Eddie O’Brien – a proud Buncrana man

Eddie O’Brien is chief executive of Topaz, the main sponsors of the Topaz Donegal International Rally which will hold six of its stages in Inishowen this Friday – two in Buncrana town for the first time in 29 years. A Buncrana man, he tells the Inish Times what this means to him and his pride at being a part of the Donegal International Rally. Where in Buncrana are you from and how did your career lead to you becoming CEO of Topaz? My family, two sisters and brother, all still live in the Buncrana area with my parents’ home being located next to Westbrook Bridge, where my mum and dad still live today. ? My journey to becoming the CEO of Topaz started in Buncrana with school at Scoil Iosagain and Scoil Mhuire, ultimately finishing school at university in UCC in Cork, leading to my first job with KPMG where I qualified as a chartered accountant. I later joined Statoil in 1995, progressing to an international role with Statoil based in Oslo, Norway as vice president of Retail Operations in Europe in 2005, returning to Ireland in 2008 as the Topaz CFO, and taking my current role in 2009. ?? This year’s rally will once again be staged in Inishowen and is a huge highlight in the local calendar. However, for the first time in 29 years it will be staged in Buncrana – something you have played no small part in – how do you think it benefits the area? The rally attracts 50,000 spectators every year and this year we hope that the staging of an evening stage in Buncrana will increase the attendance yet further. In the current economic climate the importance of the Rally to the economy of Donegal and the North West region as a whole is more important than ever. It is worth up to 25 million euro to the local economy and hopefully Inishowen will benefit from the extra profile and attendance generated by the town stage this year. ? Will you be attending the rally and are you looking forward to it?? I will be attending the event during the entire weekend and I am especially looking forward to the Buncrana stage, where hopefully we will have a large crowd and some good weather for the spectators and drivers alike to enjoy the event. ?It is great that the rally is visiting Buncrana this year for the first time in 30 years. My first memories of the Donegal Rally as a 10 year old are actually from that day when the rally started at the old fire station and went through the streets of the town, with some local drivers being prominent on the day. ? What are you most looking forward to and as a local man how proud are you that Topaz is sponsoring the rally? I have been very proud of Topaz’s association with the Donegal Rally over the past couple of years as a native of Donegal, but this year’s town stage will be a very proud moment for me, especially given that the main attraction on the opening day will be in my home town. ?? This year’s event should be a great opportunity for Buncrana to benefit from the both the economic impact the event has in the North West every year, but more importantly presents a unique opportunity for the town to show what a great location Buncrana is to host an event, due to its fantastic tourist amenities and facilities from local hotels, pubs and most importantly the fantastic asset – the beaches and scenery which is Lough Swilly. Hopefully, we will get some good weather and we get to enjoy the sunsets and beaches of the area. ?? What was your role in ensuring a town stage in Buncrana and do you think it could be a regular event? My role in bringing the rally to Buncrana has been one of supporting the idea presented by the Donegal Motor Club, and subsequently supported by the local town council and businesses. However, as the event sponsor it probably helps that the CEO is from the local area. ?? Whether or not the rally comes back will be very much down to the success of the event this year, and the willingness of the Motor Club to run another town stage