Cardinal virtues: Private equity star John Dolan of Cardinal Capital Group interviewed

Bargains might be thinner on the ground now that the economy has recovered, but there are still exciting opportunities for private equity companies, says John Dolan of Cardinal Capital Group

Bryan Meade

Is the great era of bargains over for private equity in Ireland? I ask John Dolan this as we have coffee in the Herbert Park Hotel in leafy Ballsbridge.

All around us is the buzzing discourse of dealmaking and a general air of prosperity. There might have been a rather quieter atmosphere around here in late 2013, which is when Cardinal’s private equity venture got going.

At that point, Ireland had just technically ...