Small Businesses Set to Shine at the Local Enterprise Village at National Ploughing Championships
7th August 2024
Over 30 small businesses from across the country will get the opportunity to showcase themselves to almost 300,000 visitors at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, County Laois.
The Local Enterprise Village, an initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices, will be located at the heart of this year’s National Ploughing Championships from the 17th to 19th September. It will showcase the best of Irish entrepreneurship featuring small businesses selling everything from Mexican salsa and chemical free fertilisers to high end fashion designers and sensory friendly clothing.
With some of the biggest companies in Ireland taking up residence at the Ploughing every year, the Local Enterprise Village continues to be a popular destination on the site for those looking to pick up something unique to bring home from some of the best small businesses in Ireland.
A selection of businesses from across the country helped launch the Local Enterprise Village for 2024 at Airfield Estate in Dublin. These included Leah Cleary of Fore Distillery, Dublin fashion designer Jennifer Rothwell, Anouk O’Connell of natural wool company Olanmor, Joanne Doyle of Enchanted Castle Melts in Carlow and Mildred Tang of canvas tote company Chic Tote.
Kieran Comerford, Local Enterprise Offices and Head of the Local Enterprise Village, said: “This is an opportunity like no other for a small business in Ireland. The opportunity to bring their ideas and products to almost 300,000 potential customers is a showcase like no other. The Local Enterprise Village has become one of those areas everyone wants to drop into to find their local business and see what they can pick up.
There is a huge variety of businesses highlighting the depth of sectors that the Local Enterprise Offices support from manufacturing to food and beverage, to software solutions.
Whatever you are interested in there is something for everyone at the Local Enterprise Village.”
Kildare NPA Director John Dunne said “It is wonderful to see so many diverse & impressive businesses partaking in this year’s ‘Local Enterprise Village’ at the National Ploughing Championships taking place in Ratheniska, Co Laois on September 17th, 18th & 19th. This is an ideal and unique opportunity for these companies to showcase their products & wares to over 250,000 visitors that Ploughing attracts.”
The Local Enterprise Village is just one of a number of initiatives that the Local Enterprise Offices run, to foster entrepreneurship across the country. Others include Local Enterprise Week, the National Enterprise Awards, the Student Enterprise Programme, National Women’s Enterprise Day and Local Enterprise Showcase. The Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities are funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland.
Pictured at the launch of the Local Enterprise Village at this year’s National Ploughing Championships (NPA – Sept 17th-19th) are a selection FROM 33 LEO supported companies that will be exhibiting with Kieran Comerford, Local Enterprise Offices and Head of the Local Enterprise Village and NPA Director John Dunne. Exhibitors pictured include: Fore Distillery (Westmeath): Represented by Leah Cleary, Fore Distillery. Enchanted Castle Melts (Carlow): Created and represented by Joanne Doyle – Enchanted Castle Melts offers hand poured soy wax melts candles in a variety of scents, and bath and body products. Jennifer Rothwell Design Ltd. (Dublin City): Created and represented by Jennifer Rothwell – Her design company offers fashion and textiles, clothing accessories and art. Le Skinny Chef Ltd. (Laois): Created and represented by Aymar Gourdet – this company produces artisan pestos and dips. Olannmor (Wicklow): Created and represented by Anouk O’Connell – Olannmor produces knitted and woven wool products. Chic Tote (Dun Laoghaire Rathdown): Created and represented by Wynne Liu, Chic Tote produces premium-quality canvas totes that embody style, sustainability, and endurance. (Image – Julien Behal Photography).
