Corkonians Abroad: Passion for motorsport took me far from Cork

Q: Where are you from originally, Patrick, and what was life like there?

I’m originally from Ballydaly, a small townland just outside Millstreet in Co. Cork. We were dairy farmers, surrounded by other dairy farmers, a close-knit community where everyone knew everyone and life was dictated by milking times.

Early memories of going to the beach were bookended first by my dad milking the cows, 9.30 mass in Ballydaly, hitting the road with a car-load of very impatient kids (I am one of seven) and eventually getting to Glenbeigh.

Once there we would get little plastic containers of chips from the chip van, covered in malt vinegar, ketchup and a light sprinkling of sand. I recently returned to visit Glenbeigh with my partner Natalie, and though it has changed a lot it, remained the same. The mountain behind it seemed smaller, or I suppose less large than it used to for a six-year-old me.

In what seemed far too short a time, the cows would beckon and my mom and dad would start the task of loading all these sunburnt children into the car, met with much resistance. Eventually we would return home, exhausted, skin tingling with sun and salt, and ready for dinner, often cold cuts, bread, potato salad and copious amounts of Barry’s tea.

I played both football and hurling, unburdened with neither great talent nor interest. My interest was cars, likely born from the Circuit of Ireland rally passing our house every Easter Sunday, often led by local hero Billy Coleman.

I bought my first car at 14, and though it never moved, I managed to paint it like Billy’s Porsche, with some left-over house paint from our last Stations do-up.

This was followed by another a few months later, but this one had the advantage of actually being drivable. A Christmas break was spent thrashing this poor car around the farm, trying to hide the damage to the milk-lorry passage from my dad. He must have noticed but didn’t say much.

I attended (loosely) Millstreet Community School, finished early to take up a mechanics apprenticeship in the big smoke: Cork City. Four years later, I packed my bag, much to the horror of my Mom, and went to hitch-hike around Europe and seek my fortune

Q: What drove you to move to another country?

Honestly, in my early teens I was myopic: everything I needed was in Ballydaly. Once I moved to Cork, my horizons broadened, so to speak, and I began to devour travel books, mostly of the expedition kind: walking to Spain, motorcycling somewhere, and such.

Like many late teens at the time, I took advantage of the Interrail offer: 10 days of train travel for a reasonable sum, and four countries later, I was an inspired youth.

Soon after my apprenticeship, I hitch-hiked around Europe, finding myself in Ukraine, Russia, a nine-month stint in Poland, followed by a 6,000km bike ride from Gdansk to Sicily via Serbia, Turkey. So, the myopia quickly disappeared!

Q: Where do you live now, and what is it like there?

Currently, I live in Indianapolis, Indiana. What is it like? Currently cold, at -9C! I have seen it as cold as -20C, but life goes on here.

I also have a small place in Bomba, a small village in Italy. At one point I was travelling to Italy a lot with my job and took the plunge. I love it there and am working hard on my Italian.

Q: Do you have family where you live now?

I have two kids here, aged 21 and 17. I am soon to be an empty nester and find myself both sad and looking forward to my next phase. I also have a newfound understanding of what my mother must have felt as she saw me off on the train-seeking adventure all those years ago

Q: What has been the most memorable moment in your new home?

In my very first year in Indiana, I have clear memories of stopping in a petrol station in February in Illinois, by the highway where the topography is so flat you can almost see the curvature of the earth. There was a biting wind coming off the plains and as I waited for my car to fill, every part of me started to freeze. I had experienced cold like this in Poland, where the river froze over in Gdansk, but the wind chill was completely new.

Conversely, I remember cutting the grass for a friend in August, and the humidity was hard to deal with: once finished, I had to get into my airconditioned apartment and just sit there for 20 minutes as my sweat turned cold. You really do get weather extremes here.

Q: What is your job/career where you now live?

Motorsport never left me, and in the mid-90s I worked with EARS in Mallow, then a company in the UK, then Indianapolis, then Germany, then back to Indianapolis, then an Italy/Indianapolis mix.

Currently, I work in the motorsports industry, helping European companies come to the USA, or USA companies in Europe. My years of back and forth have left me with a useful set of skills when expanding in either direction.

I often think of myself as a sort of ambassador between the industry on both sides of the Atlantic! It suits me perfectly: I like being on the move.

