Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly

Colm Lyon is a payments and fintech entrepreneur with more than 30 years’ experience in financial services, spanning banking, payments infrastructure, regulation and digital transformation.He founded Realex Payments in 2000, at an early stage of online commerce in Ireland and the UK. Realex grew rapidly alongside the rise of e-commerce and became one of Europe’s leading online payment service providers. By the time it was acquired by Global Payments in 2015, Realex was processing more than €35 billion in transactions annually for over 14,000 customers, including airlines, insurers, telecoms providers and major consumer brands.Following the acquisition, Realex Financial Services was spun out and remained under Colm’s ownership. That business later became Fire Financial Services, now trading as Fire, and focuses on helping businesses digitise how they get paid and pay out. The company supports services including euro and sterling bank transfers, foreign exchange, open banking payments and debit card issuing, all built on its own in-house platform. Today, Fire processes billions in payments each year for thousands of business customers, including large financial institutions.Alongside building businesses, Colm has been closely involved in shaping the wider payments ecosystem, and also invests in Irish and UK startups through his family office.This is the 72nd episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Colm Lyon, CEO and Founder at fire.com.

Village Vets is Ireland’s largest privately owned, vet-led veterinary group, delivering premium companion-animal care to communities across the country.Founded on clinical excellence and local ownership, Village Vets has grown into a market-leading organisation caring for hundreds of thousands of pets every year, supported by a nationwide team of veterinary surgeons, nurses, animal care teams and specialists.Alongside its clinics, Village Vets owns and operates Pawprints Crematorium, Ireland’s largest pet cremation service, supporting both the public and veterinary practices nationwide.Charles Cosgrave is the CEO and owner of Village Vets, and one of the most experienced vet-entrepreneurs in the Irish veterinary sector. He began his veterinary career in a busy small-animal hospital in Limerick, followed by a year in a high-volume multisite practice in the UK, before joining Village Vets in 2003 — a business founded in 1980 by his father, Karl, who is also a Vet. Today, he leads the strategic development of the group, with responsibility for business growth, clinic expansion, and long-term platform strategy.This is the 71st episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Charles Cosgrave, CEO and Owner of Village Vets.

In 2020, Niamh Tallon co-founded Her Sport, a pioneering social enterprise dedicated to increasing visibility, participation and equality for girls and women in sport. Combining her background in business and marketing with a lifelong passion for sport, she recognised a significant gap in media coverage and role-modelling for female athletes in Ireland.Rather than simply study the issue, she acted, alongside Mohammed Mahomed as her co-founder, building Her Sport into a dynamic platform offering digital content, educational workshops and community partnerships aimed at changing culture and retaining girls in sport.Under Niamh’s leadership, Her Sport has grown its digital community significantly, expanded into schools and clubs with education programmes and forged collaborations with brands and organisations committed to driving gender equity in sport. She has been outspoken about the dropout rates of girls in sport and the need to amplify the female athlete voice.This is the 70th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Niamh Tallon, Founder & CEO of Her Sport.

Operating for over 50 years, Dentaltech Group is a multi-award-winning, second-generation dental company leading the way in digital dental innovation. It now operates four state-of-the-art clinics across Ireland, offering comprehensive dental care including teeth cleaning, composite bonding, and implants, with a special focus on 3D-printed digital dentures and smile-enhancing treatments.Sitting in front of me is Bevin Mahon is the CEO and Owner of Dentaltech Group. Under her leadership, the business has undergone a complete transformation—from traditional denture manufacturing to fully digital workflows using scanning, CAD design, and 3D printing for everything from dentures and smile makeovers to anti-snoring devices and removable veneers.Dentaltech is also Ireland’s largest provider of mobile dental care to nursing homes and the homecare sector—ensuring thousands of vulnerable patients receive the care they deserve. Its in-house manufacturing lab not only supports its own clinics but also supplies precision dental devices to hundreds of practices across Ireland and the UK.This is the 69th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Bevin Mahon, CEO and Owner of Dentaltech Group.

