Mr Scott McCauley (28), has been appointed manager of the National Sea Life Centre, which is due to open in Bray, Co Wicklow, next Easter. He has been managing the Sea Life Centre in Southend, Essex, for the past year.
The grandson of a Dubliner, he was born in Scarborough, but the family later emigrated to Australia. He returned to England with a business degree.
The new Bray centre is part of a £3 million redevelopment of the derelict former national aquarium on the seafront. It will house a variety of displays featuring native marine life, ranging from shrimps, starfish and crabs, to sharks.