionate”.

In 2021 Ms Ní Ghrálaigh acted for Conradh na Gaeilge in the lengthy legal case regarding the gravestone

of Irish woman Margaret Keane in Coventry.

The family of the late Mrs Keane fought to overturn a ruling by the Chancellor of the Diocese of Coventry which barred them from inscribing their mother’s gravestone with the Irish phrase in ár gcroíthe go deo” (in our hearts forever).

The family’s appeal, which was supported by Conradh na Gaeilge, was eventually successful, with a judgement by the Arches Court of Canterbury ruling that the inscription refusal was unreasonable under the common law and in breach of the family’s right not to be discriminated against under the Human Rights Act and Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Ms Ní Ghrálaigh previously worked on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry for one of the legal teams representing the wounded and the families of those killed.

She also acted for the ‘Hooded Men’, and the family of the young mother Jean Smyth-Campbell who was murdered in Belfast in 1972.

She continues to act in several Troubles-related cases in Northern Ireland and is called to the Bars of Ireland, North and south, in addition to the Bar of England and Wales.

MICHELLE O’NEILL

First Minister (designate) of Northern Ireland; Vice-President, Sinn Féin

In May 2022 the Northern Ireland Assembly election results saw Sinn Féin become the largest party.

That historic outcome marked the first time an Irish nationalist party had won the most seats in an Assembly election in the history of Northern Ireland.

It also means Sinn Féin VicePresident Michelle O’Neill, the party’s leader in the North, will take up the position of First Minister of Northern Ireland, once the Northern Ireland Executive, which is currently out of action while the DUP refuses to return to power-sharing, resumes service.

As First Minister in waiting, the enormity of her achievement this year is not lost on O’Neill, a mother-of-two who hails from Co. Tyrone.

Indeed, she believes Sinn Féin’s success is a mark of what’s to come “at a time of major change right across our entire island”.

“That change was demonstrated most loudly, when the people of the North voted in huge numbers in the Assembly election,” she explains.

“It really was a defining moment,” she adds.

“For the first time, the balance of power at Stormont shifted, and Sinn Féin emerged as the largest party, topping the poll with 27 seats.

“The electorate overwhelmingly endorsed our message of hope, optimism and of working in partnership with others to get things done.”

She added: “I campaigned to lead a new Executive as a First Minister for all, and I meant what I said during the campaign.

“I will work every day as First Minister Designate to demonstrate through word and deed a spirit of partnership and respect towards

Carey Fitzgerald

Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh

everyone in our society.

“For politics to work it must be inclusive. That means the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement must work, serve and deliver fairly and equally for all citizens, and for all communities.

“My commitment is to make politics work for everyone and to lead an agenda for change through partnership, not division.

“I want to co-operate across party lines and deliver in government by working with others who want progress.”

VIOLET-ANNE WYNNE Independent TD

Independent TD Violet-Anne Wynne made headlines and history this year when she brought her sevenmonth-old daughter along with her to the Dáil chamber for the weekly voting session.

Ms Wynne became the first politician to bring their baby into the lower house of the Oireachtas. Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl paid tribute to the Clare TD during the session, which saw her return to the Dáil for the first

time after giving birth to her sixth child.

Ms Wynne received cross-party applause as she carried her baby daughter Collins into the chamber.

“Baby Collins is the first actual baby to join us here in the house,” Mr Ó Fearghaíl joked after TDs applauded Ms Wynne.

The Independent politician was formerly a member of Sinn Féin, but left the party earlier this year, citing a lack of support from her party colleagues while she was pregnant.

Just days after her daughter’s arrival, Ms Wynne revealed that she had given birth to her in a car park, with the assistance of the ambulance service, as she could not get to the hospital on time.

The TD said she knew she would not make it to the maternity department at University Hospital Limerick when her waters broke suddenly in February, even though her due date was in March.

Ms Wynne said as it was her sixth time giving birth, she “expected it to go fast” but it happened “much faster” than anticipated.

She said when contractions started, they were close together and “very intense” and when she notified the maternity department in Limerick, they advised Ms Wynne

to make her way to the hospital.

“We actually had all of the kids with us at the time, so we put them into the car and started the journey but as soon as I got into the car I knew myself that I wasn’t going to be able to make it,” she explains.

Thankfully there was an ambulance nearby which was able to meet Deputy Wynne and paramedics assisted her with the delivery of baby Collins in the local golf club’s car park.

“I was probably only in the ambulance two minutes and the baby was born. So, it was very time pressured I would say and thankfully it did all work out in the end,” she adds.

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Michelle O’Neill

Violet-Anne Wynne

Ant Hanlon

CEO, LEEDS IRISH HEALTH & HOMES; CHAIR OF TRUSTEES, FRÉA

Leeds Irish Health & Homes (LIHH) have been providing vital outreach and welfare services for some of the most vulnerable Irish people in Leeds for more than 25 years.

The organisation’s CEO Ant Hanlon has been with the charity since it was formed in 1996.

With his family’s roots in Co. Wexford, and experience with some of the city’s most marginalised groups, Mr Hanlon was deemed well positioned to take on a developmental role when the organisation was first formed.

“I completed a Masters/Diploma in Social Work in 1996 following ten years of working in and around homelessness in Leeds, covering issues such as mental health, substance misuse and isolation,” he explains.

“Destined for a career in child protection, an Irish tutor gave me an advert and said ‘I think I have the job for you’.

“I was successful in my application and started as Project Development Manager with the brand new charity, Leeds Irish Health & Homes in June 1996.”

Mr Hanlon’s role was to “develop culturally sensitive services” for the Irish community in Leeds, he explains, “who had disproportionately high rates of homelessness, mental health diagnosis and alcohol use”.

“The aim was to ensure people had a decent place to live with support that could help them regain and retain their independence,” he adds.

He admits that “many people at the time thought it ‘racist’ to single out the Irish for different treatment”, but time would show just how important those Irish services would become.

“The more we interacted with the community we discovered unmet need especially around healthy ageing and isolation,” he explains.

“We were able to gain funding through the Irish government’s then called ‘Dion’ programme and the local Strategic Health Authority to begin our outreach programme.”

More services and activities followed and LIHH has steadily grown over the past 27 years, branching out and innovating to embrace and underpin good health among the community with cultural sensitivity, while winning many awards and accolades along the way.

In more recent years the good practice in place at LIHH has stretched further across Britain, with Mr Hanlon asked to support a rebuild programme with Irish Community Care, Manchester in 2016, an Irish organisation that had been going through a tough time.

“LIHH ‘loaned me out’ on a two day a week consultancy basis,” Mr Hanlon confirms.

“A business plan was adopted by the Board and we have been working through this and are now at the point where my role is ending and they are about to appoint their own full-time CEO.”

In 2017, following the Global Irish Diaspora Congress in Dublin, Mr Hanlon and Breege McDaid, Director at Irish Community Care in Merseyside, looked at the possibility of their organisations working more closely together to develop joint projects and fundraising.

This collaboration developed into the Fréa charity, which was launched in 2020.

The unique partnership between the Irish

organisations allows them to pool resources such as IT, administration and finance services, it has also seen them create a network of businesspeople who wish to give something back to those less fortunate than themselves by supporting the third sector organisations that support them.

service which enables people coming out of hospital to get the social support they need and therefore regain independence more quickly. In addition we successfully bid for three-year National Lottery funding which will help us provide a befriending scheme for isolated older Irish people.

What do yo have planned for 2023?

Leeds has a vibrant Irish community. During the pandemic all the clubs and associations came together under the banner ‘Many groups but one community - Leeds, Irish and United’ to ensure that no one was left alone.

Together we mustered up over 100 volunteers to befriend, visit, do food and medicine shopping and deliver the infamous craic packs that LIHH has continued to deliver, which brought a taste of home to those in need.

What inspired you to follow a career in the third sector?

My mother and father were both nurses (midwifery and learning disabilities respectively) so I think it was a natural choice to go into the caring profession.

My first career choice was music as a drummer but I’m a lot better at social work, ha ha.

I worked at a detoxification centre in Leeds to start with and met lots of Irish (men especially) and could relate due to my background. When LIHH came along it just felt very natural.

What were the highlights of 2022 at LIHH?

During 2022 we held our 25th Anniversary celebrations which had been postponed from the year before with a big party at which our guests of honour were Consul General Sarah Mangan from the Consulate General of Ireland in the North of England and the Lord Mayor of Leeds.

We have also continued to step up and meet the needs of our community. We were successful in achieving funding for a hospital discharge

During the year we have been developing our new business plan with staff and the Board, based around our central tenets of Care, Culture and Community.

Obviously much of our work in 2023 is helping the most vulnerable in our community to maintain their resilience to the forthcoming recession. It will be a time of test for everyone.

What is your greatest achievement to date?

I had a service user say to me the other day that we had literally saved their lives by providing the service we do. I don’t think you can get a higher achievement than this.

Tell us something we might not know about the Irish community you support?

Mr Hanlon presents former Irish Ambassador to Britain, Adrian O’Neill with a civic gift at an LIHH fundraising event

OLIVER JAMES General Manager, Quattro UK LTD

The family-run business Quattro UK Ltd has been going strong for over 30 years.

Founded by Thomas James in 1992, who still runs the business today, the multi-disciplined firm offers a portfolio of activities, including Muck Away, Ready Mixed Concrete, Skip Hire/Waste Management, Aggregates Supply, Plant Hire and Land Remediation.

“Our fleet of trucks, plant and waste processors are modern, reliable and productive,” Quattro General Manager Oliver James explains.

“All are backed by fully trained, qualified and certified operatives and drivers, complemented by a team of field service engineers to ensure maximum working efficiency.”

Headquartered in Acton, west London, they also have bases in Southall, Iver and Gerrards Cross.

With 2022 the firm’s 30th anniversary year, the team at Quattro sent a message of thanks to all who have supported them in their three decades of operation.

“Over the past three decades we have offered many services to the

construction industry and continue to do so today,” they stated.

“As we turn 30, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has been a part of our journey.

“We will be sharing some content old and new over the coming weeks as we celebrate this milestone,” they confirmed, before adding: “Here’s to the next 30!”

The Irish firm, which has its roots in counties Donegal and Limerick, is committed to giving back to the communities it serves and works closely with the Acton Homeless Concern charity as well as other not-for-profit organisations.

So what’s their greatest achievement of the past 30 years?

“Simply building a good business

which now has over 100 employees,” Mr James confirms.

FRANK O’HARE Co-founder & Director, TLICN

Growing up in Cootehill, Co. Cavan, Frank O’Hare moved to London in 1972 where he has been involved in construction and property development ever since.

In 2009 O’Hare met a number of other businessmen while commuting between Ireland and London for work and the idea for The London Irish Construction Network (TLICN) was born. It was formally launched at The Irish Club in Blackfriars in May 2010, led by Mr O’Hare and fellow directors Danny Fealy, Con O’Sullivan, Niall O’Dowd and Sean Daly.

With the recession starting to hit businesses hard, they had decided to do something to help one another – and potentially others also in their position – through networking and sharing experiences, contacts and opportunities.

Their offering proved popular immediately, drawing a vast membership base across all sectors of the construction industry in the capital, and offering a vital support

network for businesspeople among the Irish community in London.

It was so popular, in fact, that within six months of its launch Mary Pottinger was brought in by the board of TLICN directors to help them manage the membership and organise their events.

“The network has gone from strength to strength over the years and I am very proud of what has been achieved by all at TLICN,” Mr O’Hare admits.

Supported by sponsors including Evans Mockler, Galliard Homes and Ardent Tide, the network continues to be a success, welcoming new members year on year and hosting high-profile events annually.

The network now has more than 200 member companies.

Frank O’Hare

Proud second generation Irishman Dermot O’Leary has come a long way since he landed his first major television role presenting Big Brother’s Little Brother in 2001.

In the more than 20 years that have passed the Colchester-born star has scaled the highest heights of Britain’s TV and radio industry –fronting The X Factor from 2007 until its final episode in 2018 (bar a one-year hiatus from the show in 2015) and hosting his own show on BBC Radio 2 since 2004.

He’s just a few months shy of his 50th birthday and, at this stage, there are few faces more familiar to television viewers in this country. Over the years O’Leary - full name Seán Dermot Fintan O’Leary Jr., whose parents Seán and Maria moved back home to Wexford in 2017 after spending nearly 50 years living in Britain - has fronted the likes of the National Television Awards, Soccer Aid, Comic Relief and Children in Need

Since January 2021, he has presented ITV’s This Morning every Friday, alongside co-host Alison Hammond, replacing fellow Irishman Eamonn Holmes and his wife Ruth Langsford, who previously held the presenting spot.

But as consistent as his presenting career has been to date, so too has been his commitment to his charity work – and organisations supporting members of the Irish community in Britain in particular.

O’Leary has been a patron of the London Irish Centre in Camden since 2016 and has committed much time and effort to that position over the years, from fronting fundraising events for the centre to helping them deliver food parcels to their most vulnerable clients during the Covid-19 lockdown.

And his volunteer work among the community has not gone unnoticed.

In fact it was that charity work, specifically supporting Irish people living in the capital, that saw the popular television presenter receive the Freedom of the City of London last month.

On November 2, O’Leary was presented with the honour “in recognition of his charitable work and patronage of the London Irish Centre”.

He and wife Dee attended his ceremony at the Mansion House, the Lord Mayor of London’s official residence.

They were joined by family members, friends, and

representatives from the London Irish Centre.

O’Leary was nominated for the honour by Lord Mayor of the City of London, Dubliner Vincent Keaveny, and member and Court Assistant of the Worshipful Company of Carmen, Vince Dignam.

Lord Mayor Vincent Keaveny explained: “Dermot is familiar to many millions of us, either, from watching him on TV or listening to his radio show but more than that, he is also a dedicated and much valued charity campaigner.

“As the City’s first Irish national Lord Mayor, I was particularly delighted to nominate Dermot for the Freedom of the City of London, which is one of our most ancient and proud traditions, and which he richly deserves,” he added.

Mr Dignam added: “Through my membership of The Worshipful Company of Carmen and my links with the London Irish Centre, I was very pleased to join Lord Mayor Vincent Keaveny in nominating Dermot for the Freedom.

“His sterling support for the LIC is being recognised today in a unique way by the City, and I feel sure that he will always remember this special occasion.”

After receiving the honour, O’Leary dedicated it to the Irish community in Britain.

“I am genuinely honoured to receive the Freedom of the City of London,” he said.

“Anyone who knows me will know that two of my great loves are this wonderful city and my Irish heritage so to receive the Freedom

alongside my London Irish Centre friends makes it all the more special.”

He added: “Countless Irish people, like my own parents, brought so much to this great city, so I would like to sincerely thank the Lord Mayor in honouring those experiences and contributions today, and I proudly and humbly accept this on their behalf.”

Chief Executive Officer of the London Irish Centre, Séamus MacCormaic, told of the organisation’s pride in their patron following the event.

“We are very fortunate and grateful to have Dermot O’Leary as a patron of the London Irish Centre, because he embodies the very best of our organisation’s values,” he said.

Dermot O’Leary pictured with his Freedom of the City of London certificate

EMMA SMITH Artistic Director & CEO, Liverpool Irish Festival

Despite having no Irish roots herself, Emma Smith is at the forefront of one of the biggest Irish cultural festivals in Britain.

Born in Leicester, Smith has a bulging CV boasting successful stints in all manner of artistic capacities, which brought her to the Liverpool Irish Festival (LIF) in 2016.

The Yorkshire woman had been living in the city since graduating in 2000 and worked in the likes of Bluecoat [a contemporary arts centre] as Head of Creative Enterprise, and LOOK, the Liverpool International Photography Festival, before applying for a role at LIF.

And it’s fair to say she hasn’t looked back since, moving quickly through the ranks at the Irish organisation where she now takes up the lead role and full responsibility for programming and

producing the annual celebration of all aspects of Irish culture in Liverpool.

The 2022 instalment of LIF took place in October, under the theme ‘Hunger’.

Thousands attended more than 50 events which took place in venues across the city, attracting audiences from across Britain and further afield.

It was another success for Smith and her small team of volunteers who work hard to pull the mammoth event together.

But there is little time for backslapping or resting on laurels, as planning is now well underway for their 2023 instalment.

“We work all year round to plan the Festival,” Smith admits.

“In networks, on government panels, on funding applications, it takes one person one year to do this.

“It’s me working on this, with a

volunteer board of 10, that’s it.” So what is the biggest challenging in Smith’s work?

“We are really trying to move the festival from being looked on as a project to being looked at as a long-term organisation that requires a year-round approach.

“The Liverpool Irish Festival isn’t just a pop-up idea, it does take one person a year to do this. There is so much to be done. It takes a lot of time, and it takes time over time to build relationships, develop ideas.

“I have been here since 2016 but it is all building, building, there is still lots to do, that’s how I feel.”

With that in mind, how are the plans for 2023 going?

A DAY IN THE LIFE

“We have already started thinking about what future years will look like.

“Next year’s theme will be ‘Anniversary’, because we will be turning 21 next year, because we are still in the decade of centenaries and because it will have been 175 years since the Irish Famine. So there are an awful lot of things to pick on next year.

“As part of our process we do try to think ahead, so we also have ideas for the theme for the years following that too – we try to put the foresight in so that we can hit important moments both in Irish history or the arts ecology.

“We try to look ahead so that we can maximise these things.”

“A day in my life includes working with local networks as well as national networks. I am co-opted now on an Irish Government panel, for the emigrant advisory support committee, and I also sit on creative organisations of Liverpool.

We set up a network for Irish/Northern Irish artists and people who commission work from those people, and I chair that too.

We work an awful lot on race equality in the city, we work with the city council, and we are constantly writing funding applications to try and drive this work and try and expand our team.

So, a day in the life is lots of things - its liaison, mentorship, volunteer recruitment, there is a bit of everything.”

Kieran Beggan

CO-FOUNDER & CO-CEO, FEXILLON

Founded in Dublin in 1998, Fexillon has carved a successful niche for itself over the years.

Originally named Integrated Facilities Solutions before a company rebrand saw the switch to Fexillon in 2021, the Irish technology firm is a leading provider of digital asset management solutions for infrastructure and real estate.

Co-founded by Dublin Institute of Technology graduates Kieran Beggan and George Harold, the pair remain in place at Fexillon as co-CEOs.

The tech company remains committed to providing blue-chip firms in both the private and public sectors with a more streamlined approach to their buildings and property management.

Their platform allows their clients to “make proactive, data-led decisions in real time, which allows them to make better, more collaborative decisions around reducing energy consumption and operational emissions through to creating zero energy buildings”, the Irish firm explains.

And their unique offering continues to appeal, with the rapidly growing technology company announcing this year that it will have doubled its UK headcount to over 20 employees by 2023 and will establish offices in London and Birmingham.

In September it was further announced that Fexillon had formed a strategic partnership with JE Dunn Construction, one of the largest construction companies in the US.

The partnership will “facilitate delivery of building information management to owner-operator teams in mission-critical sites across North America”, the company confirmed.

