‘Over the years, I've lost a little sense of my calmness. I wish I were a little bit more patient or cool-headed'

Irish Times

13-07-2025

How agreeable are you?
I'm someone who always tends to go with the flow, so I'd describe myself as agreeable. Maybe other people wouldn't. They'd perhaps see me as a bit grumpy, but part of it is that as you get older, you tend to know what you want and don't want, and so you're more vocal about it.
What's your middle name and what do you think of it?
My middle name is John, named after my dad. It's not too complicated a name that you need to talk about or explain where it comes from. Other than seeing it on my passport now and again, it's very quickly forgotten about.
Where is your favourite place in Ireland?
I'm from
Adare
in Co
Limerick
, so that always holds a special place in my heart. I don't get to go down there too often nowadays, but when I do, I remember how lucky I was to have grown up there. It's a beautiful village. Another place is Valentia Island, where you feel like you're on the edge of the world.
Describe yourself in three words.
Calm, generous, reserved.
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When did you last get angry?
I don't tend to get angry all that often. In my personal life, you could say I get angry about sports when there's a bad result for your team, but it's actually more disappointment, and that fades.
What have you lost that you would like to have back?
My initial reaction is to say, what have I lost, literally, that I would want to get back. But then I think about the broader side of it, like losing energy or losing patience. I feel that over the years, I've lost a little sense of my calmness, and I wish I were a little bit more patient or cool-headed [like] I was maybe even five or 10 years ago.
What's your strongest childhood memory?
I have a very strong visual image of me being in Montessori class; I was one of the Wise Men for a Nativity play. Other strong memories are when we would go on family holidays. My mother is from Wales, so we would go there quite a lot. I remember the excitement of waking up at four o'clock in the morning, packing up the car. It used to take about four-and-a-half hours driving through every town and village on the way to get to the ferry, but they're memories I always remember.
Where do you come in your family's birth order, and has this defined you?
I'm the youngest of four. Growing up, I learned quickly what to do and what not to do. I definitely observed situations, and calmly measured the approaches, I suppose, and then decided how to participate. That has definitely defined me, but in a positive way, I would say.
What do you expect to happen when you die?
There was one quote I stumbled across a couple of years ago. I'm not sure who it was, but the quote was that what happens when they die is that the ones who love us will miss us. There's no expectation from me as to what happens, but I hope that whoever loves me will miss me. I think that's a sign of a life lived well.
When were you happiest?
In general terms, I'm very happy now. I have a dream job and a healthy family. The days of unbounded joy include my wedding and the birth of my three kids. Another happiest day was when Limerick won the All-Ireland in 2018. Like marriage and kids, it was a release of emotion. Like, Jesus, this is something special.
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Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life?
I'd always look at Dominic West, from The Wire – he had a fairly good Baltimore accent in that. He lives in Glin in Co Limerick, so he might get the accent right.
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What's your biggest career/personal regret?
I'm lucky not to have too many regrets. Business-wise and career-wise, I seem to have struck gold every time I've moved to a different job or company. One of the things that sticks with me, however, is that I never did an executive MBA. I meant to do it in my mid-to-late 20s, when I had the time. Now I don't have the time, but I will get to it some day.
Have you any psychological quirks?
I can't sit in a room and relax or work if it's messy. It could be chaos outside of the office, but in that particular room, if I have to work or sit and watch something or just chill out, I have to do a quick tidy up. The distraction of having something messy doesn't sit right with me.
In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea