Patrick Downes

Patrick Downes is an Irish writer and board adviser. The Swallows of Jones's Road is his first novel.

It began with something he'd watched for years without ever naming: the elaborate, half-serious, wholly sincere ritual Irish sports supporters go through every summer chasing All-Ireland final tickets — what he calls "an annual Camino of hope." Equal parts pilgrimage and treasure hunt, it's a gentle, often wry look at the sub-culture built entirely around that pursuit, and what it reveals about how Irish society really operates beneath its more visible layers.

By day, Patrick is the founder of Lionheart and a partner with Governance Ireland, advising boards on effectiveness, risk and oversight. He has over 25 years' experience in the field, and currently serves on a number of Boards

He has completed executive studies at Harvard Business School and Boston College, sits on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA). He is the author of a number of governance titles, including Navigating Corporate Governance, How to Become a Non-Executive Director, AI for Boards and How to Prepare Better Board Packs.

Irish Military history is a particular interest of his, and he lectures regularly on the subject. He has been appointed Writer in Residence at the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco for Autumn 2026, and a further book, due in winter 2026, traces the history of ethnic Irish recipients of the Medal of Honor — Irish diaspora servicemen decorated for valour — and the intergenerational effect their example had on wider American society.