It’s the first podcast of 2026 and as they say, go big or go home. We are only a few weeks away from the start of the 6 Nations, and joining me is Ronan Dunne - a Chairman, CEO, Board Strategic Advisor and independent non-executive director.Between 2016 and 2022, he served at Verizon, as President and CEO of Verizon Wireless, Verizon Consumer Group and most recently as strategic advisor to the CEO. At Verizon Consumer Group, he led the teams responsible for delivering wireline, wireless and television products and services to more than 100 million consumers. Prior to Verizon, he was CEO of leading UK mobile operator, Telefonica UK (O2) for almost a decade. He has held other industry roles that speak to his leadership and expertise in the telecom world.Today, he serves as Chair of Six Nations Rugby, the organizing body of the Six Nations Championships and Autumn Nations Series and Chair of Kore Labs, the RegTech and product intelligence platform. Ronan also serves as a non-executive director of British multinational retailer, Marks & Spencer and Balance in Business and is a strategic advisor to a number of companies in the telecom & technology sector. Ronan’s charitable work focuses primarily on education and providing opportunities for the next generation of leaders. This is the 68th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Ronan Dunne, Chairman, CEO, Board Strategic Advisor and independent non-executive director.

Jim Barry is the Managing Director at Barry Group. The business was founded by his late father in 1955, and under Jim’s vision and leadership, it has grown from a once local business to a leading wholesale distribution company. The Barry Group is one of Ireland’s leading retail food and alcohol wholesale providers, servicing over 1,600 customers through a central distribution centre and company owned fleet on a weekly basis. The company employs over 230 people at its state-of-the-art headquarters in Mallow, Co. Cork and trading both nationally and internationally, it is responsible for 265 franchises under the Costcutter, Carry Out Off Licence, and Quik Pick symbols, as well as a large number of independent retailers and wholesalers based in Ireland. Jim is an energetic business leader who has a passion to deliver superior customer service through his committed and valued team. As an entrepreneur at heart, a passion of Jim’s is fuelling the entrepreneurial spirit in emerging Irish businesses. Barry Group has been listed as one of Deloitte’s Best Manged Companies, and has also been accredited in the Great Place To Work Programme.  This is the 67th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Jim Barry, Managing Director at Barry Group.

Enda McDonagh grew up in Tallaght attending St Mary's National School and Templeogue College. He went on to study B Comm in UCD followed by a Masters in Accounting in the Smurfit Business School. He joined Craig Gardner Price Waterhouse (one half of what later became PwC) in 1994 via the annual milk-round recruitment sweep of universities that the big accounting firms all do. Enda worked as an auditor, making his way up the ranks to manager level, at which point he took advantage of PwC’s international transfer system to take a role in Boston in 2000, spending three years in the US city. In 2006, he became a partner in the firm, led the assurance practice from 2015 and served eight years on the leadership team of his predecessor as managing partner, Feargal O’Rourke, before being chosen to lead the firm two years ago, taking over from O’Rourke in July 2023 for a four-year term – a second term is possible but we can talk about that later. Enda is married with three teenage kids which he often jokes is busier than the day job.... This is the 66th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Enda McDonagh, Managing Partner at PwC.

Jessie Collins is a Dublin-based editorial and content strategist with over two decades of experience crafting compelling brand narratives and leading multi-platform storytelling across Ireland’s most respected media, lifestyle, and cultural platforms. Throughout her career, she has steered award-winning editorial teams, launched pioneering initiatives, and helped shape the content landscape for both print and digital. From relaunching Irish Tatler for the digital era to directing content for IMAGE and Cara magazines, she has worked at the intersection of journalism, brand strategy, and creative innovation. Irish Tatler is a long-running Irish women’s magazine with a rich history dating back to the late 19th century. It was first published in 1890 under the name The Lady of the House, founded by John T. McDonnell, who was also the publisher of The Irish Independent. Its original mission was to provide practical advice and aspirational content for Irish women, covering fashion, society, household tips, and culture. Today, it continues to be a prominent voice in Irish media, celebrating female achievement and providing insight into fashion, culture, and modern Irish life. This is perhaps best encapsulated by the Irish Tatler's Women of the Year Awards, celebrating its 25th anniversary and proudly sponsored by Davy in 2025 for a second year. The awards have always been about championing the achievements of women, while also being an opportunity to take stock of where we are in terms of equality, opportunity and progress. This is the 65th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Jessie Collins, Editor and producer of Irish Tatler's Women of the Year Awards.

