There was a poll conducted a few years back suggesting that if all the Irish abroad came home at once, there would be in the region of eight million people on this small island. Emigration has hit Ireland hard, right from the days of the famine through to the 50's and 60's and then onto the 80's as work was scarce during the latter periods. One such man that left these isles in the late eighties is Louth native Larry McGrane, who now resides in London and works for Irish-owned firm the Kelly Group. Larry spoke to the Wee County Yearbook about life in the English capital and growing up in the Leinster County where football was a passion in the family. In the late forties, Larry's father James was part of the Stabannon side that won the Louth County title and he admits that this was where his interest came from. "My father was a decent player and was always a keen follower of the GAA down through the years as were my uncles. When we were growing up there was no team in the area that we lived as Walshestown had been disbanded, but my brothers did play for St Finbars for a number of years," said Larry. Having worked as an agricultural mechanic for a few years, Larry like so many found himself out of work and made the decision to head for England, following in the footsteps of thousands before him. "I went to England in 1987 and worked in a couple of jobs before I started with the Kelly Group, who I have been with ever since. The company is owned by a Donegal man Tim Kelly. The Kelly Group has become one of the UK's leading telecommunications and cable contractors. The company has the reputation of being at the forefront of contracting excellence and technical innovation, and they continue to respond to the ever-changing demands of the communications world. In the Kelly Group, there are a number of subsidiaries including Kelly Communications, Kelly Contract Services, Kelly Civil Engineering, and Kelly Rail, the Group retains over 1,700 highly skilled technicians. "With our national network of 40 operational depots and a modern fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles, the Kelly Group has evolved into a formidable contracting force. "Of the six directors in the company, four are Irish, while we would employ many ex-pats also. In total, the Kelly Group employs a staff in the region of 1,700." Kelly Civil Engineering has established itself as a leader in the field of underground plant installation, which has earned the respect of the industry's leading clients for its commitment to quality and consideration for those affected by their work. "My role in the company is that of Transport Manager and this entails looking after the entire fleet among other things. Apart from installing cable TV, we work for Network Rail, Virgin Media and BT among other corporate firms. As Transport Manager, Larry has helped improve the standard of the fleet and he helped bring in a new initiative where Kelly's looks after their own repair work on vehicles when in an accident, which doesn't affect their insurance. "It was a bold step, but our insurers allowed us to run our own operation, which takes complete charge of accidents where the cost of repair is less than £10,000. Not having to outsource the work means that vehicles are now back on the road in days rather than weeks." Indeed, the hard work by Larry and his team was recognised in 2006 when the Kelly Group was awarded the best UK Fleet award, a prestigious award in the industry. Larry revealed that Tim is heavily involved with the Tir Chonaill club that won the London county title this year and made a huge contribution to them this year. "Tim sponsored a mini bus for the club this year. He has always helped them out financially, but this was bigger than he had ever done before. He is good friends with Tir Chonaill chairman Tom Mohan, the two of them came over from Ireland together and Tim has always tried to help them out when he can." Larry admits that when he travels home he likes to hear how Louth are doing and travelling back is something that he intends doing more regularly in the near future. "I'm actually building a house at home at the moment. I may move home someday, all my brothers, my mother Maura and relations still live within a few miles of each other, but for the time being I will be using the house as a holiday home. "I do catch up on the fortunes of the Louth footballers when I'm home as there is not really a Louth stronghold in London unlike say Kerry or Donegal, who would be just some of the counties that would have associations over here. A lot more people emigrated from these places than did in Louth." Larry may have been denied a Gaelic football career through the extinction of his club and emigration, but he remains a fitness enthusiast and what better feat to pit yourself against, a marathon, which he runs to raise charity for cancer research. "I ran the London marathon this year and I was all set to do the Dublin one as well, but I got injured just before it, which was bitterly disappointing. It is a remarkable sense of achievement when you cross the finishing line and I hope to run it again next year." Tweet

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