As a young boy growing up in Wexford during the sixties, two annual events literally lit up the life of Pat Whelan and hundreds of his contemporaries.

Both were integral parts of the Wexford Festival Opera but to any ten year old they were tickets to the magical world of a child’s mind.

The long forgotten Guinness Clock was a firm favourite but for Pat and the generations of Wexfordians, it was “the Fireworks” that caused the pulse to race and the eyes to sparkle.

In 1985 when Pat became Administrator of the Wexford Festival Opera he vowed to return to the restore the magic of “the Fireworks” on the opening night of the Festival.

However with no Fireworks company operating in the Republic of Ireland at the time, this proved to be a difficult task. Despite the obstacles he encountered Pat ensured that by 1987 Wexford Opera Festival had a stunning Fireworks display.

Inspired by the dazzling lights, and growing tired of office life, Pat started to dream of turning his passion into a business.

When his term of office as Administrator ended, he seized the opportunity and decided to establish the Republic of Ireland’s only fireworks company, Nationwide Fireworks was born.

Pat took numerous trips to England for training, leaning about the theory of practice of safety regarding fireworks. This covered everything from planning to site preparation, professional firing and site clearance for various types and sizes of display. Another year followed where Pat fired shows all over Ireland accompanied by a seasoned professional from the UK

The Final requirement was to have a safety audit carried out. Safety is Nationwide Fireworks’ number one priority and the company has its own Public Liability Insurance to the tune of 10m per claim.

For 25 Years Pat and his team have fired all over Ireland an on occasions they have also teamed up with international companies from Australia, France, the UK, Spain, Colombia and the USA

Pat has never regretted following his dreams to set the sky on fire.