The brothers grew up in New York, and they have an older sister Deirdre, who now lives in Germany. Kieran studied philosophy at college, and worked as a marketing director for a software company in Boston. He decided to move to Ireland 12 years ago, and chose to make his home in Dingle. He has an Italian girlfriend, Manuela.

The brothers' parents held the US franchise of Weleda, a natural medicine and bodycare company, and Se�n went to work for it as head of west coast sales in San Francisco, after completing his studies in humanities. He moved to Dingle a couple of years after Kieran, and now lives there with his German wife Wiebke, son Conor (six) and daughter Una (eight months) Se�n and Kieran started Murphys Ice Cream in 2000. www. murphysicecream. ie Kieran on Se�n Se�n is four and a half years younger than I am, and that age difference can define a relationship in childhood. It was really only when he moved over to Ireland that we got to know one another as adults, and put childhood roles behind us, and it was then that I began to fully appreciate his gifts.

When he was in college, Se�n went through a punk phase, joined a band, and had a huge Mohawk dyed three different colours. Even then, when dressed in black leather and dragging his bass guitar, he'd get off a plane with job offers from shocked businessmen who had been won over in conversation, or with the most surprising new friends. He is just plain likeable, and that is a very valuable asset.

We lived quite far apart for a few years with college, and our previous jobs took us to opposite ends of the country. I was delighted when Se�n moved to Ireland, and I would have never started Murphys Ice Cream without him. The reason we chose the whole area of ice cream was that it was something we love, and was something that was really important to us growing up.

It's a lovely business to work in, because nobody needs to eat ice cream - people have it because they are happy, or to make themselves even happier.

A partnership is a powerful thing, especially when a sibling is involved, and I know I can trust Se�n utterly with any part of the business, and that makes life so much easier. He has an amazing way with people and is far more sociable than I am. He's happiest when he is with customers, chatting with them, and making them happy.

Starting the Killarney shop was almost entirely his labour of love, and I think our shops would be a pale shadow of themselves if he was not around.

His geniality certainly helps in terms of getting along, and we usually only fight over small things, such as choosing a colour for the shop walls or what's the best-tasting chocolate. We are both highly opinionated, but luckily, our opinions almost always coincide when it comes to making good ice cream.

Our father Finbarr is originally from Cork, and our mother Sophia is American, and they've come to live in Dingle too, and it's wonderful having our family around us. Se�n started a family six years ago, and they give him a great amount of strength, even when he is not sleeping due to teething babies. I love being an uncle, and I think his family have helped us to keep our eye on what's important in life, and in the company. It's all about love, and we do our very best to keep that love alive in everything we do.

Se�n on Kieran Kieran was a very good older brother to have, and even when we lived far apart, if there was something I needed to talk about, he'd be the first person I'd call.

I think what sets Kieran apart is his ability to get things done. He's very focused on making things happen, and if I can get Kieran on board with something, the force he brings to bear is amazing.

We are both fanatics when it comes to the business, and that's because we love it so much and believe in what we do. It has really become a part of both of us, and we're both so involved in all the different aspects that sometimes it's difficult to know where our influences on Murphys Ice Cream start and end.

Kieran has an appreciation for subtlety of flavour that is rare, and I think it's one of the things that have made the business such a success.

Kieran is great at crafting things that excite him, such as ice cream, words, or photographs, and he takes inordinate care over all of them. He could spend a week working exclusively on a new hot chocolate for the shops - getting the flavours perfect, and deciding how thick it should be, and it will probably be the best hot chocolate you have ever tasted.

His award-winning blog (http: //icecreamireland. com) has been a huge success, mostly I think because it shows how much he loves what he does.

Kieran loves Dingle and Co Kerry deeply, and I don't think he'd be happy living anywhere else. He loves to walk in the hills or putter around in his boat, and marvel at the beauty of the West Kerry coastline. He's also taken a big interest in GAA, and I can keep him happy if I make sure he's not scheduled to work at the same time as a Kerry match. He's a stunning uncle to my children, and he has almost gained legendary status with Conor. It's brilliant for Conor to have a second father figure like Kieran, and of course, he's able to do all the naughty things with him, like letting him eat more sweets than I would!

I'm so happy that Kieran and I get along as well as we do. If something was wrong, he's someone I could immediately go to and say "I'm scared", or "I'm angry", and know there would be absolutely no repercussions, which is a wonderful thing to have. Sometimes we'll revert to kindergarten bickering over some detail of the business, and at that point we have to step back. We ask ourselves, "Would you rather be doing anything else with anyone else?" The answer is always a resounding "No!