Name: Kieran Quinn
County: Sligo
Sport: Football
Business: Pianist

KIERAN Quinn is a Sligo footballer with a degree in psychology and philosophy. Going by that, though, you’d never guess his occupation in a million years.

Kieran is a professional musician. A pianist, to be more precise, and he plays a range of music but most often jazz and blues.

He makes a living teaching piano in Sligo and is a member of two groups: ‘The Odd Couple” - a jazz trio who gig mainly in Sligo and “Cold Slot” - the blues group with which he tours Ireland.

“I came out of college but didn’t really have much interest in making a living out of my degree so I saw an ad for music college. It was the only thing jumping out at me as something I would be interested in doing full-time.

Name: KEVIN FLYNN
County: DUBLIN
Sport: HURlING
Business: iCreative | Internet Specialists

KEVIN Flynn knows plenty about the sacrifices that must be made to balance a successful career in business and facilitate the life of a intercounty player.

His firm, iCreative, a web development company based in Glasnevin, Dublin, has grown extensively under his ownership over the past six years and the Dublin hurler has invested almost as much time into it as he has with the Dubs.

Name: Barry Cahill
County: Dublin
Sport: Football
Business: Malley Sport

FOR so long, Gaelic games sportswear was all designed by the same company - such was O’Neills’ monopoly. But with the boom in playing numbers and the explosion of interest in top-level football and hurling, that market-place is, and will continue to be, much more keenly contested.

Name: Joe Quinn
County: Offaly
Sport: Football
Company: Aspire

JOE Quinn made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of his business - he stepped away from inter-county football. At just 24 years of age, it was a decision which could have had a detrimental impact on the rest of his career but Quinn had a belief in what he was trying to do and his conviction has paid off in spades.