“My Dad was never around when I was growing up, but it didn’t matter because Mam did her best and made sure we had what we needed to get by. There were four children in my family, me being the eldest. I’m sure there were times when Mam found it hard to look after our family on her own, but she made the best with what little money she had.

When I was two years old, I got tools for Christmas, and as I got older, my tools went from plastic to real. I started school when I was four, and unlike other boys that wanted to play football and hurling, I had no interest in sports. Instead, I couldn’t wait to get home to work with my tools. Every year for Christmas, I would ask for tools, and I was never let down.

In secondary school, I had the option to study woodwork, and school became a little more enjoyable. After completing my Junior Cert, I trained as a plumber. I loved it until the recession kicked in, work started to slow down, and I began to worry. I had two young children to support and bills to pay.

One night my Mam told me a story about her father and his father before him and how they made their living. My great grandfather “Big Joe” opened a bike shop in the early 1930s. He repaired Raleigh’s, High Nellies and push lawnmowers. He was a locksmith by trade and could turn his hand to anything. He died on Christmas morning in 1976 when he was 77, and my grandfather Bart, after my mam named me (Patrick Bart), took over the shop. He had twelve children, and his son Joe joined him working in the shop when he was fourteen. My grandfather died when he was just 58. I remember getting some of his old tools for Christmas. There were screwdrivers and chisels, but my favourite was the old wind-up drill. It worked 100%! Hearing the story from my mam about my relatives helped me decide that I wanted to continue what was in my blood. I began my bicycle career at Buckley’s Cycles four years ago. I learned all about fixing and selling bikes and took to it very well. Soon I became head mechanic for Pat and Seamus at Buckley’s. Things have changed a lot since my great grandfather and grandfather’s time, but just like them, I am doing what I love and carrying on a proud family tradition.”