David Cawley has 20 years’ experience in the acoustic and audio engineering industry and will argue that he had been working in the field for the previous 20 years as he began playing music in the family music school at 3 years of age. In 2010 he founded the acoustic and audio design consultancy Allegro Acoustics, and as CEO, he led Allegro Acoustics to become a frontrunner in the European acoustics, noise and vibration consultancy engineering industry. Having stepped back from this business in recent years, David founded ONESONIC in 2019, the first and only Irish consumer audio brand. The first four years of operation for ONESONIC were executed as a live feasibility study; focused on developing a comprehensive audio device range, market testing and gauging customer feedback. Now with a five-product range on the market and a strong foundation to grow, ONESONIC is entering fully operational phase in 2025 with a focus on the UK and mainland Europe as key export markets. This is the 64th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest David Cawley, Founder and CEO of ONESONIC

Hailing from Barna in Co. Galway, Lorraine Heskin studied in University of Limerick before heading off to New York for 4 years working in a diverse range of food businesses. On returning to Dublin in 2006, she founded the Gourmet Food Parlour, opening its first 25-seater café in Dun Laoghaire. Since then, it has evolved to become Dublin’s most trusted restaurant group, with 12 locations across Dublin, Meath and Galway including a state-of-the-art catering kitchen in Santry. In 2023, they opened 3 unique dining concepts inside the iconic Arnotts Dublin department store, and now have a fourth there, as well as two in Brown Thomas, employing 320 people in total. As CEO, Lorraine’s hands on approach to running the business is the driving force behind the company. Her dedication, determination, and hard work filters down throughout the company. She was an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in 2023 and recently won CEO of the year at the inaugural Business Post, Leadership and Excellence Awards. She has her own consultancy business established where she works with female entrepreneurs on their business journey, guiding and encouraging them to grow and scale. This is the 63rd episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Lorraine Heskin, CEO of The Gourmet Food Parlour.

In 2005, Master Butcher Paddy O Leary and son David opened the first factory outlet butcher shop in Ireland and the Dublin Meat Company came into existence. They quickly became renowned great value products and a commitment to innovation without ever compromising on taste or quality. As the years have unfolded, my guest today, Brian O Leary joined, and together the family noticed a shift in eating behaviours. Sensing the demand for quick, healthier meal options, they took a bold step forward in 2014 with the creation of Fit Foods ready meals. Fast forward to 2022 when significant investment in the Dublin Meat Co business by the BGF group resulted in the purchase of Swift Fine Foods by Dublin Meat Company and the founding of DMC Foods. Still proudly Irish-owned and run by the O Leary family, DMC Foods operates from a 34,000sq ft manufacturing plant on the banks of Lough Egish. DMC Foods is a corner stone of local employment with 200+ employees. This is the 62nd episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Brian O’Leary, CEO DMC Foods.

After formative years at Deloitte, DCC, Nestlé, Uniq, and Northern Foods—where he oversaw multi-site operations and delivered dramatic turnarounds—Garry was appointed CEO of Mezzan Holding in 2011, becoming the first non-family member to lead the Kuwait-based conglomerate. Mezzan Holding is one of the Gulf region’s leading diversified conglomerates, with deep roots in food, healthcare, and consumer sectors. Built on over 70 years of legacy, Mezzan is recognized for trusted brands, operational discipline, and its regional footprint across 7 countries. Over his 14 years tenure, Garry guided Mezzan through an ambitious growth phase: spearheading its IPO, refocusing on core segments like food and pharmaceuticals, executing acquisitions and disposals, and establishing independent governance in a traditionally family-led enterprise. Now serving as a strategic advisor and non-executive board member in various enterprises, Garry continues to shape strategic initiatives in the region, while also pursuing ventures like Planow.ai—a retail analytics startup tackling real-time inventory insights. This is the 61st episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Garry Walsh, Chairman and Founding Partner at planow.ai.