“[This] marks the next step in our future direction and the ongoing development of Fexillon in North America,” Beggan added.

“Being appointed as a strategic partner to JE Dunn’s build programme, worth $3 billion in construction value, underlines our commitment to working together to radically change the construction industry and built environment for the benefit of customers, the occupier and the environment.

“Fexillon’s pipeline of work is set for exponential growth and reinforces our conviction around the significant future opportunities for the company in the US.”

Regarding their UK expansion, Beggan explained: “Our solutions offer peace of mind for blue-chip firms in the public and private sector, providing a more streamlined approach to buildings and property management.

“ These markets will accelerate at pace as the pandemic eases and remote management capability expands under Industry 4.0 and includes process automation, IOT and robotics.”

He added: “Our expansion into the UK will ensure Fexillon is well positioned to support mission critical building owners with regional and global footprints and can provide a secure environment for managing building information from planning and design stage, construction and handover to operations and maintenance for the building owner and operator.”

It has yet to be revealed where Fexillon’s British bases will be located, so watch this space.

PATRICK AND JOHN COLLISON Co-founders, Stripe

Limerick-born brothers John and Patrick Collison are the brains behind the global internet payments firm Stripe.

The pair, who grew up in Tipperary but are now based in San Francisco, hatched the idea for the online payment portal, which lets businesses and individuals accept payments over the internet, while both were in college in Cambridge at MIT in the US.

They founded the firm, which has headquarters in California and Dublin, in 2010.

It now enables internet operations for more than one million businesses - including Zoom, Amazon, Shopify and Deliveroo.

In April 2020 the company raised $850million in a funding round with a valuation of $36billion.

In 2021 they welcomed former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney to their board, and last year they also confirmed a deal with the Ford Motor Company, which saw them become the premier payment service provider for the car manufacturer and its dealers across North America and Europe.

The brothers became the world’s youngest self-made billionaires in 2016 after an investment in Stripe from CapitalG and General Catalyst valued the company at $9.2billion.

Earlier this year they were one of only nine Irish entries to feature in

the Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2022.

They ranked in 214th position with a personal value of $9.5billion each.

Last month the payment firm made redundancies across its staff force, due to “over-hiring” in previous years and the impact of an unprecedented global pandemic.

While attempting to protect the firm’s future during the tough times ahead, the Irish brothers remain confident that there are better times just around the corner.

“We think that 2022 represents the beginning of a different economic climate,” they admitted while announcing their redundancies.

“While the changes today are painful, we feel very good about the prospects for innovative businesses and about Stripe’s position in the internet economy.”

PETER DONEGAN Garden Designer

Acclaimed garden designer Peter Donegan will make history next year as the first Irish person to design and exhibit a show garden for the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show (MIFGS) 2023.

The event, which is the largest and most prestigious horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere, is located at The Royal Exhibition Building and its surrounding Carlton Gardens - a World Heritage Site which has existed in Melbourne

since 1880.

Dublin-based Donegan claims it is “humbling” to be able to represent his home nation in this way – doing the work that he has loved for so many decades.

“We are a small but beautiful

of the world’s best and a very beautiful part of Australia”, he added.

Donegan and his team will work alongside Victoria-based Semken Landscaping to realise his show garden, which he claims will be based on the theme of “love”.

“MIFGS haven’t allowed us to release designs just yet, but I can tell you it’s a contemporary vision of a love story and hearts separated via a small island off the coast of Galway to the mainland,” he said.

“That the build will take place during my second only ever St Patrick’s Day away from home in a particularly beautiful country that I’ve never been to is another always interesting journey,” he added.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Peter Donegan Garden Design is an international and local garden design, landscape architecture and project management practice based in Dublin.

In 2001, aged 24, Peter Donegan founded the firm.

It swiftly won a host of awards for his 17th and 18th century inspired garden designs and for his show gardens at national competition.

From 2019 to 2022 the RHS silver medallist became the series garden designer for Ireland’s most watched TV show, RTE television’s DIY SOS The Big Build Ireland

Selected to represent Ireland to design and realise the Irish WW1

Limerick-born Stripe founders, Patrick and John Collison

History-making garden designer Peter Donegan

CHARLIE GLEESON Founder & CEO, Zipp Mobility

Charlie Gleeson founded his electric scooter (e-scooter) start up in Dublin in 2019 aged just 24.

Since then the firm, which is headquartered at NovaUCD, has grown exponentially to become a significant player in the European micromobility sharing market.

It has launched e-scooter and e-bike operations in nine cities to date, located across the UK, Ireland and Poland.

And the Irish firm recently announced that it has closed a €6.1 million funding round led by Fasanara Capital, a UK-based asset manager, as well as securing follow-on investment from a number of existing investors.

The funding, a mixture of equity and debt, will be used by the company to expand its e-scooter and e-bike operations in Ireland, UK and in mainland Europe in the coming months and to expand the Zipp growth and operations team.

Gleeson, now aged 27 and still leading the firm as CEO, said: “We are delighted to have secured this significant investment and backing from the Fasanara Capital team and existing investors.

“It’s great to have so many investors who believe in our long-term vision of “mobility done right”.

“This funding will help us bring this approach to more cities and provide more people in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe with sustainable, safe and community-centric micromobility solutions.”

Previous to this latest funding round the firm had secured a total of €2.1million from a number private and angel investors including former Irish rugby international Brian O’Driscoll and Barry Maloney of Balderton Capital, Enterprise Ireland, and through a crowdfunding campaign on the Spark Crowdfunding platform.

ANNA HAUGH

Chef, Restaurateur

Entrepreneurial Irish chef Anna Haugh continues in her quest for success on and off our television screens.

The chef patron of Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea opened a second restaurant this year.

The Tallaght native opened Anna Haugh at Conrad Dublin, a pop-up restaurant within the iconic Irish hotel, on October 25.

She describes her latest offering as a “warm sincere service paired with elegant modern dining using the finest Irish produce and some traditional recipes reimagined, lighter and more elegant”.

“The menu will celebrate and showcase the best of Irish produce and suppliers; offering honest, refined and uncomplicated dishes that evoke memories and tell the story of Ireland,” she added.

Elsewhere this Autumn, Haugh joined BBC One’s MasterChef: The Professionals as a judge.

She now stars alongside Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace in series 15 of the ever-popular culinary show, taking the place of former judge Monica Galletti.

Regarding her role, Haugh said: “MasterChef has an impeccable

reputation and legacy within the hospitality industry. I have longadmired Monica as an incredible chef and she’s paved the way for female chefs. It’s a privilege to be keeping her seat warm in the MasterChef kitchen.”

The Irish chef, who welcomed her second child, baby Oisín in August 2021, is a regular chef on BBC One’s Morning Live and a also host and regular guest chef on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen

She was previously one of the main chefs on BBC’s Ready Steady Cook, took part in Season 2 of Snackmasters on Channel 4 and three series of BBC One’s Royal Recipes

ANDREW LYNCH

Founder & COO, Huckletree

The Huckletree team are on a mission to change the world – well the world of work, at least.

Co-founded by Irishman Andrew Lynch and Gabriela Hersham in London in 2014, the firm is a communal workspace provider, which describes itself as the much catchier “workspace innovation specialist”.

Their concept has grown steadily across Britain and Ireland in the years that have passed, particularly

post-pandemic, with the co-working business now operating seven sites across Dublin, London and Manchester.

And its plans to grow that further are keeping Dublin-based Lynch busy.

The father-of-two, who moved back to Ireland with his wife Jenny and their daughters during the Covid-19 pandemic, is actively looking for Huckletree’s second site in the Irish capital, to follow its existing office on Pearse Street.

“We want to open a second location in Dublin and hopefully more, to be honest,” he said in a recent interview.

“From Stephen’s Green over towards the Liberties and Portobello has a lot of action. There’s a huge amount of benefit to the member businesses if they are aligned in some capacity,” he said.

“We always want to look at it

“twofold. One aspect is the space and what it offers. The other is that we like to see ourselves at the forefront of the start-up/scale-up world.

“We’re not the cheapest in town and we never want to be – we want to be the most empowering.”

Lynch, 34, runs Huckletree’s expansion, operations and corporate strategy, having traded in his suit, tie and the world of private equity and venture capital, to join the co-working sector.

He now advises company founders across operations, fundraising, finance and strategy.

And when he’s not hanging out with his two little girls, Edie and Esmé, you’ll find him running insane ultra-marathon distance races, just for the craic.

So what’s his superpower?

“High-energy at all hours,” he admits.

WHAT IS HUCKLETREE’S MISSION?

MasterChef judge Anna Haugh

KEEPING THE NATION MOVING

Carla Stockton-Jones took up the role of UK Managing Director of the national public transport provider Stagecoach she made her very own piece of history.

The businesswoman became the first female to head up a major private sector multi-modal public transport operation in Britain.

Stockton-Jones joined Stagecoach Group in February 2020, a few weeks before the arrival of Covid-19, and led the team through the pandemic, keeping the public on the move and protecting the safety of the firm’s more than 24,000 employees right across the country.

Prior to that she held a range of senior position at Sky, having joined the firm in 2012.

Now, with the worst of the health crisis behind us, the second generation Irish woman, whose roots lie in Co. Galway, is responsible for Stagecoach’s business transformation plans and

coronavirus recovery strategy, which sees her working alongside the Department for Transport on the sector’s recovery from the pandemic.

The business leader is also Chair of the new Women of Irish Heritage Network, which has been developed by the Irish charity partnership Fréa, and a Yorkshire Board Member of the Maggie’s cancer charity.

Committed to creating positive customer experiences on public transport, as well as championing women in business, she told FIONA AUDLEY what’s in store for 2023...

