It's been a long journey for John J Sheahan who became president of the Mallow Chamber in January this year.

Like so many of his compatriots he spent much of his working life abroad after leaving Mallow in search of opportunity. Being a determined character though, John returned in the early 80s, at a time when most migrant traffic was still going the other way. Since then he has built up a solid accountancy business in his native county and is now President of the Mallow Chamber.

Born in Mallow, he grew up the middle child of five and the only boy among four sisters. He is the son of Hanna "Ma" Sheahan, well known in Mallow for her work with the Red Cross and community involvement. His father died young and as you would expect, this had a big influence on the young John.

"I suppose it meant you just had to do your bit. We all had our jobs to do and we had to do them, you didn't have any choice really we all had to muck in to help each other out," he says.

It was clear from early on that John would never be idle. After attending St Patricks National School and the Patrician Academy in Mallow he went on to third level doing a B.Comm at UCC. It was 1970 and like so many of his friends John was faced with a stark choice, leave home or struggle to find work.

For John it was a straightforward choice and he headed for London, a decision he doesn't regret. "I had a great time in London," he says, "I lived there for 12 years altogether and I learnt a lot". In London he worked in the West End for the first three years as an accountant before moving on to the Square Mile where he spent a further nine years. "It was tough at times but I was learning all the time".

Of course it was not all work and perhaps the most fruitful result of John's time in London was meeting his wife Pauline from Donegal. They married in 1980 and decided it was time to head home to Ireland in 1982. It was a tough time for anybody in any business heading home but John was determined to make it work.

He set up his own practice in Coachford and through a lot of hard work and perseverance the business took hold. Some of those experiencing tougher times now may not remember the last downturn, but John says it wasn't all bad.

"It was a simpler time then. There were less rules and regulations. It was just a case of getting on with it, building relationships with clients and doing your best for them".

His positive attitude saw him through the worst of it and the business prospered and thrived. In Coachford John and Pauline were now firmly settled. They became very much part of the community and John's inclination to volunteer and help out got the perfect outlet when the local GAA club, Aghbullogue decided to build a community centre.

It was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the club winning the All-Ireland hurling championship, the first from Cork to do so and John threw himself into the fundraising campaign. The building was completed in 1990 and it is something he remains proud of. He is now a member of the committee that runs the centre.

"It's a great facility for the whole community," he says, "we host everything from junior discos to bingo and it really is appreciated. It's vital for small communities like Coachford to have something like it".