Wednesday, 18 January 2012 21:33 | 
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Duhallow Man Hiring in Australia
A DUHALLOW man is hoping to dent the dole queue by hiring new employees to start a new life in Australia.
Charlie Drake (pictured) from Derrinagree left Ireland a decade ago and is now the owner of three companies. As Australia is currently experiencing an economic boom, he wants to have 50 people on his books by the end of January — preferrably from Duhallow.
"I want to give anyone who is willing to work a job, and I do like to look after the local people [of Duhallow] as I know exactly what it is like to land in a country and not know anyone," Mr Drake told The Corkman this week.
His civil engineering company, 'Claddagh Civil,' now employs over 20 people, almost all from Duhallow. Mr Drake has also formed two more companies - 'Cladtrans' — a haulage company, overseen by Charlie's brother, Paul — and ' South Coast Traffic Solutions', which oversees the mammoth traffic flow on Australian roads.
Speaking from his home in Naarrawallee in New South Wales, Charlie said that both companies are approved by the Department of Immigration and they can sponsor people to go to Australia and secure a visa. "I am very much willing to make the time and effort to meet people who want to work," said Mr Drake. A DROMTARRIFFE native who went to Australia a decade ago is now the owner of three companies and is looking for Duhallow men to work for him.
Charlie Drake will have 50 people on his books by the end of this month — most of them from Duhallow.
"I want to give anyone who is willing to work a job and I do like to look after the local people [of Duhallow], as I know exactly what it is like to land in a country and not know anyone," Charlie told The Corkman this week.
His civil engineering company, 'Claddagh Civil', employs 20 people full time and there are more who are on a subcontracting basis. Almost all of the staff are from the Dromtarriffe, Millstreet and Munster region.
In February 2011, he formed 'Cladtrans', a haulage company, and despite starting off with a second hand Volvo truck he now has four brand new trucks on the road. Cladtrans is overseen by Charlie's brother, Paul, in the role of transport manager. In addition to the four new trucks, they also hire 10 more on subcontract.
Then in July last year, Charlie set up ' South Coast Traffic Solutions', which oversees the mammoth traffic flow on Australian roads. So far it has secured contracts for 700km of Australian roadways.
A decade ago, Charlie, who is now 33, was working in Molex in Millstreet and served five years as a tool maker. When he was 23 he took redundancy and decided to pack his bag and go to Australia.
"I didn't know one person when I landed in Australia," Charlie recalled. "I'll never forget — it I arrived on a Thursday evening for what I thought was six weeks to travel but by Monday morning I got a job with a Kerryman, Mick Daly, and stayed with him for five years laying pipes and driving trucks and working as a foreman on his projects."
Then in 2005 he decided to go out on his own and set up Claddagh Civil.
"I bought an excavator and couldn't even drive it," he said, laughing, "and when I got my first job out on my own I ended up having to dig the ground myself with a shovel. There was sweat running off me at the end of it.
"By the next few days I learned fast how to work that excavator. I laugh when I look back on that.
"And there is something that I really like about the Irish lads who come out to Australia and are willing to try their hand at anything."
Speaking from his home in Narrawallee in New South Wales this week, Charlie reckons "going from a tool maker to an excavator was certainly one of life's mysteries".
He said it is great to have his brother Paul, who has 30 years experience in the transport industry, working beside him. Charlie got married to Narelle last November of last year and the couple have three children, Chloe, Lachain and Darragh.
Narrawallee is a six hour, round, drive to Sydney which Charlie is currently doing four days a week. "The driving is tough but I now make very good use of technology and use skype, conference calling, and there are tracker devices on the trucks". Narrawallee is "just like home" as it is in the countryside but right next to the beach. It is a small village where there are fields, cattle and a good community and a great educational system for his children.
Both Claddagh Civil and Cladtrans are approved by the Dept of Immigration and they can sponsor people to go to Australia and secure a visa. So far they have three sponsored families from Ireland, where the husbands and partners had all lost their jobs in Ireland.
"I've heard of pretty tough stories from home where jobs are lost and the houses are next to go, I think it is desperate sad for all those people," Charlie said.
"I am very much willing to make the time and effort to meet people who want to work and who are, above all else, genuine and willing to work.
"If people want to just drink and party then I just don't want them working for me. So far, I'm very lucky with all the lads from Millstreet, Derrinagree and all over the place."
A civil engineer from Cullen, Conor Moynihan, was set to arrive in Australia on Sunday and work for him. Right now, he said there is plenty of work in Australia and he is hoping to hire truck drivers, labourers and anyone who has a good solid background in all forms of civil engineering work.
"Of course I miss my family, but technology is very advanced now — we all go on skype and there's web cams so I get to see everybody back home, that is great," he said.
Charlie is also an avid rally man and won the Australian Rally Championship Premier League title in November — just days before he married Narelle.
This week Charlie Drake Snr told The Corkman that he is very proud of how well Charlie and Paul are doing in Australia. He along with family and friends went to Australia in November for Charlie's wedding. "He's doing well and it is not bad for a fellow who bought a three tonne excavator and couldn't drive it," smiled Charlie Snr.
