Edmond Harty, the founder of Dairymaster, was named as the 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year at a ceremony in Dublin last night.
Headquartered in Causeway, near Tralee in Co Kerry, Dairymaster also has operations in the UK and the US and employs 220 people internationally.
It develops and manufactures dairy farm equipment.
Dr Edmond Harty was presented with the title by the President Michael D Higgins.
This is the 15th anniversary year of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year awards programme in Ireland.
Harty had been named as winner of the International Category earlier in the evening. He was amongst 24 finalists from across the island of Ireland that made it to the competitive final stages of the 2012 awards.
He will now go forward to represent Ireland at the World Entrepreneur of the Year awards in Monte Carlo next June.
Fellow finalists Paul Kenny of Dubai-based Cobone.com and Colm Piercy, chief executive of Irish telecoms' business Digiweb, were also acknowledged for their exceptional vision, innovation and exceptional commercial achievements.
They were announced as winners of the Emerging and Industry Categories respectively.
Martin Naughton, chairman of electrical heating products company Glen Dimplex, also received this year's Special Award for his outstanding contributions to the ''development and progression of Ireland's commercial, educational and artistic life''.
