5th Feb 2025
Today our year 12s were addressed by past pupils as part of our “Inspired By” event.
To begin we met Ciaran Doyle who is a dentist and he explained the different pathways available in order to get there! 
Following Ciaran, Mr Furphy thanked the Credit Union for their generous donation for our sensory garden 
Dermot Patrick ONeill (DP) is a representative of ABC council as the duty manger of Keady Recreational Centre and shared the various opportunities in leisure.
Our last guest of the morning session was Bill McAtavey who set his first business up at aged 20, Azil and Asset Buyback - he shared how he found “niche” markets, expansion of his small businesses, how he gained help from the Credit Union and how his degree in marketing helped him learn lots of helpful tricks to help sell products. He emphasised that there is no clear path, don’t be afraid to fail and try everything; work ethic being most important
Our afternoon session:
Brian who is managing director of MTM Engineering shared the importance of taking time and applying yourself and shared the belief that you should “do the best you can do” and “dust yourself off” if facing knock backs which are normal!
Jarlath Warner founder and CEO or axonnr is in his last year studying a PHD in computer science from QUB. His work focuses on medical advancements and cyber security, helping to advance assistive based medical technology and advancing upper limb prosthetic devices based in armagh with the brand “MIOC” -made in orchard county.
Joe woods - director of Linwoods, gained a diploma in management from UU and Economics from DCU and was able to do this while having a career. He emphasised the importance of working in a variety of places to enhance promotion opportunities and ensure you like your job and finding where you will excel. He shared that an important role is focusing on people you can trust and importance of delegation.
Leanne Coyle - opened her barber shop Lee Gents after having worked in barber shops in New York and London and this year she opens her training college. She has branded products available to purchase online and in store, and has adapted depending on the market which has inspired her to launch the training Academy.
Oisin McNally - BSC in finance from QUB, internship LCP Ireland, masters in economics Trinity College and works in Economist front tier. He spoke about the importance of reflection to succeed, focus on ambition and importance of work ethic and this “will lead you to wherever you want to go.”
Emma rice - in the same year as graduating she opened up Rice’s ice cream which has an over 1 million followers on TikTok! She explained that her focus was maths however decided this wasn’t for her and opted for a degree from Liverpool’s John Moore’s University in business management. She emphasised the importance of taking a chance, constantly learning which has led to her being awarded the NI social media award, among others.
Barry O’reilly - works in actuary and spoke about resilience when having set backs, communication and being a team player which he highlighted through our school motto “respect for yourself and consideration for others.” He explained that it is a competitive environment and everyone is working hard so ensure you do the same.
Caitriona Morgan is the creative director and brand communication manager for adidas, she was unsure what to do when she did A levels, was still unsure in Uni which led to her looking at other options but resulted in her learning on the job as she gained a job in Mammoth in Belfast as a receptionist. Here she learnt the trade and moved to Australia where she found a similar job, however she completed courses which helped enhance her learning. Now she is working with celebrity clientele creating advertisements for Adidas in Germany and is in the process of starting her own clothing line - Pure Melter.
Special mention to Sheena Breen for also being in attendance and those who organised this fantastic event for our students. We are so proud of all our past pupils and we look forward to the bright future of of the individuals who sat in front of them today
#SPKproud
To begin we met Ciaran Doyle who is a dentist and he explained the different pathways available in order to get there!
Following Ciaran, Mr Furphy thanked the Credit Union for their generous donation for our sensory garden
Dermot Patrick ONeill (DP) is a representative of ABC council as the duty manger of Keady Recreational Centre and shared the various opportunities in leisure.
Our last guest of the morning session was Bill McAtavey who set his first business up at aged 20, Azil and Asset Buyback - he shared how he found “niche” markets, expansion of his small businesses, how he gained help from the Credit Union and how his degree in marketing helped him learn lots of helpful tricks to help sell products. He emphasised that there is no clear path, don’t be afraid to fail and try everything; work ethic being most important
Our afternoon session:
Brian who is managing director of MTM Engineering shared the importance of taking time and applying yourself and shared the belief that you should “do the best you can do” and “dust yourself off” if facing knock backs which are normal!
Jarlath Warner founder and CEO or axonnr is in his last year studying a PHD in computer science from QUB. His work focuses on medical advancements and cyber security, helping to advance assistive based medical technology and advancing upper limb prosthetic devices based in armagh with the brand “MIOC” -made in orchard county.
Joe woods - director of Linwoods, gained a diploma in management from UU and Economics from DCU and was able to do this while having a career. He emphasised the importance of working in a variety of places to enhance promotion opportunities and ensure you like your job and finding where you will excel. He shared that an important role is focusing on people you can trust and importance of delegation.
Leanne Coyle - opened her barber shop Lee Gents after having worked in barber shops in New York and London and this year she opens her training college. She has branded products available to purchase online and in store, and has adapted depending on the market which has inspired her to launch the training Academy.
Oisin McNally - BSC in finance from QUB, internship LCP Ireland, masters in economics Trinity College and works in Economist front tier. He spoke about the importance of reflection to succeed, focus on ambition and importance of work ethic and this “will lead you to wherever you want to go.”
Emma rice - in the same year as graduating she opened up Rice’s ice cream which has an over 1 million followers on TikTok! She explained that her focus was maths however decided this wasn’t for her and opted for a degree from Liverpool’s John Moore’s University in business management. She emphasised the importance of taking a chance, constantly learning which has led to her being awarded the NI social media award, among others.
Barry O’reilly - works in actuary and spoke about resilience when having set backs, communication and being a team player which he highlighted through our school motto “respect for yourself and consideration for others.” He explained that it is a competitive environment and everyone is working hard so ensure you do the same.
Caitriona Morgan is the creative director and brand communication manager for adidas, she was unsure what to do when she did A levels, was still unsure in Uni which led to her looking at other options but resulted in her learning on the job as she gained a job in Mammoth in Belfast as a receptionist. Here she learnt the trade and moved to Australia where she found a similar job, however she completed courses which helped enhance her learning. Now she is working with celebrity clientele creating advertisements for Adidas in Germany and is in the process of starting her own clothing line - Pure Melter.Special mention to Sheena Breen for also being in attendance and those who organised this fantastic event for our students. We are so proud of all our past pupils and we look forward to the bright future of of the individuals who sat in front of them today
#SPKproud
