Forvis Mazars expands into Cork through merger with James Byrne & Co

Forvis Mazars, an international professional services firm, has announced its expansion into Cork through the merger of long-established local firm James Byrne & Company. The audit, tax, advisory and consulting firm, which was previously known as Mazars, said the merger represented a “significant milestone” in its growth in Ireland.
The addition of James Byrne & Co means the firm’s workforce across the State will increase to almost 900 employees.
A new Forvis Mazars Cork office will be located at South Mall in Cork City, adding to its offices in Dublin, Limerick and Galway, with the firm planning to grow its regional footprint in the southwest to 150 employees over the next two years.
Founded in 1978 in Mallow, Co Cork, James Byrne & Co is an accounting and taxation firm with a client base across sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, construction, property management, manufacturing and hospitality.
“Welcoming James Byrne & Co into the Forvis Mazars family is a pivotal step in our strategy to be a truly national firm,” said Forvis Mazars managing partner Tom O’Brien. “Fiona Byrne and the rest of the team at James Byrne & Co bring invaluable local expertise to our firm across our full range of service lines.”
Ms Byrne, a director of James Byrne & Co and now practice lead at Forvis Mazars Cork, said the firm aimed to build “a dynamic and agile practice” offering audit, taxation, advisory and consulting services as part of the wider group.
Forvis Mazars Cork has appointed Stephen Gahan as a tax partner and David Swinburne as a financial advisory, and they will join Ms Byrne, a partner in audit and outsourcing, in leading the office. Company founder James Byrne is a consultant for the practice.
The Forvis Mazars professional services network was established in June this year, bringing together the Mazars international partnership and top US firm Forvis.