Maurice Hickey, Audit Partner

Maurice is from Castleisland, Co. Kerry, growing up within a sports-mad family with three siblings – a sister and two brothers. “Now well into our thirties, myself and my two brothers are still chasing the dream of playing for our local football team, Castleisland Desmonds!”

In addition to Gaelic Football, Maurice also played Rugby and Badminton. Though his Gaelic Football days are dwindling, he's recently rediscovered his passion for Badminton after many years.

Maurice began his education at the local primary school, Scoil Naomh Chárthaigh in Castleisland, where his sister now teaches. He continued his academic journey just 50 metres down the road at Coláiste an Oileáin secondary school.

He attributes his early career influences to his parents. “They always set a great example to follow in terms of hard work, drive and showing dedication in working towards your goals.”

His parents have owned and run their own retail business from before he was born, “The business has taken many forms over the years, 30 years ago it was a video rental store, today it’s a shop where you could find anything from a piece of pottery to a toy for a kid’s birthday.

“I was always interested in the financial and entrepreneurial aspects of my parent’s business, and they always allowed me to get involved in that side of the business, which led me to pursue a career in finance.”

In addition to his parents, his uncle, who also happened to be his business studies and accounting teacher in school, played a pivotal role in shaping his interests. These subjects not only captivated Maurice but were areas where he excelled. After completing his secondary education, he pursued a degree in Accounting at UCC.

After completing his training contract in the audit team at Deloitte in Cork, he moved to take up a management position in the Galway Office. He acknowledges that the move was also driven by the fact that his now wife is from Galway.

“At Deloitte Galway, I worked with Austin Sammon, a partner in the Mazars Galway office, who has been a massive influence on my career since then. He has been a great mentor to me since I joined Mazars in June 2019, helping to advance my career within the firm and has been extremely supportive of me achieving my career goals.” 

Maurice finds several aspects of his job deeply rewarding and motivating. “We have a great team here at Mazars. People are at the heart of our business. I really enjoy playing a mentoring role with our staff and I love that we get regular influxes of graduates into the firm which bring great energy to the office environment.

He also places high importance on client relationships. “Our clients are front and centre of everything we do, I enjoy the daily interactions we have with our clients and the relationships built with great clients working to find solutions to complex issues on a daily basis. The variety of the role is something that I’ve really enjoyed and has kept me engaged and performing to the best of my ability.”

Maurice's personal life centres around his wife, Oonagh, whom he met in Boston during his J1 in 2012 and married in the summer of 2022, and their daughter, Kate, who is two years old.

Maurice and Oonagh share a passion for travel and embarked on a five-month journey through South America in 2018. While they love to explore the world, their travel adventures have become less frequent.

As a sports enthusiast, Maurice is actively involved in Gaelic Football with his local club and contributes to the club's development as a coach. “The GAA club is the centre of our community and is very much a family organisation.”

A staunch supporter of the Kerry football team, Maurice proudly wore the green and gold jersey during his youth in the underage ranks.

Currently, Maurice is participating in the COPE Galway Business Leaders' Sleep Out, scheduled for Friday, December 1st. This event aims to raise essential funds for the homeless and is a cause close to his heart.

For more information about his participation and to support this important initiative, visit: copegalwaysleepout.ie/maurice-hickey