Company leaders hoping their sons make Ireland’s Rugby World Cup squad (2024)

Take-off uncertain for Byrne Ross

Byrne will have had a nervous enough wait for selection for the final 33-man squad despite ending the Six Nations as a seemingly firm understudy to Johnny Sexton at outhalf. Byrne appears to have been usurped in the order by Munster’s Jack Crowley. Byrne’s father, Pat, is one of the great survivors in Irish business. A former banker, he set up Cityjet in 1993, and some 30 years on is still at its helm and, despite two examinerships, it is still flying. Pat Byrne also founded Rainmaker Business Technologies, which makes software to handle crew rostering and pay; the company was sold to Skymetrix, a US firm, earlier this year. Ross Byrne set up Starfolio, an agency that links corporates and celebrities — mostly athletes and wellness types — for social media endorsem*nts and speaking assignments. It has got the backing of a number of partners in Wallace Corporate Counsel, a boutique M&A firm.

PK’s savvy son picks up ambassador roles

Hugely talented, if understated, Hugo Keenan has become the unlikely face of a number of ad campaigns leading up to the World Cup, featuring as brand ambassador for Energia, Glanbia’s Optimum Nutrition and the car dealer EP Mooney. Business smarts is no surprise, however, given that he is the son of Paul Keenan, former BDO managing partner and founder of Capnua, a busy corporate finance advisory firm. PK, as he is known, is very well connected and advised on the buyout at Elverys, Fonua, Chill Insurance and Mercury Engineering. Capnua is also an adviser to Workhuman, the HR tech unicorn. He is a shareholder in the gym chain FlyeFit (Josh van der Flier’s father Dirk runs Gym Plus) and Activate Capital, the funder of residential housebuilders. Hugo is a Starfolio client, one of surprisingly few pro rugby players on Byrne’s roster.

Leading runs in Ryan family

James Ryan is a leader in waiting for the Ireland national team, a teak-tough second row forward. His father, Mark Ryan, was the boss of Accenture Ireland for nine years up to 2014, and has been a much sought-after non-executive director ever since. He had been with Accenture 30 years, right back to the Andersen Consulting days. The former “Android” previously served on the board of Terry Clune’s Immedis and chairs the document storage company Kefron and the ad agency Publicis as well as sitting on the board of St Vincent’s Healthcare Group. His plum role is at publicly quoted DCC, which brings a €100,000-a-year stipend. Ryan’s fee includes a top-up for serving as workforce engagement director. His grandfather, and James Ryan’s great grandfather, was one of the volunteers to occupy the GPO in 1916. James Ryan is a brand ambassador for the discount retailer Aldi and Zest Active.

Buzz around Ringrose’s world cup input

Garry Ringrose has claims on the title of world’s best centre and is key to Ireland’s hopes at the upcoming World Cup. His father, Niall, is head of property management at Iput, one of Ireland’s largest property firms, covering 95 buildings and 270 commercial tenants. His job includes rent recovery, rent collections and lease renewals. Rent collection in 2022 was 100 per cent. He also tends the bee hives at the top of Iput’s offices on St Stephen’s Green. Niall has worked for Iput for more than 30 years, since before his rugby-playing son was born. Garry Ringrose is a brand ambassador for the National Dairy Council and Audi.

Son of a Gunne scored under-20 final

Fintan Gunne’s World Cup is already over. The Leinster Academy player was part of the Ireland under-20 team that reached the final of the underage event in South Africa earlier this summer. There to cheer him on was dad Pat Gunne, the former chief executive of Green Reit. Gunne and Stephen Vernon’s stewardship of Green Property, the company that launched the real estate investment trust to buy up office properties after the bust, is legendary. The sale of the Blanchardstown Centre was a genius piece of timing, while it also exited the Dublin office market at its peak. Pat Gunne, whose late father, also Fintan, sold his estate agency to CBRE, is now heading his own property investment vehicle 3RE Capital Ventures.

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