Longford female entrepreneurs celebrate National Women’s Enterprise Day

Over 150 business women from Longford, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath took part in one of the largest ever National Women’s Enterprise Day events, with an entrepreneurs networking day at Castle Durrow in County Laois.

Midlands-based businesswomen were joined by guest speakers, including the leading advisor on reputation management and crisis communications, broadcaster and writer Terry Prone; celebrity chef and Ballymaloe Cookery School co-founder Darina Allen; and National Ploughing Association Managing Director Anna May McHugh. This year’s Event Ambassador was Kelly Ging of Kelly Lou Cakes in Portlaoise. Event MC was broadcaster and documentary maker Ann Marie Kelly.

Food producers from each of the four Midlands counties were featured as part of Darina Allen’s cookery demonstration, with steaks from Longford’s Herterich’s Artisan Butchers included as part of the demo. The well-known Longford business was introduced by Longford County Council Director of Services Barbara Heslin.

The National Women’s Enterprise Day is an annual LEO initiative, which is now in its seventeenth year. This year’s theme was ‘Empowering Business Together’ bringing many of the opportunities and challenges faced by women in business to the fore. The event also detailed the financial, consultancy, training and mentoring supports available.

Longford County Council Head of Enterprise Michael Nevin said, “National Women’s Enterprise Day is an important day in the Local Enterprise Office calendar. It gives us all the opportunity to highlight the success stories of business women in Longford who continue to do amazing things across every sector. The day offers great networking opportunities, advice and a chance to find out what supports are available for their business through their Local Enterprise Office.”