Sandyford Business District (SBD) is a Business Improvement District representing 1,000 companies, covering industries like IT and Communication, MedTech, Fintech, Energy tech, Automotive tech, Education and Childcare, Hospitality, Retail and Leisure. It is home to marquee names like Mastercard, Microsoft, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Meta, Google, BNP Paribas, AIB, Avant Money and Cubic Telecom among a host of other companies, and works closely with government, local authorities and industry leaders to advocate for infrastructure and investment. Ger Corbett has a wealth of experience and insight into business advocacy, infrastructure and planning development, and investment and policy promotion. As CEO since 2022, he guides SBD’s strategic focus- to serve as a cutting-edge example of collaborative improvement for businesses and their surrounding communities alike, and to position the district as a leading European business destination. This is the 60th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Ger Corbett, CEO of Sandyford Business District.

After completing a Graduate program in Marketing, Marc O’Dwyer began his sales career at Allied Irish Banks, Pitney Bowes and Panasonic, before succumbing to his entrepreneurial spirit in 1992 when he set up his own business, Irish International Sales (IIS).  Initially, this company was a reseller for Take 5 Accounts and Payroll software.  Within four years, IIS became the largest reseller of Take 5 in Ireland, acquiring four other Take 5 resellers. He also found time to set up two mobile phone shops under the Cellular World brand and a web design company offering website design services for small businesses. In 2001, he bought the majority share in a small Irish software business, Big Red Book.  At that time, the company was losing money.   The company became profitable within six weeks, and Marc then acquired a payroll company to compliment Big Red Books Accounting products. In 2003, IIS were appointed as Channel Partners with SAP for their new SME product, SAP Business One.  Marc sold his Take 5 business and concentrated on developing this new market for SAP, and in 2008, IIS was bought in an MBO. He launched Big red cloud in June 2012, the online version of big red book, which has been a huge success with a customer retention rate of 94% and unparalleled customer support. Marc sold both Big Red Book and Big Red Cloud in April 2025 at which stage the companies had supported over 75,000 businesses. This is the 59th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Marc O’Dwyer, Founder and Entrepreneur.

Hard as it might be taking over from your dad to run a family business, it must be even more difficult to follow in his footsteps to a senior position in another company or corporation – but that is what Niall Cogley did when he became Head of Sport for RTE. Then in 2004 he left the state broadcaster to become co-founder and CEO of Setanta Sports Ireland, a position he held for 6 years before accepting the role of director of broadcasting for TV3, after a brief stint with Sports & Broadcasting Solutions (SBS), an international sports consultancy and brokerage business. Finally in 2017 he went out on his own again with the establishment of Cogley Media which works with sports broadcasters and rightsholders - specialising in large and small scale productions as well as broadcast strategy, rights acquisition, exploitation, activation & delivery. This is the 58th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Niall Cogley, MD at Cogley Media.

When John Travers completed his Engineering degree he began working with Shell International, operating a major oil asset in the Netherlands. He subsequently went on to work at Shell Technology Ventures, commercialising new technologies for the global energy market. Next there was a stint with McKinsey working closely with CEOs, company boards and governments in multinational oil majors, before breaking out on his own as founding CEO of Alternative Energy Resources, which became a leading alternative energy company in Ireland. AER grew to supply sustainable biofuels to more retail networks in Ireland than any other company. He declined a takeover offer from DCC and led the company to an alternative exit, providing 16 times return to initial shareholders. He started a second business, Aer-Bio, to provide biotechnology solutions to the biofuels, industrial chemicals and nutraceuticals markets, and this company was bought by Cellulac plc in a share deal. Next, he stepped back into the multinational sector as founding managing director of DCC New Energy, a division focused on solar, wind, geothermal and bioenergy. Then his career took a very unusual turn…. But I wont spoil the surprise on that just yet! This is the 57th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest John Travers, Author and former Corporate Executive.

