WEALTH May 31, 2026 0 Comments

How Daragh Feighery’s Bold Move in Longford’s Parc Could Rewrite the Rules of Local Success—And What You Need to Know Now

Ever wonder how a kitchen whiz from Lucan ends up steering one of Ireland’s biggest tourism gems? Meet Daragh Feighery—a guy who spent over two decades sharpening his chops at Aramark before getting ‘headhunted’ to captain the ship at Center Parcs Longford, right in the heart of the Midlands’ Hidden Heartlands. Sounds like a career plot twist straight out of a drama, right? But it’s real life, and Daragh’s story is packed with grit, passion, and a knack for spotting opportunity where others might just see a forest retreat. From pocket money gigs in hospitality to managing 125 contracts and now orchestrating the Irish jewel of Center Parcs, his journey is a lesson in perseverance and pivoting that any entrepreneur or business enthusiast can appreciate. Curious how he turned a simple phone call into a role that demands managing thousands of guests, hundreds of staff, and a multi-million euro expansion? Buckle up—it’s a wild ride worth unpacking. LEARN MORE

After a successful 23-year stint at Aramark, Daragh Feighery was headhunted to lead Ireland’s first Center Parcs resort, in County Longford. The village director talks to Sarah Freeman about his career progression, why the resort has been such a success and his favourite parts of the job

How does a Lucan native come to be the village director, general manager and all-round company figurehead for Center Parcs Longford, the jewel in the Midlands’ ‘Hidden Heartlands’ crown?

“I was headhunted,” Daragh Feighery recalls, joining me on a video call from his office deep in the Longford forest.

“I got a phone call from a recruiter and after 23 years at Aramark, very happy [years], I was looking for a new challenge.”

Really, his career arc starts when Feighery was a teenager. His aunt, just seven years older than him, worked in hospitality and hotel management.

He used to earn some pocket money helping out with various part-time jobs at her place of work.

“It was all her fault. I got a taste for money, helping her. She got me involved [in the business]. My parents were horrified. I said I’d like to be a chef, so my aunt helped me get a summer job at Moyglare Manor in Maynooth.

“My parents encouraged me to do it, they thought putting me in a busy restaurant would turn me off, but I loved it. I really did. The head chef, who has since passed away, took me under his wing.”

Feighery says he worked as much as he could. “Every weekend, school summer holidays, midterms. I loved cooking.”

After completing secondary school at the age of 17, he went straight into Cathal Brugha Street and got his professional cookery qualifications.

“Actually Moyglare Manor sponsored me, so I used to go back and work there on placements and during holidays,” he recalls.

A stint at Jurys Hotel in Ballsbridge followed and Feighery was due to go to Switzerland when his mother died at the young age of 43. He stayed at home instead and went to work for Campbell Catering, subsequently taken over by Aramark, as a chef. He would stay there for 23 years in various roles.

“I got lucky in lots of ways. A few people have been hugely influential over my career. Joan O’Shaughnessy was CEO of Campbell Catering for years and she brokered the deal with Aramark and the Campbell family. She saw something in me and developed me,” he says.

At the time, Aramark had a structured development programme and invested in what they called “rising stars”.

“I was put on the programme and got to do lots of great things over about a year across Europe and the countries that [Aramark] worked in.”

Feighery’s growing experience and expertise ultimately secured him a role as operations director, managing approximately 40 per cent of the company’s business on the east coast of Ireland.

His clients included PwC, Oracle and some public service entities like the Irish Prison Service.

“It was a complicated business with high volume, low margins, commercially aggressive and very disruptive,” Feighery says.

After 10 years in that role, he had grown accustomed to working well under pressure.

“I’m quite personable. I built strong relationships with the teams around me. My regional managers, who managed portfolios, would report to me and then I liaised with clients as well. I had 125 contracts under my remit, so quite a lot. I’m good at making decisions quickly. I don’t panic easily.”

Then the call from a recruiter piqued his interest.

“They asked if I’d be interested in having a conversation about coming to work in a holiday resort for a company called Center Parcs in a place called Ballymahon. I’d never heard of Ballymahon.”

The recruiter sent on some details which intrigued him.

“It was [going to be] the biggest investment in tourism in the history of the state. Two million [euro]investment at the very start, then spending upwards of €120m on top of that.”

Feighery was interviewed at a hotel in Dublin Airport by Chris Ruston, former regional director for Center Parcs and a village director before that as well as a HR manager.

“We’re told we’re quite similar in personality and style. Immediately, I hit it off with Chris.”

Feighery was taken by the passion and pride his potential new employers had for Center Parcs and the way they spoke about the people who work for them.

He reached the final two in the interview process and was invited to visit a UK Center Parcs for a weekend.

“I hadn’t even seen a Center Parcs at this stage. I never thought that I’d be offered the job in the end.

“That probably kept me a little bit hungry as I went through the process which took about seven months from start to finish. So I said okay, great, at least I get a free weekend out of it. They insisted that I brought my family with me.”

His children, he says, liked the park immediately. “We were treated like, I would say, royalty,” he recalls.

After accepting the job, Feighery moved to the Sherwood Forest Center Parcs, where he lived in a lodge for a year and a half. “I really wanted to immerse myself.”

This summer will be the seventh since Center Parcs Longford opened. The park, which sees 98 per cent occupancy all year round, is in the middle of expansion. The Irish location is one of six Center Parcs, with five in the UK and another currently being built in Scotland.

“We’re smaller than the UK villages, and we call them villages because you’ve got deaths to births and everything in between. What we’re doing now represents 40 per cent growth. We’re going to add another 1,000 guests, which means capacity for 3,500.”

As well as new lodges, extensions to the largest swimming complex in Ireland are being planned along with the Sports Plaza and a new 250-seater restaurant by the lake.

Just under 1,300 staff keep the Longford Forest park running like clockwork.

“We’ve got plumbers, painters and a team of 75 lifeguards. We’ve got 10 restaurants serving nearly 2,000 meals a day. On a Monday and a Friday, we’ve got four hours effectively to change over just under 500 lodges. So there’s lots of complexity to [managing] it.”

Of the 1,000 staff the Irish park opened with, Feighery says around 400 are still working there seven years on. His favourite part of the job is seeing families enjoy themselves.

“When I go out to where my car is parked, I can hear the screams from the Tropical Cyclone [water slide] with the four-person raft. It’s amazing.”

Of his plans for the future, Feighery says he believes Center Parcs has built a really strong business that will stand the test of time. “I don’t believe you understand Center Parcs until you’ve stayed here. You can misinterpret or misperceive who we are until you’ve been here. It’s unique.”