Meet the Louth man leading the next generation of accountants

When Louth man, Eoghan Woods from Dundalk, sat the ACCA Advanced Financial Management (AFM) exam earlier this year, he wasn’t expecting to make headlines. 

However, after placing first in Ireland and third in the world, the former Bush Post Primary student, DkIT graduate and now trainee Accountant at Baker Tilly Kirk has firmly established himself as one of the brightest young accountants in the country. His journey to this point began with a simple love of numbers in school—and a decision to follow in his mum’s footsteps to study accounting.

“I loved accounting in school and felt like the DkIT course was the best for me in terms of location and what I could get out of it,” said Eoghan. The three-year degree structure appealed to him, as did the strong graduate opportunities available afterwards.

A recent DkIT/HEA Graduate Survey showed that 93% of graduates from the course are in employment or further study within six months of graduating — a statistic that reassured Eoghan he was on the right path.

“If you work hard during college, you can often secure a role before finishing your degree,” Eoghan explained. From his own experience, many graduate programme interviews take place toward the end of the year before graduation, giving students the security of knowing they have a role lined up and freeing them to focus on their studies. He found that interviews weren’t solely competency-based but also place strong emphasis on personality and overall fit for a role.

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Another factor that stood out at DkIT was the smaller class sizes. “It’s a much better environment to learn in because you have more engagement with classmates and lecturers, which means there is more help available for you if you’re struggling with anything,” he says. Friends studying in larger colleges in Dublin or Belfast were often surprised when he told them that students in DkIT were on first-name terms with their lecturers — a level of support he found invaluable.

That support, paired with the maximum nine ACCA exemptions offered by the course, gave him a strong foundation for his career. “The lecturers really prepare you to a high standard,” Eoghan says. “Now that I’m in the working world, I can really see the benefits of that preparation.”

Between his time in DkIT, his online study with Accountancy School.ie and his experience in Baker Tilly Kirk, Eoghan’s hard work certainly paid off! He sat the in ACCA Advanced Financial Management (AFM) in March 2025, placing an amazing first in Ireland and third in the world. With an exam pass rate of about 45% during that period, according to the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, achieving such a high ranking was a remarkable achievement for Eoghan.

“A lot of people go into these exams with the mentality that they just want to pass,” Eoghan reflects. “I always aim to do as well as I can, so it was great to get the high mark and the award in recognition of that.” His success is a testament to the value of hard work, determination, and the solid foundation he built at DkIT—something he hopes will inspire other students considering a career in accountancy.

For anyone interested in a career in accounting, there are still some spaces left through the CAO Available Places. Find out more here: CAO Available Places | DkIT