Greetings, here you will find out more about John as a Founder, Engineer and Writer. Below will complement his technical and professional profile you will find under the 'Resume' selection. His breath of experience comes from an unusual life journey that has led him here noting the old saying "If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life". This passion for what one does is also one of the foundational values of Maolte Technical Solutions Limited and a cornerstone of the qualitative approach you will receive as a client in whatever project you require support on.
Here is John's story...
Good Reading
I am an avid reader and as of this year, my Goodreads profile currently shows me having read 13 of 24 books in October 2021 for example. This in reality is 13 boxsets of 24 books making for very large amounts of books indeed. My favourite genres in descending order are:
- Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- Action & Adventure
- Thrillers
The lion's share of my reading is in these areas noting some interesting titles amongst many as follows:
Mindfulness and Keeping Fit
I also like to keep fit by jogging twice a week, cycling once a week, and daily meditation-based guided mindfulness techniques. The mind/body balance receives a tremendous boost from these daily and weekly 'me time' hobbies. This cycles into my overall capabilities such as memory retention, focus, concentration, and overall wellbeing. Both exercise and mindfulness are strong recommendations for anybody looking to get a boost or just improve in these areas.
Blogging/Writing
I have been blogging since early 2014 and love the act of writing, initially around technology. My first blog is on Blogspot and is a testament to my love of technology. I moved my writing activities into LinkedIn and then in September 2016, I started to write for Irish Tech News. It's a very rewarding hobby that built up my writing competence at an individual contributor level, which now supports my writing services offering. See more on my writing in the Services/Writing/Irish Tech News menu selection.
Championship GAA
Instrumental in restoring and indeed maintaining a sense of cultural identity for the Irish people from that day to this, the GAA championships are the keynote series of County-level clashes in Gaelic Football and Hurling, occurring every year in Ireland. They never fail to thrill year in, year out. My team 'Dublin' lost out to Mayo in 2021, which in turn saw Dublin surrender the All Ireland title to Tyrone. We lost out by 1 point in a thrilling semi-final in 2022 to the All Ireland Champions Kerry. This is the kind of gameplay is what I love to see each year and the final is a must-see no matter what teams are playing. As the old saying goes "there is always next year!" Where possible, I also like to watch matches at club level and played for Na Fianna, Parnells, and Round Towers GAA clubs at certain points throughout the years.
Cinema & Good TV
My creative side and love of the fantasy and sci-fi genres follow from my reading preferences into good cinema and TV. On both, I must declare myself a lifelong fan of Star Wars (yes all of them) and all good Cinema in the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Action, and Adventure, along with the Thriller genres. There is nothing like a good drama with a well-written storyline that has seamless plots written to thrill the viewer. The escapism is a big win here, allowing my creative side to run free run as I follow the story to its thrilling and exciting conclusion (well.. mostly that's the case).
Travelling
My travelling exploits are quite tame came compared to some in my family who've been on all the continents, reached both poles, and may yet reach planets far far away! So whilst on earth, I always find it a great pleasure to meet new people from different and varied cultures. I love learning about them, their story, and what their cultural identity is comprised of. It makes travelling a most exciting pastime, and one I relish when given the opportunity.
My Personal Backstory
Many people in life have interesting journeys that regale as much as they do thrill the audience of the storyteller. Mine is not quite so dramatic but is certainly unorthodox in the path taken to the current day. Hopefully, we will accompany each other along our respective paths working on projects. I was born in Dublin Ireland but spent about 1/4 of my childhood on the family farm in Cavan on our northern border with Northern Ireland. There under the guidance of my Mother and Uncle, I learned a lot about rural life, farming, and why Cavan is at the top of Ireland's most resilient counties.
After completing my second-level education in Dublin north, and not knowing what I want to do in life, I experimented with a few jobs and courses around security. This led me to the Irish Defence Forces. There I was stationed in County Monaghan on our northern border with Northern Ireland taking up an assignment with A Company, 29th Infantry Battalion from 1994 to 1997. I learned a ton more about the value of attention to detail, discipline, focus, and fellowship with my fellow soldiers. The stories from those days good and bad still occupy my thoughts from time to time yet the lessons learned from those days have been consistently valuable in my subsequent careers.
After the military and still unsure where my passions lay, I engaged in more education on the advice of my secondary school counsellor; whom I went to see for some advice on my next steps. Accordingly, I completed a level 7 ordinary certificate (3rd level) in Financial Services plus a few vocational certifications in typewriting, business studies plus more before heading out into the workplace as a civilian. Starting out in Credit & Collections for initially an Irish Company, I then moved on and worked for US multinationals from 2000 to 2012 covering all areas of financial operations, and then onto first and second-line leadership. I was an international manager of Accounts Support for a US Multinational's Outside-of-US business before I was made redundant in 2012.
Despite getting into more managerial interview selection processes within a month of my redundancy, I was conflicted about continuing as a manager as the passion and zest for my working career had waned to the point where I reassessed what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. If the Army thought me anything, it was that life is truly a gift so stop wasting it! With that in mind, I started my quest in 2013 to transfer to Technology and became an engineer, bringing me to this day. Dublin Business School facilitated the University level courses I did in technology and am proud to this day to be an Alumni and an Engineer.