What drives you in your business career?

I like challenging myself and advancing on a personal level.

That’s what attracted me to Stagecoach to begin with.

It’s personally challenging and it has forced me to develop new skills that I never would have attempted on my own – like managing the senior political stakeholders for our business. Doing things that scare me every day, but that’s what I like, to feel challenged every day.

It’s changed my confidence level and my entire life, not just my career, and this continues to keep me motivated and get me through tough days, or days where things don’t go the way I’d like them to.

Can you tell us about your involvement in the new Women of Irish Heritage Network?

I chair the Women of Irish Heritage Network.

It’s been created to bring professional women of Irish ancestry together to celebrate our heritage.

WHEN

Members of the new Women of Irish Heritage Network enjoying its launch party earlier this year

Perhaps most importantly, the Network provides a space for members to learn from each other, to be inspired, and to support both each other and the wider Irish community through the good work carried out by Fréa and its associated organisations.

These organisations, who are also supported by the Irish Government through the Emigrant Support Programme, provide vital support and services to those most in need in the Irish community.

What are your career highlights of 2022?

Joining a new industry just a few weeks before the pandemic was a pretty intense and challenging time, but I am proud of my role in leading

the business through that period and continuing to keep people on the move and colleagues safe and motivated, and I was lucky to have an incredible team to support me.

All businesses are still negotiating the after-effects of the pandemic, as are we, but I’m incredibly optimistic about the future.

What’s in store for Stagecoach in 2023?

As we move into 2023, our focus will be on how we maximise the opportunities to make public transport the first choice for people, building on the major investment we are making in new technology and improved customer service.

Public transport is such an important part of people’s lives and

there is a huge opportunity ahead for us to create customer experiences rather than just essential travel.

What is your greatest career achievement to date?

Throughout my career, I have championed women in business and encouraged them to believe they have a seat at the table.

I have worked in some real male-dominated industries, and I am pleased I have been able to make such a difference - at Sky, when I started leading the engineering team, it was 98 per cent male and that had reduced to 85 per cent when I left. It’s these things that I look back on and feel a real sense of pride.

And that has continued with Stagecoach as we have a real focus on achieving our target of 40 per cent of senior leaders being female, and I have a crucial part to play in making that happen.

Can you tell us about your Irish connections?

My Irish roots are in Galway.

My mother emigrated to England in the 1960’s to find work.

She came to Yorkshire to work in the social care sector and raised her family here.

Ireland played such an important role in our upbringing and my mother was fiercely proud of her roots.

It has always been such a crucial part of my heritage.

WOMEN MUST ‘RAISE EACH OTHER UP’

“Traditionally women have been taught to be competitive with one another, because there was such a scarcity of jobs at the top,” Carla Stockton-Jones said at the launch of the Women of Irish Heritage Network earlier this year.

“It’s so clear that strategy doesn’t work,” she added.

“The truth is that raising each other up and channelling the power of collaboration is truly how we’ll change the equation - and have a lot more fun along the way.”

She explained: “We all know that building up a good business network has become essential to business success – whether you are a manager needing support as you forge your way up the corporate ladder, or an entrepreneur embroiled in the challenges of finding clients for your own business, and how powerful could a network be when you all share a common heritage.

“I’m delighted to be Chairing and helping to develop a network that will bring Women of Irish Heritage in the north of England together to share our experiences and culture and in doing so also reaching out to our broader Irish community in need through Fréa, who also need our support.”

who have made their mark

L-R Women of Irish Heritage Network (WIH) Vice-Chair Aileen Wiswell, WIH Advisory Board member Dorothy Lynch, WIH Chair Carla Stockton-Jones and WIH Advisory Board member Sarah-Louise McCartney

SEAN O’DRISCOLL CEO, Galldris Group

London-based Sean O’Driscoll has almost three decades of experience in the construction industry.

In 1998, along with business partner Donal Gallagher, he co-founded the Galldris Group.

The company started off specialising in tunnelling projects but quickly diversified into basement construction, groundworks, concrete structures and infrastructure works, enabling Galldris to offer their clients a one-stop shop service.

Galldris deliver these services across several different sectors including rail, residential, commercial, retail, leisure, industrial, air and health.

Currently Galldris are partnering with Argent Related to deliver the infrastructure works on the £7billion Brent Cross Town Development.

They are working with British Land to deliver the infrastructure on the

£3.6billion Canada Water Development and BBV to deliver various structures on their £2.5billion section of HS2.

With a reputation as an agile, flexible and pro-active contractor that self-delivers through collaboration, Galldris is known for its open book approach to managing risk and giving clients visibility of costs.

Married to Co. Fermanagh native Ann Marie, the couple have three children, Caolan, Ava and Shauna.

As a company, Galldris is proud of its Irish roots and lends its support to a number of British and Irish charity groups and organisations.

These include Macmillan Cancer Support, Royal Free Charity, Acton Homeless Concern, Blesma, British Heart Foundation, Keech Hospice Care, Lymphoma Action, Alzheimer’s Society, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund, Shine, Prudential RideLondon to name but a few.

O’MAHONY Managing Director, Maylim

Born in London but raised in Limerick, Maylim Managing Director Thomas ‘Tom’ O’Mahony is leading something of a green revolution in the capital..

O’Mahony left the city for Ireland at the age of seven, when his family returned to Athea, his father’s hometown.

But once he had finished his Leaving Cert he returned to London, to pursue an interest in the world of construction which would later see him choose a career in engineering.

Now, more than 30 years later, he is Managing Director at Maylim, a specialist landscape contractor located in the city which has transformed some of the capital’s most iconic urban locations into pockets of tranquillity and greenery.

The niche business, which predominately works on public realm, hard and soft landscaping schemes, but also completes highway and civil engineering projects, boasts a £60million annual turnover.

And the company’s trademark high quality workmanship is to be found at

TOM

Emer Cooke

ith more than 30 years of experience in international regulatory affairs, and more than 18 of these years spent in leadership roles, it was no surprise when Emer Cooke was announced as the new Executive Director for the European

The Irish pharmacist, who took up the Amsterdam-based post in 2020, was charged with leading the EU through the Her appointment - with a renewable five-year mandate - by the EMA’s management board made her the first woman to

Now, the graduate of Trinity College Dublin is busy leading the EU, as the head of its drugs regulator, through the post-pandemic recovery, while looking at lessons learned from

Prior to her EMA role, Cooke was the Director responsible for all medical product related regulatory activities at the World Health Organisation (WHO), a role based in Geneva, which she held from November 2016 to November 2020.

The Irish woman also previously worked at the EMA between 2002 and 2016, having joined the Agency as Head of Inspections and moving on to became Head of International

Ahead of that, she was Principal Administrator in the Pharmaceuticals Unit of the European Commission between 1998 and 2002, with responsibility for inter alia, inspections, international activities including enlargement of the EU and

Ms Cooke worked for the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries as Manager of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs from 1992 to 1995 and part

She also worked part time as an independent pharmaceutical policy advisor, based in the Czech Republic, from 1996 to 1998.

Cooke held numerous roles within the Irish pharmaceutical sector between 1985 and 1990 including two years as a pharmaceutical assessor at the Irish medicines regulatory

She holds a degree in pharmacy and two master’s degrees in science and in

AMBASSADOR

MARTIN FRASER Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom

New Irish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Martin Fraser officially took up the appointment following a meeting with King Charles III last month.

The Dublin native, who arrived in London to take up the position in August of this year, took part in the historic presentation of credentials ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Thursday, November 3.

As is tradition, Ambassador Fraser and his wife Deirdre were collected from the Irish Embassy in London in a State Landau - the ceremonial horse-drawn carriage rolled out by the monarch for diplomatic events - and brought to the palace for the meeting.

While there, the Ambassador handed over ‘letters of credence’ to the King, which are diplomatic papers issued by one head of state to be presented to the receiving head of state.

“It was a once in a lifetime event, there is no doubt about that,” Ambassador Fraser said of his royal engagement.

“It’s not every day you get to travel in a carriage to Buckingham Palace to see the King,” he added, “it was great day.”

A reception was held at the Irish Embassy in London following the event, which saw Mr Fraser, who has two daughters, aged 20 and 22, become the 19th Irish Ambassador to Britain.

Since his arrival to the post in the

summer, Mr Fraser has been busy meeting members of the Irish community across Britain as well as hosting events at the Embassy.

Prior to this posting, the diplomat worked as Secretary General to the Government and Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach.

He has also been involved in the Northern Ireland peace process since 2004 and played a role in both the state visit of the Queen to Ireland in 2011 and the return state visit of Irish President Michael D Higgins to Britain in 2014.

On taking up his new role, he said: “I am honoured to join my colleagues in London and take up my appointment as Ambassador of Ireland to the United Kingdom, our near neighbour and close friend.

“I arrive at a time of great interest and possibility in British-Irish relations, an area in which I have worked for nearly 20 years, including as Secretary General to the Government and Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach.

“I have been involved in the Northern Ireland Peace Process since 2004, and had the pleasure to play a role in both the State Visit of the Queen to Ireland and the return State Visit of the President to Britain; two transformative moments in a deeply important relationship.”

He added: “The many and vital connections between Ireland and Britain give us much to celebrate and build on.

“I am also keenly aware of the present challenges that we face, including in the context of the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the impact of this for Ireland and the Irish

community in Britain, and the continuing need to nurture Northern Ireland’s hard won peace.

“These are challenges that require us to draw on the understanding, cooperation and effective partnership that we have built together over many decades.

“With my team at the Embassy, I will work to ensure the very best outcome for that partnership, for Ireland and the Irish in Britain.”

