140 Women in Business from Cavan and Monaghan Celebrate National Women’s Enterprise Day 2024 together
National Women’s Enterprise Day (NWED) took place across Ireland on Thursday, October 17, 2024, with the theme “Making It Happen”. Now in its 18th year, NWED is Ireland’s largest female enterprise event, empowering women to take the lead in business.
140 female entrepreneurs from Counties Cavan and Monaghan gathered at the Errigal Country House Hotel to celebrate this important day. The event was hosted by Local Enterprise Offices (LEO) Cavan and Monaghan, in collaboration with the Cavan and Monaghan Women in Business Networks.
The evening began with networking, allowing attendees to connect and share ideas. Following this, attendees were welcomed by a video address from Heather Humphreys TD, Deputy Leader of Fine Gael and Minister for Social Protection and Rural and Community Development, who set the tone for an inspiring evening of discussion and celebration.
Award-winning entrepreneur Larissa Feeney of Kinore Finance and Business Services, shared her inspiring story of scaling her online accounting service. Since launching in 2016 with a turnover of €300,000, Larissa has grown her business to a staff of 79 with a turnover exceeding €4.2 million. Larissa emphasised the importance of valuing staff and seeking expertise in areas like social media marketing, which helped her business increase website traffic from 600 visits per month in 2016 to nearly 20,500 in 2024.
Next up were the dynamic sister duo, Ailbhe and Izzy Keane, founders of Izzy Wheels. They captivated the audience with their personal and business journey, highlighting how Ailbhe’s creative flair and Izzy’s vibrant personality—along with her experience of living with spina bifida—inspired the creation of stylish, removable wheelchair covers. Their business has grown to collaborate with global brands such as Disney, Barbie, Hello Kitty, and Marvel, with their products now sold worldwide. Ailbhe and Izzy left the audience with this empowering message: “Keep your big dream in mind—no matter how far it seems.”
A lively panel discussion followed, featuring insights from successful local businesswomen and advisors. Panellists included: Aprilanna Barker (Dinkins Bakery) Emer McVeety (Laochra Academy) Tara McGovern and Siobhan Sherry (Business Advisors from LEOs Cavan and Monaghan)
Facilitated by Jean Evans, Networking Architect, the panel shared their personal stories, offered advice, and discussed the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship.
Pamela Kerr and Conor Craven, Heads of Enterprise at LEOs Monaghan and Cavan, also addressed the gathering. They outlined the broad range of supports available for local businesses, whether just starting or seeking to grow.
The evening’s proceedings were guided by Margaret McKeon-Boyle of Extensive PR, who served as the Master of Ceremonies. Margaret shared inspiring statistics about the growing momentum of female entrepreneurship in Ireland, noting that one in five women aspire to start their own business (KPMG 2024) and that Ireland ranks third in Europe for early-stage female entrepreneurs. Despite global declines in startup funding, Irish women entrepreneurs raised a record €234 million across 72 female-led startups in 2023.
The evening finished with dinner where the attendees had another opportunity to network and swap business stories.
Cavan Women in Business Network is now welcoming new members and will host their next event on Wednesday December 4th. To join the network, visit the Local Enterprise Office Cavan website.
Photographs by Sheila Rooney, SMR Photography
