IT’S no exaggeration to say Darragh Collins was the most surprised man in the room last Friday night, after he was revealed as the winner of the Fermanagh Herald Business Awards’ ultimate accolade, Business Person of the Year.
For the humble CEO of Share Discovery Village in Lisnaskea it was a surreal moment as the video started rolling and the realisation slowly dawned on him that he was, in fact, the man of the moment.
Speechless with shock as he took to the stage, Darragh was clearly still stunned, asking “how has this happened?”
With his professional nature quickly kicking in, however, Darragh declared the award to be a testament to the hard work of the entire team at Share, which over the past 40 years has grown to become NI’s largest residential activity centre.
“I fully believe in Share. I love Share to my bones,” he said.
“This isn’t about me, this is about the Share Centre, and the people who make the Share Centre what it is.”
Originally from Co Meath, Darragh made Fermanagh his home almost three decades ago, joining Share’s outdoor instructor programme, quickly moving up the ranks.
Having then spent some years working with brain injury charity the Cedar Foundation, Darragh returned to his roots when he joined the Board of Trustees at Share, staying in the role for ten years. In 2021, things came full circle, when he was appointed CEO of Share, with the position becoming permanent in 2022.
As his staff will testify to, Darragh lives and breathes Share, and is passionate about working together with others in the local community, passionately lobbying with relevant bodies for support not only for Share, but all Fermanagh based tourism initiatives.
Since taking over as CEO, Darragh’s vision has been to put Share on the map, and he has been working hard increasing its offering, such as expanding its camping and glamping, adding a new on-site café and shop, and growing its relationships with local activity providers.
He has also been helping keep visitor numbers up throughout the year, establishing much-loved autumn and winter activities such as Share’s Halloween events and its now-famous ice rink.
Darragh also thinks ‘outside the box’ in promoting Share and has been successful in attracting BBC 4’s ‘Any Questions’ panel show, which will be brodacasting live from the Centre to millions across the world on November 10th.
Even on Friday night he didn’t take a break from spreading the Share message, using the opportunity to urge the large crowd to “please support the Share Centre.”
“We’re so important in this county, we’re so important in this country,” he said.
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