News & Events

Minister unveils plans for Local Enterprise Village at Ploughing Championship

€645,000 worth of sales generated by small businesses at Local Enterprise Village last year

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Ms. Mary Mitchell O’ Connor T.D. has unveiled plans for the ‘Local Enterprise Village’, which will be home to 84 small businesses from around the country for the three days of the National Ploughing Championships.

Managed and funded by the Local Enterprise Offices, the Local Enterprise Village opens its doors from September 20th to 22nd at Screggan in Tullamore, offering Irish start-ups and small businesses a launch-pad for new products and services, giving them the chance to impress the 280,000 visitors expected at European’s largest outdoor event.

Last year, small businesses inside the Local Enterprise Village generated sales and orders worth nearly €645,000* to the Irish economy, according to figures from the Local Enterprise Offices. Among the 84 companies, the food and drink sector is well-represented this year, alongside fashion, toys, giftware, craft and agri-services.

The plans for the 2016 Local Enterprise Village include a new product launch and demonstration area, where small businesses and start-ups can invite visitors to preview and sample new Irish brands. A new award scheme, the Local Enterprise Village Awards, is also being introduced for the first time, to highlight ‘up-and-coming’ brands and companies.

The Minister unveiled the plans at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in Dublin with Kieran Comerford of the Local Enterprise Offices, PJ Lynam of the National Ploughing Association, Paul Reid, Chair of the Local Government Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Committee, Mark Christal of Enterprise Ireland and six of the small businesses that will be re-locating to the Local Enterprise Village in September.

Announcing the plans for the Local Enterprise Village, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mitchell O’ Connor said:  "The National Ploughing Championships is a wonderful event which attracted 281,000 visitors last year and it continues to grow in scale and importance, especially for small businesses looking to launch new products and services to a mass audience. The Local Enterprise Village is another important initiative from the Local Enterprise Offices in partnership with local authorities, as it enables small businesses to grow sales and expand, creating more jobs across every county. Creating jobs across the country is a key priority for me as only a strong economy supporting people at work can pay for the services needed to create a fair society.”

Kieran Comerford of Local Enterprise Offices said that the Local Enterprise Village is fast becoming a “must visit” destination. He said: “By having the right mix of appealing products and services in place with a series of high-profile product launches over the three days, we will be encouraging as many visitors as possible through the doors of the Local Enterprise Village, to support Ireland’s small business community. With fashion, food, craft, homeware and gifts from all over the country under the one roof, we’re expecting record crowds this year.”

The National Ploughing Association Chairman, PJ Lynam, said: “There is no doubt that the entrepreneurial spark is alive and well in Ireland with an unprecedented number of diverse and exciting businesses, exhibiting at the “Local Enterprise Village”, at this year’s Ploughing Championships.   This is a unique opportunity for these small businesses, with 281,000 visitors in attendance last year, to showcase their products to the large number of visitors that Ploughing attracts.”

The entrepreneurs that met with Minister Mitchell O’ Connor at this week’s announcement included the founders behind ‘Toby Wagons’ in Wicklow, ‘Celtic Gent’ in Fingal, ‘De Mad Food Company’ in Offaly, ‘Melanie Hand Design Jewellery’ in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, ‘Tumbledown Media’ in Carlow and ‘Scotts Irish Cider’ in Cavan.

More details around the Local Enterprise Village are available through www.localenterprise and by searching #localenterprise on social media. The 85th Annual National Ploughing Championships runs from September 20th to 22nd 2016 at Screggan in Tullamore in County Offaly with tickets on sale from August through www.npa.ie.

ENDS

For all media information, please contact Engage Ireland Sarah Bohan at: Tel: 01 427 8388 / 087 65 39936 / office @ engageireland.com

Notes to Editor:

*Source: Local Enterprise Offices' research, 2015

Research conducted by the Local Enterprise Offices in 2015, shows that collectively, the small businesses within the Local Enterprise Village generated sales and orders worth €645,000 as a direct result of their participation in the National Ploughing Championships in September 2015.

Photography Note: High resolution photography is available from this announcement, reproduction-free, through Photocall Ireland.

