Club promoters. Artists. Musicians. Broadcasters. Actors. Editors. Designers. Restaurateurs. Racing car drivers. Rugby players. DJs. Stockbrokers. Solicitors. The cream of the crop of successful Irish men under the age of 35 certainly comes from diverse areas and backgrounds. What unifies them all however, is ambition, drive and confidence. If you don't know the names already, make a note of them because these men are the homegrown trailblazers doing us proud.

PAUL BYROM (27) Singer Life for this Irish Tenor is a little unpredictable but he's not complaining. As well as gigs here, he's in talks about UK-based shows, including the role of Danny in Grease, in which Simon Cowell is involved. Then there's his part as a chef in Fair City, which he describes as "the maddest thing that ever happened to me". Byrom, who's been singing professionally for 14 years, helped shake up the notion that the Irish Tenors are all of the 50-yearold, curly haired, Frank Patterson-mould. The success of groups like Il Divo and G4 prove there's a strong market for Byrom's style of music and he's attracting an increasingly broad fanbase. Byrom says he's hot-headed and strong about matters pertaining to his career. One thing you won't see him doing any time soon is Pop Idol or The X Factor. "Not after 20 years of voice training?" he says.

MARK KELLY (33) Publisher Having worked in publishing in London and New York (where he wrote a little black book for the world's richest people) Kelly identified a niche in the market here at home. He set up Hospitality Ireland three years ago, a specialist title devoted to hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars. It quickly became the most glamorous trade mag in the country, targeting a business sector worth Euro3.6bn.

Kelly studied history, politics and economics at university and politics remain a keen interest, as are fencing, tennis and current affairs. Travel is another passion (he has visited over 60 countries) but his primary focus is taking Hospitality Ireland as far as it can go.

YOUSEF ELDIN (27), MICHAEL FREEMAN (23) and EOIN BUTLER (27) 'Mongrel' magazine When Mongrel first appeared three years ago, naysayers said it wasn't viable.

But it's still here, still free and flourishing, although the team behind it will concede that the magazine "has grown up a bit. It's more polished."

Freeman is the editor, Eldin is the publisher and Butler writes. Mongrel's combination of biting satire, great photography and left-of-centre takes on modern Irish life makes it an original on the Irish publishing landscape. You're not likely to see a fashion shoot with contenders at the 2006 World Powerlifting Championship in Limerick wearing Topshop corsets in the pages of any other mag. Or, indeed, a celebration of Irishonly food products like Erin Gravy Rich and Score Red Lemonade.

AIDAN POWER (27) TV presenter Power is one of the most likeable personalities gracing our TV screens at present on T TV and anchoring The Caf� with Laura Woods. Of course, he's had some time to hone his craft, starting out as a DJ on a pirate station and first appearing on TV eight years ago. After graduating from Ballyfermot Senior College, Power worked on a number of RT� shows including BRIAN O'MALLEY (26) and CONOR BUCKLEY (26) Club managers Lillie's Bordello lost its crown late last year when Krystle, in the Russell Court Hotel, opened its doors. O'Malley and Buckley have used their considerable talents to create a superior club experience at Krystle, where the rugby set (Gordon D'Arcy, Brian O'Driscoll, et al) and the Rosanna Davison gang hang out.

The two had already garnered considerable experience at UCD - they both studied commerce - organising wildly successful student events and developing a rapport with Dublin club owners. Bondi Beach sought them out to run nights there and O'Malley also organised non-alcoholic, under-18 events in the Red Box. Now they're working exclusively with Krystle, whose opulent all-cream interior (complete with white piano) comes from clubs in London, Spain and further afield. Krystle's appeal, they believe, is down to its good vibe and strict over-23s door policy - not even Peaches Geldof got in the last time she was in town. There's no typical day for them and, while there's a definite social element to their work, at the end of the day it's still business. "You can't last unless you have a professional attitude, " O'Malley says.

MARC BEREEN (30) and CONOR BEREEN (28) Bar owners A glut of trendy pubs has sprung up in Dublin of late but not many of them boast much of a soul. Brothers Conor and Marc Bereen's bar, South William on (where else? ) South William Street in Dublin 2 is different. It's cool but cosy, with a laidback atmosphere, eclectic design, nice beers, thoughtful wine list and global music soundtrack.

There's also a superb pie menu, created by Troy Maguire (formerly of L'Gueuleton and soon to be of Locks) with hearty feeds like duck confit and cabbage or Guinnessbraised beef shin and mushroom. Mark previously worked in the hospitality business in Australia and held some senior management positions in Dublin. Conor, meanwhile, studied fine art at St Martins and was a model in London, Paris and Milan. The South William combines their skills to fine effect and, despite being open only since just before Christmas, it's already established itself as one of the city's superior drinking dens.

GAVIN McCONNON (29) Entrepreneur Leaving school in fifth year in 1995 freed up McConnon's time to concentrate on a much more rewarding task: making money. He was an early mover and shaker in Ireland's then-burgeoning dotcom scene and his company was the first in Ireland to introduce competition scratch cards to newspapers.

