Meet the founder

Meet Allen McCarthy

Web designer, developer and founder of AMW Creative in Listowel, Co. Kerry. For over 25 years Allen has helped businesses across Ireland and the UK look good online, sell online and stay online.

Work with Allen Connect on LinkedIn ↗
Allen McCarthy, founder of AMW Creative
Allen McCarthy · Founder, AMW Creative
About Allen

Designer by training, problem-solver by nature

Allen McCarthy studied industrial design at IT Sligo before completing a BA in Graphic & Product Design and a postgraduate qualification in Computing & Design at Ulster University. That mix of design and technology has shaped his work ever since.

After a year teaching multimedia and web design at Senior College Dún Laoghaire, Allen spent more than twelve years as a website designer with Trojan Complete IT Solutions, where he designed websites and brand identities, managed hosting and email, and trained and supported clients.

In 2013 he founded AMW Creative in Listowel, Co. Kerry. Today he designs, builds and looks after websites and online stores for businesses across Ireland and the UK, many of whom have worked with him for years. Clients often mention the same things: clear advice, quick replies, and a real person who explains things in plain English.

In my own words

Hello, I’m Allen

“I see every website as a joint venture rather than simply a job to be completed.”
  • Mayo man
  • Arsenal fan
  • Dog lover
  • Listowel-based

I’m an Arsenal-supporting, dog-loving Mayo man, originally from Charlestown. I moved to Listowel after discovering the beauty of Kerry — and, if I’m being completely honest, because my wife told me to! Thankfully, I was also very willing to move, as I have a strong family connection to Listowel, where my father hailed from.

I’ve been working in IT design and development for over 25 years, and I still love learning, adapting and tackling the new challenges that this ever-changing industry throws at us. Watching websites evolve from hard-coded pages into the beautiful, user-friendly GUI-based systems we have today has been amazing, especially for anyone who loves design.

I love a good chat and have been privileged to build some wonderful, friendly relationships with my brilliant clients since I started AMW. I particularly enjoy the mainly sport-based banter that comes my way on a daily basis — and during the summer GAA months, I’m more than happy to claim either my Mayo or Kerry heritage, depending entirely on which one is doing better!

I firmly believe in a straightforward, jargon-free approach to every website project. I enjoy taking an idea, working closely with the client, and turning it into something we can both be proud of. I see every website as a joint venture rather than simply a job to be completed.

And importantly, the relationship doesn’t end when the website goes live. We believe in being there for our clients long after launch and building genuine, long-term partnerships.

So, if you’d like to have a chat, just send me a message using any of the various methods on this website. And if all else fails, just pop into Listowel — I won’t be too hard to find!

— Allen

Career & education

Over 25 years on the web

From teaching web design to running his own studio, Allen has worked with websites since the early days of the web, and has kept learning as the tools have changed.

25+Years in web design
2013Founded AMW Creative
2Design degrees
  1. 2013 – today

    Founder

    AMW Creative · Listowel, Co. Kerry

    Website design and development for small and medium-sized businesses, with advice and support from domain registration and hosting to design, eCommerce, maintenance, content management and SEO.

  2. 2000 – 2013

    Website Designer

    Trojan Complete IT Solutions

    Designing websites and corporate identities, setting up and maintaining hosting and email, client training, telephone support and in-house marketing.

  3. 1999 – 2000

    Multimedia Lecturer

    Senior College Dún Laoghaire

    Teaching web design, computer graphics, digital imaging, CMS development and web programming, with practical classes in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver and Premiere Pro.

  4. 1999 – 2000

    PgDip / MSc, Computing & Design

    Ulster University
  5. 1997 – 1999

    BA, Graphic & Product Design

    Ulster University
  6. 1993 – 1996

    National Diploma, Industrial Design

    IT Sligo
LinkedIn endorsements

Skills others vouch for

Allen’s top skills, as endorsed by colleagues and clients on LinkedIn, including colleagues from Trojan IT.

  • 18SEOendorsements
  • 9Customer Serviceendorsements
  • 9Photoshopendorsements
  • 7Troubleshootingendorsements
  • 6Strategic Planningendorsements
  • 6Social Networkingendorsements
  • 5Social Mediaendorsements
  • 5Social Media Marketingendorsements
  • 5System Administrationendorsements
  • 4Network Administrationendorsements
Recommendations

What clients say about Allen

Recommendations from LinkedIn and five-star Google reviews from clients Allen has designed, built and supported websites for.

inLinkedIn recommendation
“I recently worked with Allen on a brand new site for Boyle Arts Festival & from the start he made everything very easy… Allen was extremely professional and knowledgeable in every step of the design process & implementation… I really can’t recommend Allen enough! He did an outstanding job & was a pleasure to work with.”
S
Sharon TigheBoyle Arts Festival
inLinkedIn recommendation
“Allen designed and developed my web site and the feedback has been excellent from customers and suppliers. I would highly recommend him for e commerce sites.”
D
Debbie MeadowsFounder, Greedy Goose Hampers
GGoogle review
“He has designed my websites for the past 5 years and his ability to deliver a high quality service is why I’d highly recommend him. He’s very easy to deal with and listens to what I want and offers advice on the best method to get the job done!”
R
Richard Mc CarthyPhotographer
GGoogle review
“Allen was a pleasure to work with! He is extremely helpful, personally I knew nothing about website design, he was amazing in explaining and guiding me in the right direction!”
H
Hair & CoHair salon client
What Allen does

How Allen can help

Through AMW Creative, Allen looks after every part of a business website, so clients have one person to call.

Recent work

Websites Allen has built and looks after

Case studyNOTSCourse bookings & an online book store
→
Case studyQPM IrelandA large machinery catalogue, kept up to date
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Case studyViking Garden CreationsVideo hero, services & local SEO
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Case studyCeramic CityA vast tile catalogue with filtering
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Case studySweet TimesA party shop with personalised balloon ordering
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Case studyRoscommon Leisure CentreLive pool & gym times on the homepage
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Start a project

Talk to Allen

Planning a new website, an online store or just need a hand with the one you have? Get in touch and Allen will get back to you personally.

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