WITH thousands of young people leaving our shores every week in search of a new life abroad, 27-year-old Limerickman, Donal Heffernan, has resisted the temptation to follow unemployed friends by carving out his own business. Donal, from Monaleen, has seen many of his associates take up sticks and venture to such far off places as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. “Yes, I thought about it but then said, hey, I have a talent derived from a hobby of mine, and if there are no job opportunities here, why not put it to use and become self-employed.
“It struck me that you don’t have to be armed with a degree to go it alone and do something away from what you were educated.
“The unfortunate aspect about the downturn in the economy is that we are losing a generation of young people, many of whom might have been expected to lead us in future”.
Holding a Business Degree from Limerick Institute of Technology, the former Ard Scoil Ris pupil recently took the bull by the horns and launched The Framing Studio, across from Superquinn, Castletroy.
He explained: “My father was involved in The Gallery at Castletroy Shopping Centre and from him I learned a few tricks of the trade.
“I took up picture framing as a hobby and enjoyed it. While I gave serious thought to following in the footsteps of my friends –South Korea was very much in my mind- I said, maybe I should put what I enjoy doing into practice, and so The Framing Studio was born.
“I rented what was a shell of am unoccupied building, put a lot of time and effort into painting and decorating it, and invested in the tools of the trade. I have been very encouraged by the response and am tipping away nicely. I am in the heart of a big catchment area and am confident for the future.
“My advice to those who have found themselves in a similar situation to myself, is, if gifted with any kind of skills, stay at home, put them to use and at least give it a try. Like in my own case, what was a hobby could become their workstation”.
Donal now brings his special touch to the works of artists, photographers and printmakers.
