Tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role.

My name is Niall O’Farrell from Toomevara, Co. Tipperary. I’m the oldest of four siblings – 2 brothers and a sister, we all play with our club Toomevara. My mother is a nurse in the local health centre and my father is a manager in a local factory where he’s worked for almost 40 years now.

I currently run Revive, Wellness and Recovery in Nenagh – a social wellness facility that I started while in second year of college based around compression boots, sauna and contrast bathing which caters mostly for athletes but also the general public. We work at a number of events on the road during the year too, Irish Dancing being a big one which has seen us travel to Scotland for on a number of occasions. In 2022 we added a small café area to the facility which operates Friday - Sundays. I have also worked with a few teams and schools in a coaching / strength and conditioning capacity alongside this.

What path led you to where you are today?

I originally started in Quantity Surveying in TUS Limerick, I liked the college but was always more drawn to a course in sports and changed to Strength and Conditioning in TUS Thurles after second year. I was cautious about job opportunities in sports at first but after exchanging a few messages with Michael Fennelly before starting was more optimistic and the industry is constantly growing since.

In second year having struggled with injuries around the time I was constantly trying to find something to help my body and two other recovery rooms had just opened in Ireland, I saw the opening for one in Tipperary and started Revive that December.

What do you love most about the work you do?

Revive is a very social setting and I enjoy that aspect of it. We pride ourselves with providing the best recovery equipment available and deal with people from across different backgrounds and sports. We have everyone from elite athlete to more social players and there’s something to learn from each client.

The sports recovery industry is always changing so we have to keep updating and improving.

When you're not working, where would we find you?

Drinking coffee and watching a lot of sports, probably too much. I attend a lot of hurling games across the country during the year. I enjoying going to the hurling field and gym with my friends also.

Looking back, how did your time at TUS influence your career or outlook?

I learned a lot about the sports, health and wellness industry in TUS and it gave me the confidence to start a business and coach teams.

We were lucky to have great lecturers helping us during the four years in Thurles, the likes of Donnacha Mulcahy, Michael Fennelly and Amy McGuire to name a few were all top class and have lots of experience to hand down.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates from your field?

Learn as much as you can from the people around you. Work in as many different areas as you can early on then focus and go after the area you enjoy and are most passionate about.

What’s one memory from your student days that stands out to you?

There are lots of great memories from TUS. The SportsLab in Thurles is an elite facility to learn in. We went on some good trips with the college – the highlight being a tour of Munster’s new high performance centre in Limerick just after it opened.

How do you stay connected to the TUS community, if at all?

I find LinkedIn a good way of following what’s happening in TUS. There are a lot of students from around North Tipp in the college so they keep me updated, Kevin McCarthy is a recent graduate who always has his hands on the pulse of all things TUS.

Kian O Kelly and Seanie Kennelly are part of the Fitzgibbon team with a big game this week, so we’ll keep our eyes on that. 

What does the idea of an alumni community mean to you?

A group with a shared experience to network and connect with through social media and events. I have received good support from my alumni community since starting Revive.

Finally, what’s next for you?

Continue developing Revive, we have forged great relationships with individual clients, groups and teams such as Tipperary GAA the past five years. I hope to build on these relationships while growing our client base along with constantly updating and improving our facility. Corporate wellness is an area we would like to focus on more as workplaces look to help their employees thrive physically and mentally. I want to stay learning and improving as a coach also and look forward to working with teams and groups for years to come.