Businessman Pearse Flynn brings it all back home to Ballycotton

An entrepreneur who made his fortune in telecoms and tech is putting his money where his heart is to help his native village realise its full potential.

Millionaire businessman Pearse Flynn, who owns and heads up British debt solution company Creditfix, has spoken publicly for the first time about his personal investment in and vision for his native Ballycotton in East Cork.

He expects to plough over €2.5m of his own cash into the village where, as a child, he fished for crabs and lobster.

“It’s a place worth investing in. My dream is to raise the tide. If the tide rises, everyone rises. If more people come into the village, everyone will benefit,” said Mr Flynn.

“I think this part of the world has great potential. It is just so beautiful and unspoiled. The trick is to get the balance right and to keep its charm.”

Mr Flynn has just set up a free spin home service for guests of Pier 26, the restaurant he bought recently.

He plans to open, by 2020, a craft shop, gallery, and community arts venue in the former St Coleman’s Church of Ireland building he bought on the road leading into the village.

He plans to develop a second restaurant in the former village schoolhouse to the rear, a car park for the community, and a children’s’ playground on land he bought across the road, overlooking scenic Ballycotton Bay.

He also plans to help develop a museum on the village’s landmark lighthouse island next year; launch Ballycotton Sea Adventures, with an 11m covered-rib, kayaks, and paddle boards set to be available for hire next summer; and, in the longer-term, he hopes to develop better marina facilities — all out of his own pocket.

The Ballycotton-born and now mostly Glasgow-based entrepreneur made headlines around the world in 2000, at the height of the dotcom boom, when he sold Newbridge Networks to Alcatel for almost €8bn.

He went on to set up Damovo, a systems integrator; then rescued call-centre firm Contact4 before setting up Creditfix, one of Britain’s largest personal insolvency advisers. He has held top positions in several companies, turning over billions a year, including Wang and Compaq, and has owned shares in Scottish football clubs, including Celtic.

He has built a stunning cliff-top house overlooking Ballycotton lighthouse and has been spending more time at home.

And while the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East initiatives have benefited their regions, he said East Cork, and Ballycotton in particular, are under-served: “I have always been very proud of Ballycotton, and have always gone back home to visit my mother, but now, I’ve fallen in love with the place again. It’s real Ireland, with really nice people, but we are missing out on the benefits of these tourism trails. East Cork is a hidden jewel. Now I want to put some money back into the community. I want to make it a destination.”

Combined, Mr Flynn’s ventures in Ballycotton have created up to 30 jobs with an additional 30 due to come on stream over the next two years.