Now, with his brother Iain, he runs Moviestar. ie, the online DVD rental company which claims to have Ireland's largest selection of DVDs and to be the cheapest place to rent them.

Other business interests include his property portfolio with sites in Ireland, the UK and China.

McConnon balances his considerable work ethic with having a good time. He drives a Ferrari 360 Spider, spends summer weekends at his villa in the south of France and completed the Gumball Rally last year, which took him from London to LA, via a party at the Playboy Mansion.

MARK O'KEEFFE (33) Hairdresser Hairdressing is in O'Keeffe's genes.

His father, Frank, is general manager for Peter Marks and his son, aged 15, knew that he, too, wanted to get into the business.

Having also worked as a manager in Peter Marks he now runs Brown Sugar, the hair and beauty salon on South William Street in Dublin 2 with his wife, Paula Callan O'Keeffe.

Paula, formerly a model and makeup artist with Mac, looks after the beauty side of things while Mark focuses on what he loves best; creative cuts. It's usually a six-day week for O'Keeffe so Sundays, spent at home in Ballygriffin on Sundays with his wife and 10-month-old daughter Charlotte, are sacrosanct. You need a certain personality to be a great hairdresser, he believes, and being a people person helps. He thinks Irish women are now on the ball when it comes to style but gives a tip anyway. "You can do anything with hair provided it's in great condition."

RYAN TUBRIDY (33) Broadcaster What's left to say about RTE's brightest light that hasn't been said so many times before? Not a lot, the man himself might say, being more establishment than upand-coming young buck.

"I don't consider myself as being that young anymore. I feel like I've been around for 1,000 years and that I'm irritatingly present." Being young, hungry and ambitious is something he associates with his 20s and it's true that he's no longer the 'young fogey', having matured into a seasoned, sharp and charismatic broadcaster.

He agrees that his generation of men are different to those who preceded them. "We come from a different sense of what is achievable, " he thinks. "We were born into relative privilege - peace on this island and an extraordinary time of political excitement and it spawned a generation of people who, like me, are optimistic."

NIALL BRESLIN (25) Singer Hype has long been the enemy of young bands but the much-touted Blizzards, with their infectious blend of ska and pop, have the right amount of talent to go the distance. Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Breslin, AKA Bresy, is a commanding presence on stage. He studied economics at UCD and played rugby professionally until a injury put paid to that pursuit.

He is now focused on getting the Blizzards' name out there. To this end, there's been continuous touring and they're currently gearing up for festival season. The five-piece are school mates who have been together for three years and Breslin says that while there are scraps, "we never let it build up". They're signed to Universal Music Ireland and even though last year's album, A Public Display of Affection got great plaudits, he concedes it's a tough industry, "where you mature very quickly". The only time he's ever been starstruck was when he met Kurt Russell while recording the album in the States, although he says the Gallagher brothers of Oasis are "pure gentlemen". What he wants to do next is to write an album that "to me is flawless. An Astral Weeks or Dark Side of the Moon". When he's not gigging he reads a lot and does crosswords.

Going out, he says, is the last thing you want to do when you have time off.

TALKING 'BOUT MY GENERATION 'IMAGE' editor Melanie Morris on why these success stories couldn't have happened before 1966 My friend John Ryan, known to many as the man behind the New York Dog magazine and the addictive www. blogorrah. com, has a great theory about Irish men. He talks about 1966 as the benchmark in our society. The year (give or take) when a subconscious shift occurred in male behavioural DNA.

Before 1966 it was all Dev's Ireland/church and state/'Bull McCabe' carry-on, when men were either neanderthal culchies or genteel professionals. Then we had a kind of unquantifiable 'big bang' and suddenly - post 1966 - Irish men evolved. They got interested in different lifestyles, jobs and futures.

To say they developed metrosexual tendencies might be pushing things too far in the main but at least eyes were opened to the notion of grooming, fashion and honing their more, er, 'sympathetic' side. John was born in 1968.

The fact that the economy was kicking off around the time they were hitting maturity helps with the theory. There was no longer a need to emigrate in order to seek fame or fortune. This generation were not, to quote Dermot Bolger in his poem 'Ireland: 1967', "an array of foreign stamps illuminating the mantlepieces of lonely men waiting for crops, death or drainage grants". And we all had a bit more cash to throw at ourselves, our interests and our lifestyles.

The 'new generation' of young Irish male go-getters are far more interesting than their predecessors.

They are bright, savvy and motivated - like most hotshots - but additionally, the areas in which they excel are far more varied and exciting than those who went before.

As these fashionable entrepreneurs make their mark in ventures that go beyond the widget, filmmakers, DJs, media men, dotcommers and chefs have become as abundant as Ireland's reputable sports stars, bankers, artists, lawyers and writers.

April's issue of IMAGE magazine and the pages here celebrate the brilliant boys our nation has spawned. New Ireland has much to boast about and these post1966ers are leading the way.

April's issue of 'IMAGE' is on sale from Wednesday 21 March