DR ANN KELLEHER Executive Vice-President, Intel

Dr Ann Kelleher is Executive Vice-President and general manager of technology development at the leading US multinational firm Intel Corporation.

There the native of Macroom in Co. Cork is responsible for the research, development and deployment of next-generation silicon logic, packaging and test technologies that power the future of the company’s innovation.

In July the technology leader received the 2022 SEMI Foundation Excellence in Achievement Award for her work promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Intel and for her “outstanding leadership in the semiconductor industry”.

Previously, Kelleher was general manager of Manufacturing and

Operations at Intel, where she oversaw Intel’s worldwide manufacturing operations, including Fab Sort Manufacturing, Assembly Test Manufacturing and strategic planning, as well as corporate quality assurance and corporate services.

Before that, she served as co-general manager of the Technology and Manufacturing Group.

Kelleher joined Intel in 1996 as a process engineer, going on to manage technology transfers and factory ramp-ups in a variety of positions spanning 200mm and 300mm technologies. She first started her manufacturing leadership journey as the factory manager of Fab 24 in Leixlip, in Co. Kildare.

From there she moved to Chandler, Arizona, to manage Intel’s Fab 12 facility, followed by serving as the site manager of Intel’s Fab 11X fabrication facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Kelleher went on to become general manager of the Fab Sort Manufacturing organisation, where she was responsible for all aspects of Intel’s high-volume silicon manufacturing.

The tech chief holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, all from University College Cork.

Intel’s Executive Vice-President Dr Ann Kelleher

MAIREAD MCGUINNESS

EU Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union

Former journalist Mairead McGuinness was appointed EU Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union in 2020.

Prior to that she held the position of First Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2017 to 2020 following a 2014 to 2017 stint as Vice-President of the European Parliament.

The mother-of-two, who hails from Drogheda in Co. Louth, moved into politics in 2004 when she was elected as a Fine Gael Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

She served as an MEP for Ireland’s East constituency from 2004 to 2014, and for the Midlands – North-West from 2014 to 2020, making her Ireland’s longest-serving MEP.

A graduate of UCD, McGuinness claims every role she has undertaken in her career to date has prepared her for her current EU commissioner role,

my role, to do the best possible job because I have a strong sense of duty,” she claims.

“Prior to being elected in 2004, my work in journalism was based on that principle.

“In public life, I am acutely aware of my responsibility to my constituents and their concerns – listening and supporting and bringing their perspectives into European policymaking. I believe in keeping close to citizens and I regularly engage with businesses, schools, workers, farmers – working to make the EU real for them and always making the connections between my work and their livelihoods.

“Through this work, I have a deep understanding of the importance of financial stability and financial services for business, society and citizens.

“The financial stability, financial services and Capital Markets Union portfolio impacts directly and daily on our citizens, particularly during times of economic crisis,” she adds.

“Measures to assist the economy and households have been put forward by

FRANCES O’GRADY General Secretary,

TUC

After a decade in the role, Frances O’Grady will step down from her position as the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) at the end of this month.

The mother-of-two, born in Oxford with family roots in Dublin, has been an active trade unionist and campaigner

better fits a six million plus membership that is now 50:50 men and women.

As TUC Deputy General Secretary since 2003, O’Grady led on winning the 2012 Principles of Co-operation Agreement with the Olympic Authorities, guaranteeing on-site minimum standards for local jobs, health and safety and the London living wage.

In January 2013 she became

movement during a turbulent decade for workers.

It was announced in October that upon her retirement from the TUC, O’Grady will be appointed to the House of Lords.

TUC President Sue Ferns said of the news: “This is a testament to Frances’ leadership of the trade union movement.

“Frances has worked

“Her work is far from done,” she added.

“We look forward to having another ally in the House of Lords fighting to defend the right to strike and workers’ rights.”

Commenting on the announcement, O’Grady said: “I will do everything I can to resist this government’s plans to attack workers’ pay and rights and protect the right to

CARLA STOCKTON-JONES UK Managing Director, Stagecoach

Carla Stockton-Jones is UK Managing Director for Stagecoach, the UK’s biggest bus and coach operator.

The organisation has over 24,000 employees, running over 8,500 buses and coaches which serve an eye-watering two million customers every day.

Stockton-Jones has overall responsibility for supervising the company’s daily business operations, leading key initiatives and implementing company-wide strategies.

When she took on the role in 2020, she became the first female to head up a major private sector multi-modal public transport operation in the UK.

Upon her appointment the second generation Irish woman, whose mother hails from Galway, said she was “proud to be heading the UK business” at Stagecoach, which celebrated its 40-year anniversary in 2020.

“Stagecoach, its people and its services have made and continue to make a hugely positive impact on our economy, in our communities and in protecting our environment,” she added

“Partnership is more important than ever if we are to give our communities the green transport connections they need.

“I’m absolutely committed to working closely with national government, the mayors in our biggest city regions, and our local authority partners and other stakeholders to make that happen.

“I’m also looking forward to continuing the work underway to ensure the business has the right shape so we can unlock new

opportunities.

“I want to make the most of the diverse talent we have across Stagecoach, bring a fresh perspective to the business and ensure we are 100 per cent focused on our current and future customers.”

In addition to her day job, Stockton-Jones has worked as a member of the Maggie’s cancer care Board since 2016, helping raise awareness and funding for the charity to achieve its vision of having a care centre attached to every NHS hospital in the UK.

She is also Chair of the Women of Irish Heritage Network, a new organisation launched in Manchester earlier this year.

SUZANNE WYLIE CEO, Government of Jersey

Earlier this year Belfast-born Suzanne Wylie won the £250,000 a year role of CEO of the Government of Jersey.

Wylie, who was previously the first female Chief Executive of Belfast City Council, took up her new position in February 2022.

And the people of Jersey are likely to be in line for good things with Wylie at the helm, as under her leadership Belfast Council developed a 20-year city strategy

which has helped create more jobs, find solutions to skills shortages, deliver significant community regeneration and address inequalities and social exclusion.

In the role since 2014, Wylie worked across Belfast communities, identifying local needs with the 60-member council, representing eight political parties across ten electoral areas.

Married with three grown-up children and two dogs, Wylie has moved to the island of Jersey to undertake her new position, of which she said: “I am delighted to be taking up this important role.

“As a committed and career public servant, I will be using my experience to focus on tackling the crises, inequalities and areas of deprivation that have been created or exacerbated by the pandemic.”

She added: “In Jersey, my priority will be to support the Council of Ministers with their ambitious agenda, and to focus the public service on improving the lives of those most in need and on removing any barriers to their success. I will then prepare the public service for the election and deliver for the new administration.

“As Belfast born and raised, I was honoured to lead my home city’s

council for the last seven years and it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

“Jersey is unique and, like Belfast, has many similar values, challenges and opportunities. I am very much looking forward to integrating into Island-life, getting to know the people, those elected by them, and Government employees.

“It will be a privilege to get to know more about the culture, traditions, heritage and pride which make Jersey special and, of course, doing my bit to ensure that the Government protects these. I appreciate there is much to be done to enhance life for all, both now and in the future.

“I want to build the right relationships and lead a talented and motivated organisation to support Ministers to both address the challenges we face and embrace the opportunities that exist.”

In a welcome message, Jersey’s Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, said: “Suzanne brings with her a wealth of experience and fully merits this appointment. Leading the largest local authority in Northern Ireland, she has advanced the vision and ambitions of elected politicians, managed complex external relations with other jurisdictions, and driven internal modernisation to increase innovation and productivity.

“Suzanne has proven success in tackling inequalities and encouraging community cohesion, which will be crucial for Jersey as we accelerate out of the pandemic in a way that puts children first and improves standards of living for everyone.”

ROYAL HONOUR

In June Wylie received an OBE as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Receiving the award for her services to local government in Northern Ireland, the CEO said: “I am delighted and hugely humbled to be included alongside such worthy and deserving islanders in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours List.

“I am very proud of what my previous team at Belfast City Council achieved alongside many partners and I look forward to channelling that same energy and drive to support the incoming Council of Ministers to do the very best for Jersey.”

Carla Stockton-Jones

Suzanne Wylie

Katie-George Dunlevy

PARALYMPIC CYCLIST

Katie-George Dunlevy is one of Ireland’s most successful Paralympic athletes.

The champion cyclist, who rides tandem with pilot Eve McCrystal - has won five medals for her country – at the Tokyo 2020 and the Rio 2016 Paralympics tournaments.

And there have many more championship wins in between those events for the cyclist, who joined the Irish team in 2011 after first competing as a rower for Great Britain.

Born in Crawley, west London, Dunlevy had a particularly Irish upbringing in the capital, which included regular trips back to her father’s hometown, Mountcharles in Co. Donegal.

It was at the age of 11 that the athlete was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a chronic hereditary eye disease which causes abnormalities of the retina leading to progressive vision loss.

Finding mainstream school difficult she changed school, quickly got involved in sports and found that she had a natural ability.

As a teenager, Dunlevy won national swimming and athletics competitions and competed at the International Blind Sports Association’s European Athletics Championships, where she won bronze in the 400m at the age of 17.

She was noticed in the world of rowing and was fast tracked into the Great Britain team.

After competing for seven years, during which time she became a British World Champion in 2004 and again in 2005, she was approached by the head coach of para cycling in Ireland and urged to give it a try.

Convinced to go to Dublin and meet with the coach for fitness testing, three weeks later she was asked to represent Ireland at the Road World Championships, where she fell in love with the sport, left rowing behind and focused on her goal of cycling in the Paralympics.

In 2016 she won her first gold and silver for Ireland in the Rio Paralympics, competing with pilot Eve McCrystal.

