Est 1926
Ireland’s leading provider of wealth management and investment banking services, connecting capital with opportunity.
Our story began in 1926, when brothers James and Eugene Davy established a stockbroking business on Dublin’s Westmoreland Street. Against a backdrop of profound economic and social change, the brothers laid the foundations for what would become Ireland’s leading provider of wealth management and investment banking services, capable of competing with the best in the world.
A capacity to learn and to adapt, an unwavering belief in the power of people and relationships, and a commitment to exceptional service ensure Davy is well positioned for the next 100 years.
OUR HERITAGE.YOUR FUTURE.
Our strength is in our relationships. We work with generations of families, businesses and corporations, helping them preserve and grow their wealth.
Davy is established by brothers James and Eugene Davy following the sale of the Davy family pub business in Dublin. James becomes a member of Dublin Stock Exchange in 1926, with Eugene, already a popular Ireland international rugby player, formally joining the business as a partner in 1929 after completing his apprenticeship and gaining admission to the exchange.
James J. Davy is unanimously elected President of Dublin Stock Exchange. Founded in 1793 and based on Anglesea Street in Temple Bar, Dublin 2 since 1878, the exchange’s presidency was far more than an honorific. James was responsible for managing membership, overseeing quotations and maintaining oversight of the exchange’s day-to-day dealings, as well as representing it on key occasions such as the visit of the Lord Mayor of Dublin Martin O’Sullivan.
Davy handles its first initial public offering (IPO) in 1964. Monsell, Mitchell & Company, a long-established Dublin builders’ providers business and supplier of heating equipment and hardware, goes public with J & E Davy acting as its brokers, following a sharp rise in profits driven by growing demand for central heating. Davy goes on to handle the IPOs of many more companies in the years that followed.
Davy sets up Ireland’s first economic research consultancy practice called Davy Kelleher McCarthy (DKM). It is established in 1981 as a joint venture with J & E Davy by Robbie Kelleher, an All-Ireland winning Dublin footballer, and economist Colm McCarthy, both ESRI-trained and former Central Bank of Ireland colleagues. DKM provides specialist analysis of the Irish economy to Davy clients. It builds on the research capability Davy had strengthened in 1979, when Tony Garry joined from AIB and Yale-educated Brendan Dowling arrived from the ESRI as Chief Economist and Head of Research.
The company relocates to Davy House at 49 Dawson Street, moving the workforce a short distance from 60–63 Dawson Street, where all employees had been based since 1969. The new headquarters overlooks Leinster House on Kildare Street, placing Davy in the heart of the city’s political and commercial district. Earlier premises included 100–101 Grafton Street (1935–1969) and, in the firm’s first decade or so, offices on Westmoreland Street, overlooking O’Connell Bridge and Street.
As the Celtic Tiger economy reshapes Ireland, Davy expands its regional presence, opening its first office outside of Dublin in Cork in 2004. A Galway office follows in 2006. Davy’s entry into the UK market began in 2007 when it opens its Belfast office. Through a series of acquisitions and organic growth over the following years, Davy, already the leading wealth manager in the Republic of Ireland, grows to become the largest wealth manager in Northern Ireland.
In 2010, Davy establishes its first overseas office in the City of London, initially to deal with a large volume of institutional business in the UK, particularly in government bonds. The first London office is based on Old Broad Street near Liverpool Street Station. Later, Davy’s London activities expand to include wealth management services, mainly for the Irish diaspora in London. Davy moves to Gresham Street in St. Paul’s.
Bank of Ireland acquires Davy, having previously owned a stake in the firm from 1988 until a management buyout in 2006. Since joining the Bank of Ireland Group, Davy has seen exceptional growth in its wealth management business.
This year, we celebrate our centenary and the people who made Davy the firm it is today. It is an opportunity to reflect on the last 100 years, honouring those who have shaped it, while looking ahead to the future.
