A professional opportunity of a lifetime led to Dubliner Barry Moore furthering his education in neurological rehabilitation in the United States. He’s back in Ireland to put this experience to good use with Vitality Neuro Rehab.
Barry was coming to the end of his master’s degree in kinesiology at Indiana University in Indianapolis when the search for an internship and practical exposure to patients in clinical settings led him to NeuroHope of Indiana, a clinic specialising in treatment for people with neurological disorders.
The experience, he says, was life-changing.
“In time, I hope to develop this into a non-profit and build a team of empathetic and passionate people to allow for greater service provision in Ireland”
He is a graduate of the Back for Business programme backed by the Irish Government aimed at supporting returned or soon to be returning Irish emigrants in staring and developing a business in Ireland.
The free programme, which is funded by the Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs, was created to foster and support entrepreneurial activity among emigrants recently returned to Ireland.
Now in its ninth year, the programme has up to 50 places available. The deadline for the next phase is 16 January and interested entrepreneurs can apply here.
Pursuing a passion
The NeuroHope experience took Moore in a professional direction that has been fulfilling while utilising his education, training and experience in a unique way.
“I work with people with a wide range of neurological conditions, including spinal cord injuries, stroke, MS, cerebral palsy, and some other rare conditions”
“NeuroHope was relatively new at the time and very specialised in that it was for people with brain and spinal injuries, multiple sclerosis, and things like that. After beginning an internship there, I learned of the opportunity to extend that internship by pairing it with an independent study module required for my master’s,” he says.
As part of his research, Barry developed a wellness programme to help patients who had maximised recovery through therapy but still needed ongoing access to exercise and social support.
His work delivered significant impact for patients, so much so that the programme is a core offering at the clinic to this day, and continues to grow. Barry was also given the opportunity to present his findings at the prestigious International Symposium on Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA) in 2019.
“The success of the programme helped me to extend my stay in the US. I was hired as an exercise specialist after graduating and worked my way up to Lead Neuro Recovery Exercise Specialist.
“This led me to a job in Oregon with Zebrafish Neuro. Part of my role there was to assist in delivering continuing education courses in spinal cord injury rehabilitation for movement professionals across the US, Canada and Australia. Several of my current clients first found me through social media with Zebrafish,” he says.
Barry quickly set up his business, Vitality Neuro Rehabilitation, on his return and began treating patients in January 2025, starting with house visits and later in his own dedicated space in Blanchardstown.
“I work with people with a wide range of neurological conditions, including spinal cord injuries, stroke, MS, cerebral palsy, and some other rare conditions. I do in-person and online coaching and have partnered with several service providers in Ireland to deliver coaching for service users and provide training for therapy staff,” he says.
“In time, I hope to develop this into a non-profit and build a team of empathetic and passionate people to allow for greater service provision in Ireland.”
Barry credits the Back for Business programme with keeping him focused and accountable to his business development goals. In particular, he is grateful to his lead entrepreneur who encouraged him to prioritise his personal wellbeing and pursue a better work-life balance.
“We met for one roundtable every month, which helped me stay on top of my goals and allowed me to share some of the challenges I’d been experiencing. It also gave the really experienced and knowledgeable people in my group the chance to come back with solutions they’d discovered from grappling with the same stuff,” he says.
He continues: “My mentor was very direct and full of great ideas. One thing he said at the very beginning was to make sure that we were doing something for ourselves that was completely unrelated to the business – put yourself first. That really resonated with me.”
- The deadline for completed applications for Back to Business 9 is midnight on Friday, 16 January. For more information or to register your interest in receiving an application form, click here
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