Q: How might you spend your weekend?

No two weekends are the same! My partner Natalie is a massive Premier League fan, and though she supports Manchester City, and I United, we remain supportive of each other each morning. We are both massive F1 fans too.

Games and races are in the early morning here, so a typical Saturday or Sunday might involve Premier League on the telly, F1 on another screen, fresh coffee.

As my kids are older now, the remainder of the weekend will likely be yard work (farm never left me), or riding my motorcycle somewhere.

Q: How is the culture where you live different from Cork/Ireland? How is it the same?

The biggest difference, or what I miss most: pubs! They are simply not the same here. Some get close, but never the same.

It is a little fast-paced here too, and sometimes in work culture the lines between working and not working are not hard and fast.

Q: What do you miss most about Cork?

Let me count the ways! My family, of course. My mother’s brown bread (often copied, never replicated), walking everywhere.

I am going home next week, and my routine is getting from Dublin to Cork, stopping off for a quick Irish breakfast at the train station. When I get to Bandon (where my mother lives now), I will indulge in some Barry’s tea, brown bread with Kerrygold cheddar.

After unpacking and a shower, my partner and I will make the walk across Bandon to Bradys, where I will enjoy a few pints of Beamish, Natalie a few halves (also Beamish) accompanied by Baileys and ice, greeting a few friendly faces, and happily, some of my family.

Over the following days, we will visit siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, all with an Irish welcome (ie, very heavy pour), tea, various cakes and biscuits and that warm feeling of being home, just like the ’80s ESB ad.

I will return to Indianapolis, slightly homesick, looking forward to seeing my own family, and wondering how I walked so much and still my belt feels tight...

Q: Do you get to go home to Cork often? What do you do when you return?

I have been very fortunate to be in a position to get to Ireland very frequently, as my job takes me to Europe on a regular basis.

One fixture is the West Cork Rally, which I first competed in in 1992, accompanied by my sister Margaret. We didn’t succeed then, and I have been a constant returnee for Patrick’s Day weekend. I recently took over a car that used to belong to one of my oldest friends (sadly passed and very much missed), and though we did not do him justice in 2023, we got to the finish in 2025, with massive help from my cousin Martin and my friend Michael. Michael was my driving instructor when we were thrashing old cars around the farm all those years ago, and though perhaps introducing a stopwatch might not have been a great idea, it really feels like we have come full circle every March. I love that week, and spend much of the year planning small details and generally looking forward to it.

The week before Christmas is also a big part of my calendar. We just do it better in Ireland, and I love the festive feeling that is everywhere the minute you step off the plane.

Q: Any special mentions to family/friends back home in Cork?

Yes: clear your calendars next week!

Q: If you could spend an ideal day in Cork, what would that entail?

These days are frequent, I am happy to say.

Get up early, Natalie and I, and walk downtown for a coffee or two. A browse through Bandon Books, where we almost always find something of interest. Back to my mom’s house, where I will have tea, my mom’s brown bread topped with a slice of bacon and black pudding, (and they HAVE to be Clonakilty Blackpudding).

I will frequently pick up a paper, so an hour or two perusing the events of the time, RTÉ1 blaring on the radio.

Then we will likely hop into the car, and find a beach somewhere, wrapped up in jackets, scarves and hats, ready for a bracing walk. We may stop somewhere for a cup of tea, then back to my mom’s, where we will have discussions/negotiations about dinner.

After dinner, an early walk to the pub, perhaps via a sibling’s house where I will drop off whatever American sweets I packed.

At the pub, we will likely meet a sibling, in-law, nephew or niece, perhaps a neighbour. I do my best to get home early (and frequently fail) where we will sit before the fire with my Mom, perhaps sipping a Baileys and watching a TV show. I like Tommy Tiernan, and the RTÉ Player has a great library of past shows.

Then to bed, exhausted by a combination of jet lag, exercise, fresh bracing beach air, great food, and a slight tippling of alcohol.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

I hope to get back to Ireland more often. Of seven kids, I am the only one overseas and often wish I was closer. I am hopeful 2026 will bring me to Europe more often, and thus closer to Cork.

Q: Any other information you wish to add?

I am a proud Corkman and really lean into the ‘Cork/Not Cork’ philosophy!