‘I’m a proud Norrie’: Danny in running for entrepreneur gong

Danny Buckley has had a whirlwind few years, and only started out on his entrepreneurial journey after a challenging period of life in which he encountered setbacks, change, and grief.

Being included in the nominations for the EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year award is a huge achievement and very prestigious company to be in. What does that mean for the Cork man?

“Honestly, it means a huge amount.

“When you’re building something day to day, head down, you don’t always stop to take stock of how far you’ve come.

“So, to receive external recognition from EY - widely regarded as the most prestigious entrepreneurship competition in Ireland - genuinely stopped me in my tracks for a moment,” says Danny, who grew up in Knocknaheeny.

His nomination is for his work with ADHD Now, a service providing adult and child ADHD assessments, treatments, including psychiatry and therapy.

“My vision and motivation behind ADHD Now was deeply personal,” explains Danny.

“After experiencing first-hand how difficult it was to access support, I was determined to ensure that the people coming after me wouldn’t face the same challenges.

“ADHD Now was created to provide faster, more compassionate ADHD care, turning years of waiting for the service into a few weeks.

“I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and of the dedicated team driving this mission every day.

“We now have an excellent multidisciplinary team that includes consultant psychiatrists, chartered psychologists, assistant psychologists, and nurse practitioners.

“To have this work acknowledged at such a high level is truly special.”

The winner of the EY award will be announced in a ceremony at the Powerscourt Hotel in Wicklow in November.

There are categories in Emerging, Established, and International for entrepreneurs, and eight nominees in each.

In Danny’s Emerging category, other nominees include a Dublin beauty shop and a drone business. He is the only Cork businessperson in the category.

“It’s such a privilege to be selected as a finalist,” he says.

“More than anything, it feels like a real milestone in the journey.

“The EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme is on for nine months, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know the wider EY alumni community, including the opportunity to travel to Canada next month.

“I will be surrounded by a group of people who represent the backbone of the Irish economy.

“To be placed right in the middle of that community is something I’m incredibly grateful for. It’s a chance to learn, connect, and contribute. I’m a proud Norrie in the middle of that.”

Danny says he always had a desire to be an entrepreneur - “but life had other plans for me”. The loss of his beloved wife was a difficult time.

He explains: “I faced my own illness, and then my wife Simone became unwell. For nearly ten years, the focus was simply on getting well myself and caring for her. During that time, the idea of building something of my own had to wait.

“Simone was incredibly supportive. She encouraged me to back myself, to discover who I was, and to become the best version of myself. “She urged me to seek help for my ADHD and to pursue the path I had always felt drawn to.

“After she passed away, I came to the realisation that life is short. From that moment, I decided to give my best each day and see where the journey would lead, taking it one step at a time.

“Through my own experiences, I also recognised that in Ireland, access to mental health and neurodiversity services was a significant bottleneck. That insight became the foundation for my work.

“I have focused on building exceptional clinical teams and developing processes and systems to improve access and provide effective, compassionate care for those who need it most.

“I believe Ireland can become a world leader in this area.”

This go-ahead entrepreneur also has other ambitious plans in the works.

“I’m very excited about an opportunity I’m hoping to be able to share soon,” he says.

“I have acquired a company in the mental health space, and it will fit naturally with what we’re building.

“It’s focused on post-diagnostic supports, particularly helping parents who are navigating an ADHD, autism or mental health diagnosis in their children, supporting them in understanding what it means and how best to help their child day to day.

“The vision has always been bigger than one service. It’s about building services of care for people who need it.”

He has also recently launched ADHD Now in Northern Ireland, and is looking at expanding into other European markets.

“Alongside that, my work with AutismCare involves supporting both government and the HSE, which I’m incredibly proud of,” adds Danny.

“From the beginning, the ambition was to build something meaningful and high-quality enough that it could eventually support and strengthen the public system as well.”

What advice would he give to someone looking to change something in their life, be it business or personal or life in general?

“Don’t wait until you’ve everything figured out to start. Change usually begins right in the middle of the mess, the pain, and the struggle not after it’s all sorted.

“First, you’ve got to back yourself. Not in an arrogant way, just a quiet belief that even if things are messy right now, you can figure it out.

“Secondly, you’ve got to be willing to do the work. There are no shortcuts. The people who create change are the ones who keep showing up, even when it’s hard, even when things are slow, even when you’re right in the middle of the struggle.

“And probably the biggest one is to ask for help. That’s the one most of us struggle with, I ask for help every day.

“We think it’s a weakness, especially when we’re in the mess of it, but it’s actually one of the strongest things you can do.

“And I genuinely believe this, when you show up with belief and you’re willing to do the work, the right people tend to show up at the right time.

“I’ve seen it enough in my own life to know it’s not just coincidence. The right conversation, the right bit of support, the right door opening - it all seems to come when you’re ready for it.

“So whatever it is you want to change just start. In the mess, in the pain, in the struggle. Back yourself, do the work, ask for help. The rest has a way of working itself out.”

See http://www.adhdnow.com