Category: News 2022

Bank of Ireland to Give Away Over 1,000 Hedgerow Plants in Sustainability Drive at 2022 National Ploughing Championships

Posted on by

Bank of Ireland is placing an added focus on biodiversity and sustainability at the forthcoming National Ploughing Championships, taking place in Ratheniska, Co Laois between September 20th and 22nd. The Bank, which returns this year as an official event partner of the massively popular annual Ploughing showcase, will be giving away over 1,000 Department of Agriculture approved native Irish hedgerow plants to people visiting its stand on the Ratheniska site.

One of the Bank’s central ambitions at the Ploughing focusses on promoting the importance of enhanced biodiversity and sustainability in supporting customers to make their own green transition. The gifting of these plants acts as a further reminder to people of the journey needing to be travelled in order to meet vital environmental challenges. Bank of Ireland will also have personnel on-hand at its event area on all three days to support customers looking to open new current accounts and directly engaging with its agri-sector customers.

The latest hedgerow gifting initiative follows on from the Bank boosting the value of its Sustainable Finance Fund to €5billion in 2022, providing key finance for the development of Ireland’s renewable energy sector and also supporting more Irish drivers in making the switch to electric vehicles.  

Eoin Lowry, Head of Agri Sector, Bank of Ireland said: “Bank of Ireland is delighted to be heading back to the National Ploughing Championships as a major supporter of the event, as I’m sure are the hundreds of thousands of visitors excited to get back to the annual agri highlight for the first time since 2019. Our goal is to underline the importance of the role everyone can play in promoting biodiversity and taking steps to improve sustainability, so to be able to hand out over 1,000 hedgerow plants over the three days is major move in the right direction.”  

NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said “NPA are delighted to be partnering with Bank of Ireland again this year, and are fully supportive of this key environmental hedgerow plant give away as sustainability is a key objective at this year’s National Ploughing Championships. This year at ‘Ploughing’ there will be numerous sustainability initiatives, for example the NPA will be promoting the use of recyclable products, food waste will be converted into energy through an anaerobic digester and there will also be solar panelled lighting towers, cardboard compactors, litter fines and waste separation operations on-site.”

Over 30 small companies set to plough for new business at Local Enterprise Village

Posted on by

Small businesses from across the country will have an opportunity to promote themselves at one of Ireland’s biggest events as part of this year’s Local Enterprise Village at the National Ploughing Championships from the 20-22nd September in Rathiniska, County Laois.

The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) will see 31 small businesses, one from each LEO, take a stand in the Local Enterprise Village in the heart of the Ploughing Championships, opening their businesses up to almost 300,000 prospective customers across the 3 days of the event.  

There will be a variety of products and services on show for the visitors to this year’s Ploughing Championships to enjoy, which includes food, fashion, agtech products, farm safety equipment, spirits, sportswear and even skincare for animals!

The Local Enterprise Village was launched by Damien English, T.D., Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail along with some of the businesses that will be involved including handmade children’s furniture company Lucy & Me, luxury natural skincare and home products Jo Browne and Donegal designer Bernie Murphy.

Minister English emphasised how positive it is to have this opportunity back for small businesses; “The Local Enterprise Village at the Ploughing Championships will showcase the very best of our small business community from across the country.  I look forward to joining with almost 300,000 people at the Ploughing and have the opportunity to meet with some of the businesses embedded in our communities and who are the drivers of local economic growth and job creation.  Visitors to the Village can expect to see the depth and diversity of amazing small businesses who are supported by Government through their Local Enterprise Office.”  

Kieran Comerford, from the Local Enterprise Offices, outlined what a significant opportunity this is for these businesses; “Small businesses very rarely get an opportunity like this and it could be a significant event for them all in the growth of their business.  They will be at the very heart of the action at the Ploughing Championships getting the chance to tell their stories and sell their products and services to a massive new audience, an audience that will be excited to be back following a two-year break.  

“We have been working with these businesses across the Summer to ensure they maximise this opportunity through sales and marketing training and stand design.  The Local Enterprise Village is always a great buzz and no doubt will be one of the big hits for visitors to Ratheniska this September.”  

NPA President James Sutton said: “It is wonderful to see that so many diverse and interesting companies will be represented at this year’s National Ploughing Championships’ ‘Local Enterprise Village’. This is a fantastic opportunity for these small local businesses to showcase their products to the 300,000 visitors expected throughout the 3 days.”

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.


Established in 2014, the Local Enterprise Offices are the essential resource for any entrepreneur looking to start a business or any small business that is looking for support or advice to help them grow. Since their inception eight years ago, the Local Enterprise Offices have helped create over 20,000 jobs across the country. The LEOs work with thousands of client companies across Ireland in a diverse range of sectors offering mentoring, training, expert advice and financial supports to small businesses. For more information see www.LocalEnterprise.ie

For further information:

Declan Lee – Enterprise Ireland – 087 695 7451 / Declan.Lee@enterprise-ireland.com

Darren O’Reilly – Enterprise Ireland – 085 260 9641 / Darren.OReilly@enterprise-ireland.com 

LOCAL ENTERPRISE VILLAGE CLIENTS @ NATIONAL PLOUGHING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

  • LEO Carlow – Jo Browne – Natural skincare, perfume and interiors
  • LEO Donegal – Bernie Murphy – Irish designer specialising in clothing and textiles
  • LEO Fingal – DesignWorks – Portrait photography studio specialising in “Magical” portraits 
  • LEO Kerry – The Busy Botanist – 100% natural pet skincare products “Holistic Hound”
  • LEO Kilkenny – The Cookie Co-Op – An artisan confectionary company
  • LEO Longford – Ebroadband Comms – Broadband and fibre broadband company
  • LEO Louth – Esker Fields – Handmade natural skincare and essential oils
  • LEO Dun Laoghaire – Rathdown – Mummy Cooks – Portable portion pots and food flasks for small children
  • LEO Wicklow – Brady’s Coffee – Speciality coffees and teas
  • LEO South Dublin – Lucy & Me – Handmade wooden furniture and interiors for children’s rooms
  • LEO Westmeath – DCodeDyslexia – A reading programme to teach dyslexic, and struggling, readers to read
  • LEO Cavan – GAAWorks.ie – The platform supports players to work and live around home, stay connected with and play for their local Club and County Teams
  • LEO Clare – Moher Cottage – Irish gift products store
  • LEO Cork City – Rebel City Distillery – Craft distillery producing gin and absinthe
  • LEO Dublin City – Concept Dairy – Tech platform bringing price transparency to the dairy supply chain
  • LEO Galway – Galway Homeopathics – Veterinary products
  • LEO Kildare – TradeForUs.com – Online platform for Producer Organisations & Farm-to-Farm Livestock
  • LEO Laois – The Merry Mill – Organic oat manufacturer and retailer
  • LEO Leitrim – Prime Signs – Safety signs, excavator decals, auctioneer boards, front and back lit letters, temporary and permanent road signs
  • LEO Limerick – Juspy – An Irish food-tech company that creates lifestyle nutraceuticals for health conscious consumers in a busy world
  • LEO Mayo – Velvet Cloud – Fresh sheep’s milk yogurt, soft sheep’s milk cheese, semi hard three-month mature sheep’s milk cheese
  • LEO Meath – Zarasyl – Innovative silicate technology for the management of skin issues for animals
  • LEO Monaghan – Old Carrick Mill – Small batch distillery making premium gin and irish whiskey
  • LEO Offaly – Acoustic Interiors – Acoustic Interiors design, manufacture, supply and fit sound insulation and room acoustic treatments to the commercial, educational, entertainment and residential sectors
  • LEO Roscommon – MegaFab – Agricultural products
  • LEO Sligo – SUIP Manufacturing – Manufacture of Sprayer Attachment for Ride On Lawnmowers & ATV’s
  • LEO South Cork – Niamh’s Larder – BKultured Water Kefir is a light, delicious and refreshing fermented drink.
  • LEO Tipperary – Eco Green Resources – Solar (PV) Photovoltaic for Generating Electricity, Hot Water Heating, Battery Storage, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, LED Lighting Systems
  • LEO Waterford – Mac Safety Signs – Supply and install display stands into hardware and Agri stores through the country
  • LEO Wexford – BodiBro – Quarter Zips, Jerseys, Hybrid Jackets, Gilet Jackets, Skinny Track Pants, Socks, Shorts, Leggings, Sport Bra’s, Workout Tops

 

Ploughing 2022 gearing up to be a roaring success as exhibitor bookings are pouring in.

