National Women's Enterprise Day marked in Cork

Pictured L to R: Ann Doherty, Chief Executive, Cork City Council; Adrienne Rodgers, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Cork City; Joan Walsh, Regional NWED Ambassador, Patrnership International; Deirdre Clune, M.E.P. (Photo: Clare Keogh)

Female entrepreneurs from across Cork and Kerry took part in Ireland’s largest National Women’s Enterprise Day on Thursday 18th October when they attended their local event at Clayton Hotel Silver Springs in Tivoli, Cork City.  An initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), and now in its 12th year, over 1,400 female entrepreneurs attended National Women’s Enterprise Day events across the country. 

At the Cork City event – hosted by LEOs Cork City, South Cork, Cork North & West and Kerry -  at Clayton Hotel Silver Springs, over 150 local entrepreneurs were in attendance to hear the thoughts of Rachel Sarah Murphy, Eleanor McEvoy and panel speakers representing each Local Enterprise Office -  Sharon McDermott, Ky Ky Kids, Michelle Keane, Mibeau Interiors, Estelle Power, Irish Door Systems and Regional Ambassador Joan Walsh, of Partnership International. 

Other special guests included Lord Mayor Councillor Mick Finn, Ann Doherty, Chief Executive of Cork City Council, Margaret Kelly, Cork Chamber and Adrienne Rodgers, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Cork City. Master of Ceremonies was Theresa Mulvihill, Smart Marketing Limited. 

The National Women’s Enterprise Day initiative is led by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices nationwide, and funded by the Government of Ireland, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland, Local Authorities.  The Cork/Kerry event will also receive funding from the Enterprise Europe Network.  The theme of this year’s National Women’s Enterprise Day was “from local to global”, aiming to highlight the success stories of female entrepreneurs who have taken their local ideas and turned them into global success stories with the hope of inspiring more women to do the same. 

High profile entrepreneurs that were sharing their success stories at sixteen different National Women’s Enterprise Day events around the country included Oscar-nominated Catherine Roycroft of Cartoon Saloon, Norah Casey of Harmonia, Oonagh O’Hagan of Meaghers Pharmacy Group, Mary McKenna of Tour America, Marissa Carter of Cocoa Brown and Eleanor McEvoy of Dragons’ Den and Budget Energy.