Ten years of progress for women entrepreneurs in rural Ireland are commemorated by the ACORNS networking event. Earlier this month, businesswomen from all across the nation, including Louth, gathered in Mullingar to commemorate the tenth anniversary of ACORNS, the renowned program for developing early-stage female entrepreneurs from rural regions.
At the occasion, Fiona Lynch, the founder of Clogherhead-based Almond Rose Design, and Jennifer Provan, the founder of Ballymascanlon, Cooley Peninsula-based Kitchenetta, represented Louth.
The event, which was held at the Bloomfield House Hotel in Mullingar, was one of several regional get-togethers that ACORNS planned to facilitate networking between previous participants and peers from various cycles. The activities are designed to assist participants in expanding their networks, conducting business with one another, concentrating on their personal development objectives, and exchanging ideas on how to overcome obstacles in the business world.
Former ACORNS participants from the area were invited, and ACORNS Director Paula Fitzsimons led the conversation along with a few of the program’s volunteer Lead Entrepreneurs, including Anne Reilly, founder of Paycheck Plus, Eimer Hannon, managing director of Hannon Travel, and Alison Ritchie, managing director of Polar Ice.
For female entrepreneurs in their early stages who are headquartered in rural Ireland, ACORNS is a free program. It has been in operation since 2014 and is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine’s (DAFM) Rural Innovation and Development Fund.
Now, ACORNS 10 is under progress.56 female entrepreneurs in their early stages who reside in rural Ireland have been chosen to take part. On October 21/22, a residential Launch Forum kicked off the new cycle.
