Chief Technology Officer at Phorest Salon Software
County Wicklow
One-On-One with John
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself, your job and how long you’ve lived in County Wicklow?
Hey there, I’m John and I head up technology in an Irish company called Phorest. We help salon owners to run and grow their business. I’ve been working here for over 5 years and before that worked in MTT which was a mobile travel tech company. I love technology, supporting people get into it and helping people to grow. ShipItCon was a community driven tech event about software delivery, I co-organised it and plan on continuing doing so.
I studied in DIT Aungier Street and I was born and raised in Bray Co Wicklow, so have always commuted in and out of town. Bray is a seaside town just on the border between Dublin and Wicklow. I live here with my wife, daughter and dog.
What attracted you to living and working in Wicklow ?
Being born here 🙂 It’s not too far away from the city, lovely amenities, walks, a great public transport system, the M50 and I love the sea front.
Can you walk us through a day in the life of living in Wicklow ?
I’d normally head to the gym or go for a run early. Then to the seafront for a swim. We have great coffee shops so I’d head there for some fuel. Then go for a nice walk with the family (or work). We have a lot of nice food options so if not cooking there’s always a great pub, restaurant or take out available.
How would you describe transport within Wicklow ? Is it easy to get around ?
The Public Transport from Bray towards Dublin or south towards Rosslare is very good. We have the DART line, Dublin bus, and Bus Eireann.
How fast/reliable is your home internet connection ?
It’s perfect. I’m on Virgin Broadband. We regularly have 3 people at home streaming Netflix, playing online games and remote working without a bother.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite locations or attractions within Wicklow ?
Where to start?
Powerscourt waterfall and gardens is stunning and only a short drive from Bray. It’s the largest waterfall in Ireland so I believe.
Bray Seafront – great food, beautiful walks and a perfect spot for some post pandemic pints.
Knocksink Wood in Enniskerry – Amazing looped walk in the woods. It’s the perfect spot to relax, breathe in nature and forget about your troubles.
Platform Pizza – Bray “The best pizza ever”, you can quote me on that 🙂
Kilruddery House, Gardens and Food Market – A great day out.
What advice do you have for individuals or families interested in relocating to Wickow ?
Spend some time in the area first to get a feel for it. Perhaps a long weekend break or work remote from some of the local co-working spaces to get a better feel for the area. You will probably need two cars to get around so keep that in mind. The further you go into Wicklow and away from Dublin, the more the cost of property decreases.
Thank you very much John for taking the time to talk with us and thank you for representing Co. Wicklow as a Rural Ireland Tech Advocate. If you’d like to learn more about Co. Wicklow check out our county page which is full of links and useful info for those considering a move.
Rural Ireland Tech Advocates 