Kildare car crash survivor pioneers virtual driving technology on road and farm machinery safety

When Athy man Barry Keatley survived a horrific car accident in 2000, doctors feared they would have to amputate his leg.
He spent a year in Tallaght Hospital, months in a wheelchair, and years rebuilding his life.

Today, he has turned that experience into a mission: making Irish roads, farms, and construction sites safer through pioneering virtual driving technology.

Barry established the Virtual Driving Hub on the Carlow Road in Athy in 2023 — Ireland’s first training centre of its kind. Using advanced Tenstar simulators, he helps people safely learn how to handle vehicles and machinery ranging from cars and tractors to tower cranes, bulldozers, and emergency service vehicles.

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Now Barry is expanding his work by supplying simulators to Irish schools. Holy Trinity College in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, where GAA star Peter Canavan teaches, will soon become the first to install two simulators after a successful fundraising campaign. This means students will be able to develop safe driving and machinery-handling skills from an early age — in a controlled, risk-free environment.

“Growing up on a farm, I drove tractors from the age of six. In construction and quarrying, I worked punishing shifts, sometimes 20 hours a day. Like many young men, I thought I was indestructible. My accident changed everything — it showed me the catastrophic impact of fatigue and the importance of safety. Now, I want others to learn without paying that same price,” says Barry.

Barry Keatley and and Aaron who works with him at The Virtual Driving Hub in Athy 

Barry also believes Ireland must embrace the potential of women drivers in industries traditionally dominated by men.

“Time and again, I see women outperform men on simulators. They drive machines the way they’re meant to be driven — with skill, precision, and care. We need to start seeing more women in roles like HGV driving, excavator operation, and construction work. In places like Australia, women are already leading in these industries, and Ireland should be no different.”

Virtual Training Hub continues to train construction companies, agricultural colleges and individual learners. It also partners with Foróige and the Irish Prison Service to upskill young people and jobseekers. Barry has the ambition to open Virtual Driving Hubs across Ireland and to see more schools embrace simulator training, offering students valuable life skills and career pathways in transport, agriculture, and construction.