To make a job application or seek more information email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or
- MARIA HERLIHY
Last Updated (Wednesday, 18 January 2012 21:36)
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Tuesday, 03 January 2012 18:38 | Written by Administrator | | |
Under these influences Brosnan left his native Ireland at the age of 18, guitar in tow and took to the streets, pubs and café bars of various towns and cities throughout Europe where he developed on his musical style by busking and gigging. In 1996 Eugene released his debut CD, "Well he said he'd be here!" to critical acclaim. Songs like Darwin Sound and I Can't Imagine marking him out as a very promising and creative young songwriter. In 2000, "Frames of Mind", his second album of self penned material came out on his own label and brought him much deserved recognition in Ireland where he also began to gig regularly as part of a new breed of acoustic/folk singer songwriters. Throughout the years of constant touring, covers always played a vital part of his live set and on the suggestion of producer/engineer Chris Hermann that he put some of these on record, his third solo project, SOLID GROUND, got under way. Songs from Dylan, Warren Zevon and Springsteen sat alongside some of his own compositions and did not feel out of place among, "the headless thompson gunners" and "the ghosts of poets and hoboes" that inhabit the soundscape of this very real and atmospheric recording. The positivity of the reviews from national press and on line magazines for "SOLID GROUND" are helping to bring Eugene's music to a much wider audience, both at home in Ireland and in Europe. "SOLID GROUND shows off Brosnan's exquisite vocals, a timeless piece of Irish acoustic folk" "Brosnan's strength lies in his songwriting, a succinct and canny storyteller" Along with the albums and the countless gigs and tours, Eugene has had positive nods of approval from such luminaries as Guy Clark, Nikki Sudden, Men At Work's Colin Hay, the 60s icon Donovan and the late great Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience). Last Updated (Wednesday, 11 January 2012 07:19) |
Saturday, 13 November 2010 23:25 | Written by Administrator | | |
Hingham gallery celebrates Vincent Crotty's 20 years in AmericaIrish artist Vincent Crotty, from Kanturk, County Cork, arrived in Boston in 1990, hoping to further his art training and launch his career as a visual artist. “My expectation was that I was here for two months,” says Crotty. “I was totally motivated, but I didn’t think it would take 20 years!” Now a dual citizen and longtime Dorchester resident, Crotty’s work has been exhibited and collected in the United States Ireland, and beyond. Looking back on his two decades in the Boston area, Crotty gives thanks to John and Maureen Connolly, owners of the Aisling Gallery in Hingham, who encouraged his painting career right from the start. On Nov. 19, Crotty and the Connollys will mark their 20-year affiliation with an exhibition of “Recent Paintings” at the Aisling Gallery.
“John Connolly told me that I needed five years, at least, to get more training in drawing. I nearly died....But I started showing my work there right away, and the Connollys gave me 100 bucks to buy paints.” Soon enough, Crotty’s work began to sell, and over time, he has developed a reputation as a passionate, original, and prolific artist. “Maureen and John were showing my work at festivals all over America,” Crotty says. “The phone calls would come… ‘You sold three’… ‘You sold five.’ People were beginning to collect my work.” It was an auspicious beginning for the young Crotty, but his path as an artist has not been a quick or easy road to success. “In my second year here, I got very depressed, and then all the paintings showed it.” he says. “Maureen calls it my ‘Brown Period.’” After secondary school in Ireland, Crotty had trained in sign painting and faux finishes, and he has often supplemented his art career by continuing these old-world trades in decorative painting. His fanciful signs and atmospheric interior designs can be seen in many restaurants, pubs, and churches in Greater Boston. Crotty has been recognized with numerous awards, in juried shows from Duxbury to Wexford, Ireland. He has been commissioned to paint portraits of well-known figures in the Irish arts, including musicians Joe Madden and Larry Reynolds, and poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. His work has been featured on many book and album covers, and his paintings are in demand for personal collectors and Irish organizations. “I have a lot of gratitude for the Connollys,” Crotty says, reflecting on his career. “They helped establish my name as an artist, which is essential, to survive at what I do. They are always enthusiastic and supportive. They’ve given so much to Irish cultural and community causes. They’ve put on evenings of poetry, Irish literature readings, music lessons. They’ve built a South Shore community among people who otherwise wouldn’t know each other.” The Aisling Gallery has become a well-known landmark for Irish arts on the South Shore. Maureen Connolly exhibits Crotty’s work year-round, but the upcoming show will feature new paintings that are some of Crotty’s personal favorites — a mixture of Ireland and New England, “from intimate, small-town streetscapes to the misty vistas of the Irish coast.” “I do operate on both side of the Atlantic,” he continues. “When I first came here, I lived in Quincy for two years, Mattapan for three years… then six months in Hull, and Dorchester ever since. The South Shore is full of fabulous memories for me. It’s the place where I found my joy.” Vincent Crotty’s “Recent Paintings” will be on display from Nov. 19 through Christmas, with an opening reception Nov. 19 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The Aisling Gallery is located on Route 3A in Hingham. For more information, call the gallery at 800-752-9389. Last Updated (Wednesday, 11 January 2012 07:25) |
grew up in the rural/industrial town of Millstreet in County Cork.His mother, possessing a beautiful singing voice was well known in the locality for herchoir work and her participation in many musicals. His father, though not a performer had a love of music and introduced the young boy to Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, to this day huge influences on his music. Though geographically close to the traditional music stronghold of Sliabh Luachra, this brand of music did not rub off on the young musician. Instead, large doses of Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy and other pop rock and punk music were administered.