She went on to become double World Champion at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in September 2017, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

A year later, in 2018 in Maniago, Italy, she retained both titles becoming double World Champion again.

In September 2019 she and McCrystal collected an impressive gold and silver at the UCI Paracycling World Road Championships in the Netherlands.

The pair shone through again the following year, winning their two gold medals and one silver at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020.

When asked what it means to win a medal for Ireland, Dunlevy explains: “‘It feels like nothing else. It’s quite emotional. You can’t explain it.

“When you hear the national anthem, and you stand for the country, it’s one of the memories that you never forget.”

So, what’s next for Dunlevy?

“‘I have small goals and aims, and you work toward them, and you can look forward to Paris [Paralympics 2024] down the line, but you don’t think about that until you come closer to it as I’ve many World Championships I need to peak for before then,” she admits.

“But the ultimate goal is the Paralympics, and everyone is working towards that.

“I’ve a great team around me and we don’t leave any stone unturned coming up to the games.”

Dunlevy, who is a former Irish Post Award winner, is also expecting an invitation to meet with Irish President Michael D Higgins this month, as she has been confirmed as a recipient of the Presidential Distinguished Service Award 2022.

Katie-George Dunlevy, pictured (right) with pilot Eve McCrystal at Tokyo 2020

TIMOTHY KELLY Chairman, Kelly Group

Founded by Timothy ‘Tim’ Kelly, Kelly Group has been at the forefront of the telecommunications industry for more than 35 years, installing its very first customer cable television service on September 17, 1985.

Established to support the emerging UK cable television market, over nearly four decades the award-winning firm has grown steadily and diversified to meet the needs of its clients and a vast customer base.

It remains a leader in its field, and Kelly, as founder and Chairman, continues to lead the business.

This year his impressive business achievements to date were acknowledged when he received the Freedom of the City of London – marking the first time since 1930 that a Donegal man has received this notable honour.

The Frosses native was personally nominated for the historic award by Lord Mayor of London, Vincent Keaveny and Lady Mayoress, Amanda Keaveny.

The pair, who hail from Dublin, acknowledged Kelly’s “continuous

support and long-standing business operations within the City of London and his notable charitable work supporting a variety of non-profit organisations”.

Kelly was honoured at a prestigious ceremony held at the Guildhall, home to the City of London Corporation, within the impressive Chamberlain’s Court Room and was witnessed by a selection of close family and friends.

“I’m extremely honoured to receive the Freedom of the City award and to join the many outstanding women and men who previously received this very prestigious title,” Kelly said at the time.

“A huge thank you to The Lord Mayor, Vincent Keaveny, The Lady Mayoress, Amanda Keaveny, and Vince Dignam (City of London Corporation’s Business Performance & Transport Group Manager) for their recognition,” he added.

“I’m very proud of the continual work we have delivered within the City for 30+ years and I am very much looking forward to supporting the City of London for many years to come.”

influencers who have made their mark this year

PHILIP MARTIN Founder, Blanco Nino

Dubliner Philip Martin has spent the past seven years producing authentic Mexican tortilla and tortilla chips in the heart of Ireland for customers based across Europe.

Prior to that, he spent three-months in Mexico, where he learnt the art of traditional tortilla baking.

When he returned to Ireland, he set up his own tortilleria in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.

Launched in 2015, Blanco Niño was the firstand remains the only – authentic tortilla bakery in Ireland.

And what is unique about Blanco Niño’s offering - named after the ‘white boy’ nickname Mr Martin earned while in Mexico - is that it uses the traditional Mexican technique of nixtamalization to produce its tortilla and tortilla chips.

That sees their raw ingredients slow steeped for 16 hours before being grinded using hand-carved volcanic stone.

The firm also only sources its ingredients from heritage producers in Mexico.

Such attention to authentic detail quickly set this Irish start-up on a path to success.

Blanco Niño built up a steady client base within the food service and hospitality industry - with the likes of popular Mexican restaurant chains Wahaca and Las Iguanas among their customers.

The business grew steadily over the years, but particularly since 2020 - when the Covid-19 pandemic saw the firm expedite plans to add a retail branch to their offering.

As lockdown hit in Ireland – and everywhere else in Europe - an all hands on deck approach

EDDIE MCGILLYCUDDY Owner & CEO, Glencar Construction Group

Eddie McGillycuddy graduated in 2002 with a BSc in Construction Management from John Moores University Liverpool. He joined a leading main contractor as an Assistant Engineer, working his way through the ranks to become Divisional Director.

Having established Glencar Construction in 2016 with co-founder Chris Gleave, he has overseen rapid, but sustainable business growth which resulted in Glencar gaining the top spot in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 league table 2020.

As Glencar moves forward into Q4 2022 and soon, 2023, they are on track to deliver over £600m of revenue in the next 12 months after just seven years since the business was established. Glencar is also now

entering important emerging markets such as the public sector, data centres, film studios and Ireland as a new region.

In the past 12 months, the team has expanded to over 350 team members, with numerous strategic hires now in place to help cement Glencar as one of the industrial and logistics market leaders and to also move confidently into these the new sectors.

Under McGillycuddy’s leadership, Glencar has delivered some landmark schemes, including a new life science facility for Catalent at Harwell and various major industrial and logistics projects for blue-chip customers.

Two notable schemes currently in progress at the firm include the highly sustainable mega-hub for Baytree and Rhenus in Nuneaton, as well the new Ealing Film Studios in London.

McGillycuddy continues to build on Glencar’s impressive growth to now move forward as a Tier 1 UK contractor, focusing on the development of a talented team, a Tier 1 supply chain and a best-in-class customer community, with Glencar’s core values at the heart of everything they do.

CILLIAN MURPHY Actor, Activist, Author

Hollywood star Cillian Murphy can now add ‘author’ to his curriculum vitae.

The Cork native has been acting for more than 20 years.

His film roles include the likes of The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Inception, Dunkirk and the soon to be released Oppenheimer

He is also a well-known face on our TV screens, thanks, largely, to his role as Thomas Shelby in the hugely popular Peaky Blinders series, which won him an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in 2017 and in 2018.

When the Irish star is not acting, however, he is committed to doing his bit for society.

A keen social activist, Murphy participated in the 2007 Rock the Vote Ireland, which was aimed at improving youth voter turnout for the general election.

He also campaigns for the rights of the homeless with the Focus Ireland organisation and became a patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the National University of Ireland Galway in 2011.

In October Murphy published his

first book, Ionbhá: The Empathy Book for Ireland

The book is aimed at school children and young people and features a collection of thoughts, poems and essays from the Irish public including some well-known names - from President Michael D Higgins to podcaster and musician Blindboy, singer Imelda May and jockey Rachael Blackmore.

“The book was something that we had been talking about for ages, just to try and get this idea of empathy into the common vocabulary,” he explains.

“We want people to start talking about it and we’re promoting this programme of empathy in schools. It’s already been rolled out in a lot of secondary schools across the country.”

He added: “The world is very fractious at the moment, and I think it’s a difficult place to exist, particularly as a young person now.

“Young people exist an awful lot of the time online and that takes great emotional demands from young people online.

“This whole thing about empathy is about connection, the most basic description is walking in someone else’s shoes or seeing someone else’s perspective.”

100 per cent of all proceeds from Murphy’s book will go directly to delivering the new Activating Social Empathy education programme in Irish schools and youth work organisations.

DANNY O’SULLIVAN Founder, Danny Sullivan Group

Kerry native Danny O’Sullivan was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2019 and, having been postponed due to the pandemic, this September he was finally able to walk a flock of sheep across London Bridge in celebration.

Born in April 1954 in Glenbeigh Co. Kerry, Danny moved to London in 1971 when he was just 16 years old and took his first steps into the construction world with his famous Kerry neighbours, John Murphy & Sons.

In 1981, Danny married his beloved wife, Sheila O’Leary, a fellow South Kerry native, in Dollis Hill, London, and they have five children together: Caroline, Daniel, Tim, Patsy and Julie.

In 1986, shortly after embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Danny founded what has become the Danny Sullivan Group, which now employs over 1,850 people and is one of the largest suppliers of skilled labour to the construction, civil engineering, rail and transportation sectors in the UK.

The firm’s mission statement confirms that it exists to “build better lives; enhance communities; and put people at the heart of everything” they do.

Through teamwork they have achieved extraordinary capability and exceptional performance within the built environment.

They are now entering a new chapter in their story which will focus on people development within the firm.

The DSG Academy is a brand-new division within Danny Sullivan Group, focused on industry leading training provision.

With 35+ years of providing skilled trades and labour to help build some of the UK’s most prestigious infrastructure projects, they will use their experience and expertise to provide a unique training experience to inspire and educate the workforce of tomorrow.

The DSG Academy will be an opportunity for employees to develop professionally and bring their careers to the next level, whilst also meeting the pinch points of

customers throughout the industry.

The DSG Academy will have training centres in London and Birmingham, with the scope to deliver across projects or remotely to teams.

As they work towards the launch, more updates and details of the training courses and development opportunities they plan to provide will be shared, which will include Industry Accredited Training Courses, National Vocational Qualifications, Industry Accredited eLearning, Soft Skills and Personal Development Courses.

Information about DSG Academy can be found at Dannysullivan.co.uk.

CIARA PRYCE Chief Operating Officer, VGC Group

Although she has technically worked for VGC for around 20 years, Ciara Pryce has been visiting the office since she was a toddler, with her dad, Sean Fitzpatrick, who has owned the firm since 1977.

Utilising her MA in Human Resources with jobs in HR and CSR, Pryce later moved into broader management roles.

