The Leader in Handbag & Leather Restoration Services
Profile: Daragh Connolly – Irish Co-Founder, Hyper Bag Spa
Born and raised in Dublin, Daragh took an unlikely path from trucks to luxury handbags. Educated at Presentation Christian Brothers and then St. Gerard’s School in Bray, he joined his family’s long-running logistics company, Connolly Haulage (now Roadtrain Ltd), straight from school — the same business his family had built since the 1930s. Over two decades he rose from warehouse operative to Group Managing Director, overseeing logistics operations, property investments in Ireland and Portugal, and a billion Thai Baht hospitality project in Thailand. During those twenty years, Daragh also held board positions in overseas firms and helped establish a property company for the family business in South East Asia.
When the 2008 economic crash hit Ireland, Daragh relocated to Thailand to oversee the sale of family assets. A chance meeting with Thai leather artisan Khun Pattita Koumkong would dramatically change the course of Daragh’s career. Combining Pattita’s exceptional craftsmanship with his own business acumen, they founded Hyper Bag Spa (HBS) — beginning as a modest two-person studio in the small central Thai town of Lopburi. What started as a tiny workshop repairing a handful of local handbags has since evolved into a world-leading luxury restoration and training company, now serving clients in over 40 countries and partnering with some of the most respected names in the industry.
From Bangkok, HBS now restores high-value pieces like Hermès and Chanel, with loyal repeat clients from all over the world. They have successfully trained individuals and companies in 41 countries, including the world’s largest luxury dry-cleaning chain. With service centers in central Thailand and a training facility in Chatuchak Bangkok, Daragh and Pattita have built a business that represents craftsmanship, sustainability, and cultural collaboration at the highest level. Their primary goal is to restore value and usability along with prolonging the life of their customers luxury personal belongings. It’s a cornerstone of HBS’s ethos, a belief that true luxury should endure, and it’s this mindset that drives their success and ultimately supports a more sustainable future.
Beyond HBS, Daragh spent ten years volunteering as Treasurer of the St Patrick’s Society Bangkok, one of the oldest Irish social organizations in Asia, helping raise millions of baht for local charities such as the Good Shepherd Sisters. During the pandemic, he launched Connolly Irish Whiskey, a boutique brand importing and bottling Irish whiskey for Southeast Asia — now stocked in many Irish pubs and venues in Bangkok.
A near twenty-year resident of Thailand, Daragh has also advised international investors on doing business in the region and has cultivated deep local experience and networks. Passionate about the outdoors and especially the sea, he is a qualified Yachtmaster (Commercial) and Dive Master, with over 15 diving certifications (both amateur & commercial) and extensive sailing experience around Ireland and Western Europe.
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​Nearly two decades after leaving Ireland, Daragh has become a bridge between his homeland and his adopted country. From running trucks across Dublin to restoring luxury handbags in Bangkok, his story is one of reinvention, resilience, and the enduring value of craftsmanship.
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Now based in Bangkok with his partner Pattita and step-daughter Jidapa.