Ken Cahill is an active investor, independent board member, and advisor in the healthcare and technology sectors. He was the CEO and co-founder of SilverCloud Health, which he successfully scaled into the leading digital mental health platform with offices in Boston, Dublin, and London. Under his leadership, SilverCloud delivered clinically validated digital therapeutic care programs to over 1.5 million people, demonstrating significant improvements in clinical outcomes, enhancing access, and reducing the costs of care delivery. In 2021, SilverCloud Health was acquired by Amwell (NYSE: AMWL) for over $250 million. Before founding SilverCloud Health, Ken held senior roles at several multinational corporations, including Dell, HP, and Gateway. Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computing and IT, a Diploma in New Business and Entrepreneurship, and is a Chartered Board Director. This is the 56th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guest Ken Cahill, Chartered Board Director, Investor, Previous CEO & Founder of SilverCloud Health.

In the shifting landscape of modern work, freelancing has become a global movement. While digital marketplaces connecting businesses with freelance talent are emerging worldwide, Ireland has its own distinctive answer: The Indie List. Born during the uncertainty of the 2020 pandemic, what founders Úna Herlihy and Peter McPartlin created, has grown into a sophisticated talent platform hosting over 1,500 marketing freelancers that has channelled more than €5M directly to independent professionals across Ireland. The Indie List has now entered an exciting new chapter with a refreshed leadership team. Úna Herlihy continues as co-founder and CEO, but is joined by Rebekah Brooks as Managing Director, bringing new energy and vision to the company's ambitious plans. Úna Herlihy is a marketing strategist, entrepreneur, and champion of independent talent. With a career spanning over three decades across agency and consultancy roles, she has helped countless businesses successfully navigate the evolving marketing landscape. Rebekah Brooks is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience, having founded three successful businesses spanning SaaS and marketing agencies. Her entrepreneurial mindset and growth-focused approach make her the ideal leader to guide The Indie List through its next phase of expansion. This is the 55th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’ with special guests Una Herlihy and Rebekah Brooks, The Indie List.

This week’s episode is something a little different. We recently hosted a Venture Funding Forum with the guys in Delta Partners to an audience of over 70 people in the amazing surroundings of Euronext in Dublin. This exclusive event featured three exceptional founders who have successfully navigated the challenging path from start-up to successful exit, with insights into the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, Gaming and Fintech as well as a deep understanding of the venture capital ecosystem and its role in enabling growth companies. The panel included Feargal Brady, a serial entrepreneur and investor now focused on fintech as co-founder and CEO of NoFrixion; Andreea Wade, a Dublin-based entrepreneur, AI innovator, and venture capitalist known for her leadership in talent acquisition technology and startup mentorship; and Richard Barnwell , an accomplished entrepreneur and investor in the gaming industry, best known as the founder of DIGIT Game Studios. This is the 54th episode in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’.

Alan Andrews is widely regarded as a cafe and coffee expert and features prominently in both radio and print media. He created Coffee Culture in 2009, which specialised in Coffee Education and Training. He travelled around the country helping aspiring and new cafe owners with their business development and growth. In 2015, Alan bought The Old Barracks in Birdhill which is a place for the coffee curious and proved a hit from the start as locals and tourists who came to enjoy the experience. The retail side of the business grew as they were able to provide delicious coffee for home as well as education to ensure customers were creating a similar level at home. In January 2022, Alan secured a warehouse on the Dock Road in Limerick City and opened its doors in July 2022. Alan intends to turn this into an open source coffee education building with total transparency for customers to see the coffee making process and learn all about coffee. An estimated €1.5m will be spent to complete the project with the aim of launching the new offering early 2026. In 2024, Alan launched Ireland's first ever destination coffee festival - The Birdhill Coffee festival which will run again this June from 27-29th. This is the 53rd episode with guest Alan Andrews, Owner at The Old Barracks Coffee Roasters & GUJI Coffee Bars, in the Davy podcast series ‘Everyday Business with Aidan Donnelly’.