She is currently COO at the organisation, which provides skilled people and delivers quality civil engineering sub-contract projects to the UK’s leading infrastructure contractors.

Over the years the firm has grown steadily to become a family of more than one thousand people, encompassing a workforce as diverse and rich as the society it serves.

VGC has experienced huge growth in the last 12 months, after delivering 39 per cent growth in 2021 and 27 per cent growth in 2022 taking the organisation to £113million turnover..

“We are delighted to have secured contracts on all four

Danny O’Sullivan

Ciara Pryce

sections of HS2,” they explain.

“The work of our recruitment and CSR teams has resulted in the delivery of £22million in social value in 2022 and ensured employment opportunities for disadvantaged and vulnerable people including women, ex-military, ex-offenders BAME, youth and NEETs.

“We have invested over £350k in training and development in 2022 to ensure we meet our commitment to upskilling all our workforce and providing opportunities for economic empowerment for all.   “This has included the completion of over 250 NVQs cross our workforce.”

They added: “In 2023 we are focusing on the continued delivery of these major infrastructure

projects, and opportunities within the energy sector.”

Pryce, who was born in London, to parents hailing from counties Cavan and Longford, also has a busy life outside VGC, being mum to two young boys, and helping out with her husband’s craft beer shop business.

KATIE TAYLOR Boxer

All eyes are on Croke Park in Katie Taylor’s camp.

The professional boxer, who hails from Bray in Co. Wicklow, is a two-weight world champion and the current undisputed lightweight champion, having held the WBA title since 2017; the IBF title since 2018; and the WBC and WBO titles since 2019.

In 2019, following her victory over Delfine Persoon, she became one of only eight boxers in history - female or male - to hold all four major world titles in boxing simultaneously.

In May of this year Taylor made history in New York when she faced Puerto Rican boxer Amanda Serrano in Madison Square Garden – making them the first female boxers to headline the venue in its 140-year history.

Taylor, of course, defended her world lightweight title in style, in what was billed as the ‘biggest women’s boxing fight of all time’.

And in October Taylor increased her unbeaten record to 22 fights and 22 wins, after beating Karen Elizabeth Carabajal at the OVO Arena Wembley in London.

will want to be there. It will be the biggest event in women’s boxing history.”

The 36-year-old, who turned professional in 2016, added: “It’s been an amazing six years as a professional, but the best is yet to come, and I can’t wait for Croke Park next year.”

DID YOU KNOW?

VGC chairman, Sean Fitzpatrick is a former schoolteacher. As such, the firm has placed learning, development and personal improvement at the core of its employee offering. “We invested £290k in training and development in 2021 and this figure is set to improve year on year,” they confirm.”

The Irish star is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of her generation and she has a long list of achievements to prove it.

Just over ten years ago Taylor brought glory to Ireland when she won a gold medal in the London 2012 Olympic Games – the first Olympics to feature a women’s boxing competition, something she had campaigned hard for in the years prior to the event.

Now she has set her sights on fighting in her home country –with Croke Park her preferred venue.

The boxer is planning for a bout in Dublin next year and is hopeful it will be a rematch with Serrano.

“We want the fight at Croke Park, 80,000 people,” Taylor said following her recent Wembley bout.

“Every single person here

Since its establishment in 2009, The London Irish Construction Network has steadily grown its membership base to over 150 member companies, covering every aspect of the construction industry.

The network prides itself on its ability to bring member companies together, creating opportunities for them to develop and grow their businesses.

who have made their mark

Dame Elizabeth Anionwu

EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF NURSING, UNIVERSITY OF WEST LONDON

Professor Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu is the Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London.

She contributed to opening the first sickle cell and thalassemia counselling centre in Britain, helped create the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice at the University of West London and is a fellow of the Royal College of Nursing.

She is also a proud Irish woman, who was born Elizabeth Mary Furlong in Birmingham in 1947, to her then 20-year-old mother Mary Furlong, whose parents hailed from Co. Wexford.

Her father was a Nigerian man who studied with her mother at Cambridge University.

Dame Elizabeth was inspired to become a nurse at the young age of four because, whilst she was in care, a ‘wonderful nursing nun’ treated her childhood eczema in an expert and sensitive manner.

She started work for the NHS as a school nurse assistant in Wolverhampton at the age of 16 and has gone on to put a substantial amount of her life into her work as a nurse, health visitor and tutor working with black and minority ethnic communities in London.

“People from diverse cultures are not always valued and still sometimes just seen as problems,” she says.

In 1979, she helped to establish in Brent the first nurse-led UK Sickle & Thalassaemia Screening and Counselling Centre.

In 1988 she was awarded a PhD from the Institute of Education, University College London (UCL).

From 1990-1997 she worked at the Institute of Child Health, UCL as a Lecturer then Senior Lecturer in Community Genetic Counselling.

She has written extensively over the years and is a co-author with Professor Karl Atkin of the book The Politics of Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia published in 2001 by the Open University Press.

In 1997 Dame Elizabeth was appointed as Dean of the School of Adult Nursing and Professor of Nursing at the University of West London.

In 1999 she established and was Head of the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice until her retirement in 2007.

The university then honoured Dame Elizabeth with the award of Emeritus Professor of Nursing.

In 2002 she was awarded a CBE for services to nursing and in 2017 she was further honoured with a Damehood (DBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List for her services to nursing and the Mary Seacole Statue Appeal.

That same year, the Queen’s Nursing Institute awarded her a Fellowship (FQNI).

In July 2018, as part of the celebrations for the 70th Anniversary of the National Health Service, Dame Elizabeth was included in the list of the 70 most influential nurses and midwives in the history of the NHS.

Dame Elizabeth is a Patron of the Sickle Cell Society, the Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association (UK) and the Sickle & Thalassaemia Association of Nurses, Midwives & Associated Professionals (STANMAP).

She is also patron of the Irish in Britain organisation.

“Seeing the improvements that have happened so far. But I’m not satisfied until other gaps in service for BME patients and health professionals are addressed.”

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO KEEP GOING?

Founded

BRITAIN

SHARON HORGAN Writer, Actor, Producer

At this stage it’s fair to say anything Sharon Horgan writes, produces or stars in is going to be a success.

The actor, comedian, writer, director and producer has been on our screens, one way or another, since the early 2000s.

But it was her hit comedy Pulling, which ran on BBC from 2006 to 2009, that saw her make a career breakthrough.

Since then, the Irish woman – born in Hackney, London but raised in Bellewstown, Co. Meathhas continued to entertain the viewing masses across the globe with her remarkable writing, acting and producing abilities.

From 2015-2019 Horgan co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning Channel 4 series Catastrophe, with Rob Delaney.

At roughly the same time, Horgan wrote the US comedy series Divorce, which starred Sarah Jessica Parker, in her first major acting commitment since her time on Sex and the City

In 2014 Horgan established Merman, an independent production company, with producer Celia Mountford.

The firm now has offices in London, New York and Los Angeles.

Catastrophe and Divorce were both produced under Merman, as was Horgan’s successful series This Way Up, Motherland and RTE2’s Women on the Verge

Merman also produces Channel 4’s Frank of Ireland, which features Domhnall and Brian Gleeson, and recently announced the new horror-comedy series Shining Vale, which will star Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear and Mira Sorvino.

Horgan still finds time to act, of course, and is no stranger to the silver screen herself – with recent film roles including Military Wives (2019), Dating Amber (2020), Everybody’s Talking about Jamie (2021) and The

Massive Talent (2022).

And her latest hit television series, the dark comedy Bad Sisters has just been renewed for a second season on Apple TV+.

Which is exactly as one would expect.

FERGAL KEANE War Correspondent, Author

It seems 2022 has been something of a year of reflection for long-term BBC war correspondent and author Fergal Keane.

As a BBC special correspondent, the Irishman has covered the worst conflict and brutality across the globe for more than 30 years.

From war-torn Kigali to Baghdad to Belfast, he was always at the heart of the story and became a trusted BBC face, known for reporting with humanity and extraordinary empathy from his highly dangerous frontline locations.

He gained particular attention for his reporting of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and won a BAFTA in 1997 for his documentary on the conflict titled Valentina’s Story

As an author he has covered a wide range of topics from the regime change in South Africa in 1994 in The Bondage of Fear, to a book entitled Road of Bones about the Battle for Kohima in India during WW2, which was published in 2010.

But off-screen, the journalist, who was born in London but grew up in Dublin and later Cork, struggled to keep another story from overwhelming him.

He was suffering from an acute form of post-traumatic stress disorder.

In 2020, Fergal went public with his diagnosis of PTSD, and has spent the past two years attempting to understand the condition and sharing that understanding in a bid to help others.

In May 2022 he revealed his personal struggles in the BBC film Fergal Keane: Living with PTSD

Through that emotional documentary viewers learnt that Keane’s acute “complex posttraumatic stress disorder” was a condition that had arisen from his exposure to multiple instances of trauma experienced over a long period.

The condition has caused him to suffer a number of mental breakdowns and hospitalisations over the years, he confirms, but despite this, and countless promises to do otherwise, he has gone back to the

wars again and again.

This year has been different, however, he claims.

Despite the pull of war, in places such as Ukraine, Keane has continued to stay home and complete his personal journey.

That saw him publish his autobiography The Madness: A Memoir of War, Fear and PTSD last month.

Speaking as the book was released, Keane explained that he always felt as though he was meant to be a war correspondent – and had become addicted to the hit he got from being a journalist in a warzone.

“It was in me, and I followed it but it wasn’t the only reason why I did the job, absolutely not,” he said.

“I was always fascinated by history, Jerome Kelly instilled in me ideas of social justice and speaking up when you saw things were wrong,” he explained.

