What's The Craic Podcast
90. Damian Beausang: From A Bar in Cork, To A Life in Perth
"From a night in a Cork bar with a mate and a one-way ticket, to running one of Perth's biggest scaffolding companies. Thirty-seven years on Damian Beausang still calls Ireland home." Damian Beausang landed in Perth in 1988 almost by accident, choosing Australia over America on a whim after a big night out with his cousin. What started as a working holiday turned into a life: a wife, two kids, deep roots in the local GAA scene, and a business, Access Engineering Group, that now employs around 100 people across scaffolding, powered access, rope access, and engineering. In this episode, we talk about: Leaving 1980s Ireland during the unemployment years, working construction in London, and landing in Perth just after the America's Cup win️ Building Celtic Scaffolding from a single ute and lockup into Access Engineering Group, and why every business owner needs an exit strategy from day one How meeting his wife and having kids became the real catalyst for growing the business⚰️ A workplace tragedy in 2011 that changed how Damian leads, and what the company learned from it Coaching the Australian ladies' Gaelic team to a World Cup win, and why he still weighs up a return to Ireland every few years Networking advice for newcomers to Perth, from GAA and the pub to Irish groups online This is a conversation about emigration, building something from nothing, and staying connected to home while putting down roots eighteen thousand kilometres away. Whether you're Irish in Perth, running a trade business, or just weighing up a big move of your own, there's plenty here to take something from. Now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
