Meet some of Ireland’s contributions to the Forbes 30 under 30
Forbes has unveiled its much anticipated 30 Under 30 Europe list for 2025, and Ireland has made a record-breaking impression. 14 young Irish innovators, creatives, and changemakers have earned a spot across various categories, which is its highest number to date. Particularly notable is Ireland’s strong showing in the Entertainment category, with four entries alone.
The Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list annually celebrates 30 trailblazing individuals under the age of 30 in each of its sectors, including Arts & Style, Entertainment, Finance, Retail & Ecommerce, Marketing & Media, Science & Healthcare, Manufacturing & Industry, Social Impact, Sports & Games, and Technology. Whether they’re building ground-breaking businesses or reshaping creative industries, these young leaders represent the future.
This year’s Irish cohort includes musicians, directors, athletes, and tech innovators, many of whom are living and working abroad. Their global reach and influence speak to the enduring Irish spirit of ambition, creativity, and emigration. At EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, we’re always watching for rising stars who reflect Ireland’s global story, and these names are certainly ones to watch. Who knows, maybe we’ll be making adjustments to our galleries very soon.
Entertainment
CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson)
Known for her eclectic blend of folk, pop, and country, Meath native CMAT was named in the Entertainment category just shy of her 30th birthday. After stints in Denmark and the UK, the singer-songwriter garnered widespread acclaim with her debut album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead, which won RTÉ’s Choice Music Prize in 2022. She’s set to perform at All Together Now this summer and headline the 3Arena in December 2025.
Grian Chatten
Fontaines D.C. has skyrocketed to fame in the last couple of years, so it should be no surprise to see one of their members, frontman Grian Chatten, on this list. Forbes has gone as far as to say that he is “one of the most compelling voices in contemporary rock.” The band’s Grammy and BRIT-nominated second album, A Hero’s Death, and their chart-topping third album Skinty Fia, cemented Chatten’s reputation. He currently lives in London.
Jordan Adetunji
Belfast-born Jordan Adetunji, 26, shot to global fame with his viral hit Kehlani, which went platinum in the US and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance. Though the award ultimately went to Erykah Badu, Adetunji’s profile continues to rise.
Ronan Corrigan
Writer-director Ronan Corrigan’s debut feature Life Hack, a thriller about a teen Bitcoin heist, premiered at SXSW 2025. Now based in London, the 29-year-old has screened work at BAFTA and Oscar-qualifying festivals and even directed the music video for Coldplay’s Tearjerker.
Sports & Games
Adam Dalton
At just 26, Dalton is revolutionising gaming as co-founder of Jamango!, a no-code 3D game-building platform. Backed by $3.6 million in funding, Dalton previously co-founded Robotify, a coding education platform that reached one million students in over 100 countries.
Rhys McClenaghan
At the young age of 25, Rhys McClenaghan has plenty of accolades under his belt, perhaps the most prestigious that he is the first gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal for Ireland. In 2023, he was awarded RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year, and he is also the only gymnast to become Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion on a single apparatus. His most recent achievement was winning the Irish edition of Dancing With The Stars, alongside professional dance partner Laura Nolan.
Social Impact
Sarah-Marie Rust
Founder of EVE, a software platform supporting the electrification of commercial vehicle fleets, Rust is focused on cutting 15 million metric tons of CO₂ by 2030. Her mission blends cutting-edge tech with urgent environmental need.
Naomi McGregor
Through her company Movetru, McGregor is tackling preventable sports injuries, particularly ACL tears, by leveraging real-time biomechanical data from wearable tech. Her work has major implications for athletes—especially women, who are disproportionately affected by such injuries.
Media & Marketing
Charlie Butler, Brandon Dooley, Ronán Dowling-Cullen and Joshua Stafford
The four co-founders of Bounce Insights, all aged between 27 and 28, are a marketing intelligence firm with bases in Dublin and New York, earning recognition for software that decodes consumer behaviour in real time – predicting what people want to buy, how they respond to packaging, and more.
Technology
Caoimhe Murphy
Murphy is co-founder of Anam, a startup building AI avatars for customer service and sales, with clients like Henkel, Preply, and Second Nature. In 2024, Anam secured $2.4 million in funding, further cementing its role in reshaping digital engagement.
Manufacturing & Industry
Peter Gilleece
A former Aston Martin engineer, Gilleece now runs Vikela, a Belfast-based company producing lightweight 3D-printed body armour that’s both flexible and stab-resistant. His innovation addresses long-standing safety challenges in the defence and security sectors.
A Global Generation with Irish Roots
Whether on stage, in boardrooms, or breaking world records, Ireland’s Forbes 30 Under 30 cohort exemplifies a global outlook powered by Irish creativity, innovation, and resilience. Many of these individuals are living and working abroad, embodying the very spirit of Irish emigration that EPIC celebrates every day. We look forward to seeing how their stories evolve and perhaps featuring them in the museum someday as part of Ireland’s ongoing story of influence across the world.
Header image via Instagram / CMAT
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