“But was there an element of addiction? Yes, and it has taken me up to very recently to come out and admit it.”

ANTHONY KEIGHER Writer, Performer, Cabaret Artist

Anthony Keigher (alias XNTHONY) is a London-based writer and performer from county Roscommon.

An award-winning cabaret artist, producer and facilitator, the trailblazer creates explosive theatre and community experiences that explore pop culture and national identity “from a queer lens”, with a keen focus on Ireland and the UK’s shared history.

He wrote and performed in Oliver Cromwell is Really Very Sorry, which premiered at this year’s Dublin Fringe, with a sell-out run and a sweep of five-star reviews.

The dark comedy musical explores Cromwell’s legacy in Ireland and was described by the Irish Times as a “hilarious, deceptively angry marvel [which] deserves a long life on stages of all sizes”.

He also wrote and performed in Confirmation, a pop musical play about rural life and queerness, which premiered at Dublin Fringe Festival and then visited Edinburgh Fringe at Pleasance in 2019.

His hit show Douze, a pop pop-comedy-musical about Eurovision and Brexit, toured internationally, including the Edinburgh Fringe.

In March of this year Xnthony and the Girlband were among the main stage acts performing at the Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s Festival in Trafalgar Square.

Through his company, Xnthony Ltd, Keigher has worked on commissions from organisations including the Southbank Centre, The National Theatre, Dublin Fringe Festival and Arts Councils in the UK and Ireland.

A graduate of London’s Goldsmiths University (MA Performance Making) and National College of Art and Design (Fine Art Paint & History of Art), in 2017, he was named Ireland’s LGBT+ Entertainer of the Year and most recently he won the coveted Arts Council Ireland Theatre Bursary.

Sharon Horgan

Fergal Keane

Anthony Keigher, aka Xnthony

FERGUS LINEHAN Co-chair, Impact Scotland

Dublin-born Fergus Linehan is a recipient of President Michael D Higgins’ Presidential Distinguished Service Awards (PDSA) for 2022.

After seven years in the role of Director of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), he left the position this year, having made a remarkable stamp on the highly esteemed cultural event.

Prior to that, he was CEO of Sydney Festival and Head of Music at Sydney Opera House, where he championed Irish artists and brought them direct to Australian audiences.

As director Linehan’s transformation of the EIF has been lauded and recognised locally and internationally.

He is described as having “ensured that Ireland’s arts and culture have had a constant and exceptional international platform, continuing his strong advocacy for Irish culture and heritage, curating a breadth of performances”.

Linehan received the 2021 Edinburgh Award, nominated by the citizens of Edinburgh, for his exceptional contribution to the life of the city.

He was also recognised for his innovative contribution to the city’s arts

actually feel real to be honest. I’m just so proud of the girls,” McCabe said.

Ireland captain Katie McCabe led her team to the ultimate victory this year – securing a place in the 2023 World Cup.

The Dublin-born footballer has led Ireland’s women’s team since 2017, when at the age of 21 she became the youngest captain in the team’s history.

In October she spoke of her pride in her teammates after they beat Scotland 1-0 in Hampden Park to make history for the Girls in Green, ensuring a place for the first time ever in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which takes place in Australia and New Zealand next year.

McCabe, who plays for Arsenal Ladies, having signed for the London team in December 2015 after rejecting competing offers from Glasgow City, Chelsea and Manchester City, admits she is struggling to comprehend the fact that Ireland are going to their first ever World Cup.

“I’m speechless. It doesn’t

Ireland, for large parts of their qualifying campaign, became well-known for their dogged style and ability to dig deep in times of immense pressure.

McCabe has since defended Ireland’s style of play, claiming the proof was in the pudding when it came to the outcome.

“People might not like our style of play with the defending, but we love it,” she said.

“We love to defend, we’re passionate about it, it’s our identity.

“We catch teams out on the counter-attack. That’s our strength.”

She added: “It gets results, we’ve been on a great run so far. We get results and prove people wrong and we’re going to a World Cup now.”

With Arsenal, McCabe won the Women’s FA Cup in 2016, the 2018-19 FA Women’s Super League (WSL) title and was named PFA Team of the Year for 2021.

KATIE MCCABE Footballer

Christmas

New

Wishing everyone a very happy and a prosperous

Year

from everyone at the Carey Group

ISRAEL OLATUNDE Athlete

This year athlete Israel Olatunde earned the heady title ‘fastest man in Ireland’.

The native of Dundalk in Co. Louth made his tory in Munich in August by becoming the first Irish athlete to qualify for a 100m final at the European Athletics Championships.

He then went on to break Paul Hession’s 15-year record by finishing sixth in the race in a time of 10.17 seconds.

“To be able to call myself the fastest man in Irish history is just amazing,” Olatunde said at the time.

“To be here in a European final, finish sixth and get a national record, I just can’t believe it. I had no idea I ran that fast. It’s a dream come true.”

He added: “The atmosphere was amazing; the crowd was amazing. These are the fastest guys in Europe and I’m up there with them.

“I’m so happy to be there and I know I can definitely improve so I’m looking forward to that.

“This whole season has just been such a blessing. I’m so grateful to be here.”

The 20-year-old Irishman’s breakthrough performance has since seen him called upon by Athletics Ireland for the announcement of a new sponsorship deal with 123.ie.

Asked if he expected such a successful 2022, Olatunde said: “I did.

“I had my goals that were set out for this year, and I pretty much hit my goals.

“It’s a great feeling to look back on the season.

“If you told me last year that this would happen, I wouldn’t have been too surprised but I would be really excited.”

With a memorable 2022 season now wrapped up, Olatunde is deep in preparation for 2023 under the stewardship of coach Daniel Kilgallon.

His next major outing is scheduled for March in Istanbul.

There he hopes to lay a solid foundation for the remainder of the year at the European Indoor Athletics Championships.

“I can’t get too ahead of myself at the moment because there’s still a lot of work to be done before the indoor season kicks off in January,” he said, before adding that things were “going well so far”.

MICHAEL O’LEARY Group CEO, Ryanair

One of Ireland’s wealthiest businessmen, Michael O’Leary continues to head up the leading no-frills airline Ryanair.

Born in Dublin, but raised in Mullingar, Co, Westmeath, O’Leary has been with the Irish airline since 1988.

Having joined the team as Chief Financial Officer, he became CEO in 1994 and was named Group CEO in 2019.

Under O’Leary’s management, Ryanair further developed the low-cost air travel model originated by Southwest Airlines.

Instead of increasing fares, O’Leary’s pioneering business model uses receipts from onboard

shopping, internet gaming, car hire and hotel bookings to supplement the ticket revenue from selling airline seats.

Savings are also made by negotiating discounts with airports for reduced landing fees.

With his low-cost model only really working for short haul flights, Ryanair has remained committed to serving locations across Europe -

and the airline now offers scheduled flights to more than 1300 destinations.

The focus on no-frills and low fares continues to produce results for the Irish airline, which last month reported a strong half-year after tax profit of €1.37billion, which is claims is due to “record Q2 traffic, strong operational reliability and robust summer fares”.

On the 2022 results, O’Leary said: “Our Group airlines delivered an industry leading operations performance and robust post Covid traffic recovery in H1.”

He added: “Over the past three years, numerous airlines went bankrupt and many legacy carriers significantly cut their fleets and passenger capacity, even while ‘doping’ on multi-billion-euro State Aid packages.

“These structural capacity reductions have created enormous growth opportunities for Ryanair to deploy our new, fuel efficient, B737 Gamechangers and as a result our market shares have surged across major EU markets.

“Our reliability, lowest (ex-fuel) unit costs, very strong fuel and US$ hedges, fleet ownership and strong balance sheet ensures that the Group is well placed to grow profitability and traffic to 225million passengers by 2026.”

Ireland’s fastest man, Israel Olatunde

Airline mogul Michael O’Leary

FIONNGHUALA O’REILLY Engineer, Presenter, STEM advocate

At 29 years old, US-based Fionnghuala ‘Fig’ O’Reilly has already achieved an awful lot in her career.

Born in Fort Knox, Kentucky, to an Irish father and African American mother, she worked as a model at the age of 19, while studying systems engineering at George Washington University.

After completing her degree, she joined a tech start-up in Washington to hone her skills in data science further.

Shortly after that she became a NASA Datanaut working within the agency’s open innovation program.

In 2019 O’Reilly became the first woman of colour to represent Ireland at an international beauty pageant — winning the Miss Universe competition, having competed as Miss Dublin.

She decided to use that platform to highlight the need for diversity and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and quickly became a leading advocate for the cause.

Today she continues that work as a correspondent on CBS’s Mission Impossible programme, which is aimed at creating “more visibility for women in STEM to teach and inspire the next generation”.

And in April she launched her own tech start-up, Space to Reach, which she founded to “help Black and Brown women in STEM get hired in the tech industry”.

In September O’Reilly joined a notable list of black and Irish honourees as recipients of the inaugural Diaspora Leadership Awards, at a ceremony held at the Manhattan Manor in New York City.

Hosted by the African American Irish Diaspora Network (AAIDN), which explores the links between Irish and African American identity, the event preceded the start of National Black and African History Month in Ireland.

“I am honoured to receive the Heritage and Spirit award in celebration of raising cultural awareness of Black and Irish identities,” O’Reilly said at the time.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR ADVOCACY WORK?

“My goal is to show more women and girls that it is possible to have a wide range of interests and that you don’t have to fit any stereotype of what it looks like to be an engineer.”

“This event highlights both the local and global impact of our communities, and I am humbled to be recognised alongside such exceptional leaders.”