Posted on by

Over 80% of the final 2019 outdoor trade exhibition space is already booked. At this stage of the year some categories are completely full, while other areas have limited space available and  there are still 7 weeks to go until the big event so based on historical evidence there will definitely be more outdoor bookings over the next couple of weeks – as there always are.

Indoor exhibition stands are 95% of the final numbers when compared to 2019 and again there are bookings still flying in.

NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said “it is wonderful to see all of the returning exhibitors and to welcome the large volume of new exhibitors who will be partaking at the first ploughing since 2019, we continue to make a determined effort to improve exhibitor and visitor experience alike and again this year will be no exception with 37 km of metal roadways, hundreds of staff making the event a great experience for everyone that passes through the gates over the 3 days.

Returning after a full 3 year gap – and in the aftermath of the most devastating global pandemic in my lifetime – we are back and we are hosting a World Contest on our comeback with international delegations from 28 counties from right around the world and exhibition figures to date on a par with August 3rd 2019 – I honestly never imagined we could have had such a strong comeback and yet here we are  -all credit to our fantastic and loyal exhibitor base.”

Have you got what it bakes?

Posted on by

The National Brown Bread Baking Competition is back!

The competition, in association with the National Ploughing Association and The Irish Country Women’s Association, has a first prize of €15,000

Do you know someone that has perfected their brown bread baking skills over the past year or perhaps you can rise to the challenge? If the answer is yes, then this is the competition for you! 

ALDI will once again sponsor the National Brown Bread Baking Competition, in association with the National Ploughing Association (NPA) and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (ICA) for the 8th year. All finalists will be contacted by Friday August 12th and will be invited to attend the finals from September 20th – 22nd at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co. Laois. This year is a special year for the National Ploughing Association as they host the 67th World Ploughing Contest at the event. 

The competition will open to all members of the public with entrants invited to drop off their freshly baked bread at one of the following ALDI stores on the prescribed date:

The competition will open to all members of the public with entrants invited to drop off their freshly baked bread at one of the following ALDI stores on the prescribed date:

Monday 18th July 09:00- 11:00am

  • ALDI National Buying Office Naas, Birch House, Millennium Park, Osberstown, Naas, Co. Kildare, W91 YX71.
  • ALDI Swords, 10 Seatown Rd, Townparks, Swords, Co. Dublin, K67 V2N7.
  • ALDI Athlone, Golden Island, Ankers Bower, Athlone Co. Westmeath N37 FC04.

Thursday 28th July 09:00- 11:00am

  • ALDI Macroom, Oakwood, Sleveen East, Macroom, Co. Cork, P12 ER89.
  • ALDI, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, V42 KD35.
  • ALDI, Main Street, Gort, Co. Galway, H91 PV44.

Thursday 4th August 09:00- 11:00am

  • ALDI New Ross, Marshmeadows, New Ross, Co. Wexford, Y34 NP48.
  • ALDI Castlebar, Lannagh Rd, Garryduff, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, F23 TV29.
  • ALDI Cavan, Dublin Rd, Tullymongan Upper, Cavan, H91PK29.

ALDI Ireland Group Buying Director, John Curtin said; “At ALDI, we are a proud supporter of Irish suppliers and producers, so we are delighted to sponsor The National Brown Bread Baking Competition once again this year. Last year’s winning product ‘Aisling’s Brown Bread’ has been a great success, and we want to ensure that Ireland’s best bakers have the opportunity to take part in this fantastic competition again this year. We look forward to sampling some of Ireland’s best brown bread in the coming weeks and announcing the winner on September 22nd at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co. Laois”

NPA Managing Director, Anna May McHugh, said; “The NPA is delighted that the hugely popular National Brown Bread Baking competition is taking place for the 8th year in a row. Every year the interest grows and the standard escalates with hundreds of entries from all around the country. The National Ploughing Championship returns for the first time since 2019, from September 20th to 22nd with the highly anticipated National Brown Bread Baking winner being announced on the final day – it is not to be missed!”

If you think you have the recipe for success, log onto www.ALDI.ie/brown-bread-competition or www.ica.ie for information on how to enter, full terms and conditions and competition rules. 

The winning brown bread will be stocked in all ALDI stores in Ireland for twelve months and the winner will receive a first prize of €15,000.