Name: Mark McGrath
Age: 34
Present Job: Finance and materials IT manager for Dell in Limerick (returned to Ireland in November of this year.)
Childhood: Brought up in Kiltimagh, Co Mayo.
Third level education: Computer systems degree at NIHE (now University of Limerick).
Emigrated: Straight after finishing college in 1987 "when Ireland was going backwards"
First job: As a lowly data input clerk in a London direct mailing company. However, I was spotted by one of the directors when I fixed a computer there, and they then got me to design, build and implement a whole new IT system.
How career developed: Three years travelling Europe setting up a new accounting system for an oil company. Then a period working for the-then Price Waterhouse as an internal project manager, meanwhile getting married and first baby born. Further four years doing lucrative contract work for companies in Europe and in Britain, and a second baby born.
Desire to return to Ireland: It was always at the back of my mind, and every time a contract finished I would look at the opportunities in Ireland. We wanted our kids to be educated here, and you miss out on having the support network of your family nearby.
The crunch moment: The call came from the head of CPL in Limerick that Dell were interested in hiring me. It looked like a great opportunity in a company that was clearly going places. Limerick had a mixed reputation but I think it's one of Ireland's best kept secrets. We didn't want to move back to a big city like Dublin. Limerick has changed so much since I left, and now it's a thriving cosmopolitan city.
Regrets: None so far. I have enjoyed the opportunity to travel, and have made a lot of friends in England, but it's good to be back in Ireland and find such a buzz around.
