Ailbhe Gerrard – Brookfield Farm Hiveshare
Ailbhe Gerrard is the farmer, beekeeper, craft maker and agricultural researcher behind Brookfield Farm. After working and living in Dublin and abroad she returned to farm near her family home.
Aileen Barron – Green Acre Marketing
Having grown up on a farm, Aileen Barron has spent her whole life immersed in the world of farming and agribusiness.And after studying marketing and agribusiness at college, she was perfectly placed to set up her own company providing marketing services to agribusinesses.
Alma Jordan – Agrikids
Alma Jordan created AgriKids in 2015 to teach children about farm safety in a fun and interactive way. What started as a series of books called Tales from Riverside Farm has expanded into a multi-award-winning business.
Ann O’Reilly – Zobi
After a break of 15 years from making bespoke bridal and evening wear, Ann O’Reilly returned to work in 2016 to set up her own business working with renowned and up-and-coming Irish designers.
Barbara Brown – Brown’s Vineyard
Located just off the main street in Portlaoise, Brown’s Vineyard has always been in Barbara Brown’s family but it hasn’t always stocked wine. In 1945, Barbara’s grandfather opened the shop as a greengrocers and then her father took over, selling seasonal fruit and veg and a range of delicatessen products.
Breda English Hayes – MOET Accountants
Breda English Hayes had worked in an accountancy practice for 32 years but always dreamed of opening her own practice. Having worked in managerial roles, and on partner-led projects, Breda garnered a wealth of leadership experience. Breda aspired to provide more personalised services to businesses.
Carla Taylor – An Sean-Teach
When Carla Taylor ended up living and working in An Sean-Teach The Old House, a traditional thatched house in Aughnacross, Co Laois, she uncovered a remarkable coincidence: a nun in Carla’s home town of Boksburg in South Africa had been born in the house.
Ciara Shine – Shines Seafood
After decades living and working in Ireland’s largest fishing port, it’s no surprise that it was the Shine family who discovered the delicious Albacore tuna.
Geraldine Jones– Mediskin
Since setting up her first business, Mediskin, in 2014, Geraldine Jones has grown it into a successful multi-award-winning skincare clinic. She has since created a new product line Skin Formulas and added a second company to her business repertoire.
Helen McArdle – Feed The Pulse
Helen McArdle is the driving force behind FeedThePulse, a family food company based in Claregalway, Co Galway. Her husband Owen is the company’s head chef. The company was born from a simple idea that the foods we cook should contribute to our future health and wellbeing.
Jing Farrelly – Zatino Travel Ltd
Jing Farrelly’s background allows her to bring knowledge of China and Ireland, together with technical skills learned through her academic studies, and insights gained from her wide-ranging experience of many sectors.
Lisa Larkin – Durrow Mills
As a mother of four young children, Lisa Larkin was always on the lookout for healthy and nutritious food. This passion and interest led her to discover sprouted grains, which are healthier because the sprouting returns the whole grain to a plant state, allowing the body to digest it more easily.
Lisa Marie Clinton – Avail Support
A special bond between Lisa Marie Clinton and a young pupil who has sadly since passed away led to the development of her ground-breaking software, which helps people with disabilities gain more independence.
Maeve Sheridan – Western Herd Brewing
Maeve Sheridan and her brother, Michael Eustace, both share a passion for a good-quality beer so setting up their own brewery was a natural progression for the siblings. Maeve, who has a background in finance, was working in Luxembourg when she developed a fondness for the various European-style beers.
Martina Walsh – KnitAnything.com
Heading back ‘out to work’ after spending time at home with the kids is not always a smooth path. Martina found that she wanted something different from her original career as a Software Developer.
Maryrose Simpson – MyLadyBug
Maryrose Simpson had the idea for her award-winning business in her head for a while. But it was only when she was working as a graphic designer for a number of start-ups that she decided to go out on her own.
Martha Kearns – StoryLab
As a former journalist and national news editor, storytelling is in Martha Kearns’ blood. That’s why she put her 20 years of writing and editing experience – as well as her deep knowledge of the media landscape – into creating a new story for herself and her family.
Niamh Hogan – Holos Skincare
Creating luxury skincare brand Holos was a natural progression for Niamh Hogan whose background is in natural health. Through her research of plant and essential oils for wellbeing, Niamh discovered the great benefits plant ingredients have on the skin and was inspired to create a skincare range that focused on skin health and on helping to prevent the signs of ageing.
Niamh White – Horetown House
Horetown House has always been a focal point in the village of Foulksmills where Niamh White’s mother grew up. So when it came up for sale, Niamh’s uncle, Tom, who had worked there as a teenager, bought it as a development project.
Nicki Hoyne – Nicki Hoyne Collection
In 2020 Nicki closed My Shining Armour and launched her new accessories brand, Nicki Hoyne Collection. She created this collection to bring you fun, accessible, luxury designs with a conscience. Nicki Hoyne Collection celebrates individuality, vibrancy and a passion for well-made, slow fashion products.
Norma Dinneen – Bó Rua Farm
The award-winning creamy milk that comes from the cows grazing on the lush grass of Bó Rua Farm is now being crafted into a range of award-winning farmhouse cheeses.
Ruth Graham – Ruth Graham Illustration
Ruth Graham is a deft perceptive illustrator with a huge flair for mood and message. A graduate of the renowned Falmouth University, she sprung on from that to establish her flourishing illustration business which services a diverse book of national and International clients working across sectors such as the arts, education, enterprise and
tourism.
Siobhan Quinn – BallyBoy Design
It is said that successful entrepreneurs are those who see a gap in the market and grab that opportunity. If that’s true, then Siobhán Quinn is cut from that same ambitious, risk-taking cloth.
Valerie Murphy – Valerie’s Breast Care
Valerie Murphy has a passion for volunteering and it was this altruism that sparked the idea for her business. Living in Texas, Valerie started helping out at a local breast cancer charity. While two of her children were in crèche, and with her youngest in tow, she found volunteering was a great way of meeting people.