Grant Thornton proud of its Monaghan links
December 31, 2009Monaghan football is a daily topic of conversation here," says Bernard, who holds fond memories of his underage playing days with Carrick Emmets.
"Ciaran has been with us for three months and Mark will be joining us next July. Mark was with us as an intern last summer, so he should have no problem fitting in. At that stage, Monaghan should still be going strong in the championship."
Grant Thornton Ireland is part of a worldwide accounting firm that has a presence in over 100 countries. The firm's Irish offices are located in Dublin (City Quay), Limerick, Belfast and Newbridge, Co. Kildare with 400 people employed. A firm which places high value on integrity and honesty, Grant Thornton is the sixth largest accounting practice in Ireland and the fifth largest in the world.
Clients look to Grant Thornton for objective and impartial advice on how their business is performing and how they can achieve their business plans. The firm's clients include privately held businesses, public interest entities and financial services. With an established International Business Centre (IBC), the practice can provide a gateway to the resources of the Grant Thornton International global organisation.
Bernard Doherty joined Grant Thornton in 2003 from a large Dublin law firm where he was a tax partner. During his time there he was involved in tax structuring of acquisitions, disposals, reorganisations, MBO's and public to private transactions. Previously he worked in the tax departments of two Big4 firms.
Bernard has considerable experience in international corporate tax structuring, including intellectual property exploitation, financing structures and international reorganisations/reconstructions. He has particular experience in dealing with inward investment projects into Ireland, advising on withholding taxes, tax treaties, permanent establishment issues, R&D tax credits and the availability of an IP deduction.
He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI) and The Irish Taxation Institute (AITI). He obtained first place in Ireland in his finals and is currently the vice-president of the Irish Taxation Institute.
A keen Carrick Emmets and Monaghan supporter, Bernard is hoping both teams will achieve success next year after indifferent 2009 campaigns. After securing promotion to Division 1 of the National League in the spring, Monaghan endured a disappointing championship which saw them lose to Derry twice in the Ulster championship and the All-Ireland qualifiers. They did have the satisfaction of beating local rivals Armagh in between, however.
Carrick, failed to build on their famous 2008 senior league success and their appearance in last year's county final which they lost to Latton.
"It was a mixed year for Monaghan and Carrick," Bernard reflects.
"Securing league promotion was a great achievement for the county team, but they will have been disappointed not to have gone a bit further in the championship. Derry are always hard to beat in the championship and Monaghan found that out to their cost this year.
"For some reason, Monaghan always seem to get tough championship draws and next year will be no different when they play the winners of Armagh and Derry. Having said that, they are well capable of beating either of those."
He added: "Carrick will be disappointed too, but I'm hopeful that they will bounce back next year. The club won an under 14 Division 1 and under 16 Division 2 double this year and that bodes well for the future."
Ciaran Hanratty agrees that next year's championship draw hasn't been kind to the Farneymen but, with a tough National League campaign awaiting them in the spring, he is refusing to look too far ahead.
"It will be the first time in about 20 years that Monaghan will be playing in Division 1 proper of the National League and it will be a great opportunity for us to test ourselves against the best teams in the country. This is what we have been working towards over the last few years," says the Castleblayney Faughs livewire, who became a household name after scoring 2-1 in Monaghan's Ulster SFC defeat of Down in 2007.
"We want to consolidate our place in Division 1, while using the league to try out new players. Hopefully, we'll be able to unearth some new talent and have a bit of momentum behind us going into the championship. Playing against the top teams should stand us in good stead for the championship," he continues.
Hanratty dismisses the notion that this Monaghan team's best days are behind it. He also believes that Seamus McEnaney would have stepped down as manager if he didn't think there was more left in the tank.
"Seamus has decided to stay on for a sixth year as manager because he feels there is further scope for improvement. The core of the team has been the same for the past five years or more, and while some lads have a lot of mileage up on the clock at this stage, they still have an awful lot to offer.
"As everyone knows, it's a very tight group that is totally committed to bringing success to Monaghan. It's frustrating to think that we haven't won silverware under Seamus' watch, especially when you think of all the big games we've been involved in, but supporters can rest assured that we won't give up until we manage to kick that door down. We've learned a fair bit over the years and hopefully that experience will stand to us."
Ciaran welcomes the addition of the high-profile Paul Grimley to the Monaghan management team. The Armagh Harps man was Joe Kernan's assistant when the Orchard County won the Sam Maguire in 2002 and was Kieran McGeeney's number two in Kildare up until last summer. He is well familiar with the Monaghan club scene, having coached Clontibret to a county championship success this year.
"Having someone of Paul's calibre on board is a big boost and reflects our ambition. He is one of the most respected coaches in the game, having done it all before with Armagh and Kildare. He will bring fresh ideas and methods to the set-up and that can only be a good thing," the star forward concludes. Tweet