List of all small businesses taking part in Local Enterprise Village 2016 (September 20th – 22nd)

Carlow: Tumbledown Media www.freddybuttons.com

Carlow: IAS Laboratories www.iaslabs.ie

Cavan: Scotts Irish Cider www.scottsirishcider.com

Cavan: Stop & Stare Designs Co  www.stopandstare.com

Clare: Fun Affordable Gifts www.funaffordablegifts.com

Clare: Western Herd Brewing Co www.westernherd.com

Cork City: Rebel Chilli www.rebelchilli.com

Cork City: Elbow Lane Brew House www.elbowlane.ie

Cork North and West: Ocean Bloom www.oceanbloom.ie

Cork North and West: Chart Datum www.chartdatum.ie

Cork South: Barbara Hall Creations www.barbarahallcreations.ie

Cork South: Lifekitchen.ie www.lifekitchen.ie

Donegal: North Atlantic Seaweed Products www.salviesea.ie

Donegal: Lanky Yanky Studio     

Dublin City: Delish Melish www.delishmelish.com

Fingal: Periwinkle Design            

Fingal: Giftcentre www.giftcentre.ie

Fingal: 65 Hurls www.65hurls.com

Fingal: Celtic Gent www.celticgent.com

Dublin South: Greenvalu www.greenvalu.ie

Dublin South: Access Education Ltd        

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown: Dalkey Handmade Soaps www.dalkeyhandmadesoaps.ie

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown: Melanie Hand Designer Jewellery www.melaniehand.com

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown: The Irish Workshop/ TIW Ltd  www.theirishworkshop.com

Galway: Local Galway   

Galway: Collerans Butchers        

Galway: Connemara Kettle Corn www.connemarakattlecorn

Galway: The Galway Food Company www.thegalwayfoodcompany.com

Galway: Green Earth Organics  

Galway: Sabanero Artisan Cheese www.sabanerocheese.com

Kerry: Kerry Signature Furniture   www.kerrysignaturefurniture.ie

Kerry: Taste Kerry www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: O'Donnell`s Bakery www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: Skellig Pantry (Smoked Trout) www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: Lorge Chocolatier www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: Rolf's Fine Food   www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: Camo`s Bistro www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: Oilean Chocolates (Chocolate Pops) www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: Killarney Toffee   www.tastekerry.ie

Kerry: Ring of Kerry Apple Farm (Apple Juice) www.tastekerry.ie

Kildare: HACI Ltd, Hose & Coupling Ireland www.hcirl.com

Kildare: Nadicom www.geneticdetection.ie

Kilkenny: #tastekilkenny Stand

Kilkenny: Mooncoin Homegrown Beetroot www.tastekilkenny.ie

Kilkenny: Bernie's Farmhouse Desserts www.tastekilkenny.ie

Kilkenny: Goatsbridge Trout Farm  www.tastekilkenny.ie

Kilkenny: Highbank Orchards  www.tastekilkenny.ie

Kilkenny: Kilkenny Rosé Veal    www.tastekilkenny.ie

Kilkenny: Shellumsrath Free Range  www.tastekilkenny.ie

Laois: Flavour Sarfai       

Laois: Rose & Alice Handcrafted Soaps   www.roseandalice.com

Leitrim: Chef Sham Sauces www.cottagerestaurant.ie

Leitrim: Artwood www.artwood.ie

Limerick: McAdare www.mcadare.ie

Limerick: Lubdub Foods www.lubdubfoods.com

Longford: Kaber Performance www.kaberperformance.com

Longford: Go Oats          

Louth: Duinn Designs www.duinndesigns.com

Louth: Finca Skin Organics www.rosacea.ie

Mayo: Cuinneog Artisan Dairy www.cuinneog.com

Mayo: Monaghan Bros Bar Furniture Manufacturers   www.barfurniture.net

Meath: E. Finnegan & Sons www.finnegansfarm.ie

Meath: Cara Mara Seaweed www.caramara.ie

Monaghan: Pollock's Pickles & Preserves www.pollockspickles.com

Monaghan: Shanks Engineering Ltd - Farmhitch www.farmhitch.com

Offaly: De Mad Food Company www.demadfoodco.com

Offaly: Deanery Furniture www.deaneryfurniture.com

Roscommon: Projects 5 creations www.beltlock.ie

Roscommon: Derrycashel Crafts www.woodenclocksroscommon.ie

Sligo: Clo's Chocolates   www.closchocolates.ie

Sligo: SUIP Manufacturing www.suipco.ie

Tipperary: Emerald Oils www.emeraldoils.ie

Tipperary: Tactile Text  

Tipperary: Premium Fire Products           

Waterford: Embermats                 www.embermats.com

Waterford: The Tipperary Kitchen           

Waterford: Coffee House Lane www.coffeewarehouse.ie

Westmeath: DBee Press             

Westmeath: SoulSnacks www.soulsnacks.ie

Wexford: Wexford Food Family                www.wexfordfoodfamily.com

Wexford: Naturally Cordial www.wexfordfoodfamily.com

Wexford: Wexford Home Preserves www.wexfordfoodfamily.com

Wexford: O’ Neills Dry Cure Bacon www.wexfordfoodfamily.com

Wicklow: Pacefeeder www.pacefeeder.ie

Wicklow: Toby Wagons                www.tobywagons.com