THE PERSONAL fitness trainer to the Minister with the task of creating jobs has left the country in search of work.
Enda Coyle flew to the Canary Islands yesterday, saying he was seeking employment to replace work lost as a result of the recession. Tánaiste Mary Coughlan, who is also Minister for Enterprise, was one of his clients.
Mr Coyle ran his own business as a fitness and lifestyle coach from his home in Inver, Co Donegal, a short distance from the Tánaiste’s home in the neighbouring village of Frosses.
An hour before catching his flight from Dublin airport, he said: “My business was flying, doing really well and then suddenly it all stopped. It was not just a gradual decline, it just went bang. Personal training is now a luxury in Donegal.”
He added: “The Tánaiste is the one person who kept me going for quite a long time because of the wonderful exposure she gave me. I’m very grateful for that.”
Mr Coyle said he was having a week of talks with prospective employers in hotels with leisure facilities. He said he was aware there was also an economic downturn in Spain, but reckoned there were still opportunities for somebody with his expertise. If he clinches a job, he plans to move to Spain full-time in April.
He described the Tánaiste as one of his most dedicated clients.
“I could not have got a nicer or more committed person to train than Mary Coughlan. From day one, there were no airs or graces with her. We trained around the Minister’s busy schedule, on occasions from 7am until she departed for Dublin the same day.”
A spokesman for Ms Coughlan said the Tánaiste and Mr Coyle had an “excellent working relationship”. “We would wish him well whatever the future holds for him and whatever he decides to do,” she said.