This week on The Bottom Line on KCLR John spoke with Economist Jim Power to discuss the economic status of the country after the Exchequer figures were released earlier in the week. Jim also spoke about Brexit and the impact it may have in the coming months.

During the week John paid a visit to the Pembroke Hotel on Patrick Street in Kilkenny, he spoke with proprietor of the hotel John Ryan and to General Manager Paul Broderick to hear about how the business is adapting and using technology to support their new ways of working.

Padraig Cribben, Chief Executive of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland spoke with John about the challenges of re-opening being faced by the Wet Pubs of Carlow Kilkenny.

Taste Local is a new campaign which was launched across Carlow and Kilkenny this week.  The initiative by Carlow & Kilkenny County Councils and their Local Enterprise Offices highlights the importance of supporting our local food and drink sector, from producers to restaurants to the many cafes that the two counties has to offer.  John spoke with a number of those involved in the Taste Local Campaign.

With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]

This week on The Bottom Line on KCLR John Purcell was joined by Alan Seery of O'Neill Foley who spoke about some of the business news stories of the week, as well his thoughts on the impact of the resignation of Phil Hogan.

Shane O'Sullivan founder of Inspiring Excellence spoke with John about how he began his business in Executive Coaching, transferring his experience playing sport at a high level to business,  as well as advice and tips for business leaders during a very challenging time for many in business.

Over the course of the pandemic, Fennelly's has become the hub of Callan Neighbour Food an innovative venture bringing together a wide range of local producers with a local market. During the week John met with  Etaoin Holohan who runs Fennellys and chatted to her about Fennelly’s and Callan NeighbourFood, 

Property and the property market in Ireland is a subject of great interest to many from first time buyers to those investing in large commercial developments, James McDermott of Sherry FitzGerald McDermott joined John on the programme to discuss the market at present, insights into the future of the industry, as well as the impact of Covid.

With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]

On this weeks episode of The Bottom Line on KCLR Samantha McCaughren Business Editor of the Sunday Independent spoke with John about the business stories that had been hitting the headlines in the past week as well as other business topics that continue to feature in the news.

Last week John visited the Mountain View Farmers Market in Ballyhale, Co. Kilkenny and while there he caught up with Bee O’ Grady who runs the Mountain View events and wedding venue. Bee along with many of the market traders spoke with John about their businesses, working through Covid and the farmers market.

Kilkenny Leader Partnership recently held a Smart Villages briefing  for community groups in the Ballykeeffe Amphitheatre and Kilkenny Leader Partnership CEO Declan Rice spoke with John to discuss the smart villages concept in more detail and what it will mean for local communities.

Invoice Redirect Fraud is a crime which can impact businesses from the very small to large corporations and this week John spoke with Detective Chief Superintendent Patrick Lordan of Garda National Economic Crime Bureau to understand how this type of fraud can occur as well as steps to prevent it from taking place in your organisation.

Heidi Good of Goods, High Street, Kilkenny spoke with John about working through Covid, looking at new ways of operating their business such as offering shopping appointments to those who may wish to shop during quieter times and developing their online store. 

With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]

This week on The Bottom Line on KCLR John Purcell spoke with Olga Barry, Director of Kilkenny Arts Festival about the arts sector and it's impact on the economy, what the festivals such as Kilkenny Arts Festival would have contributed to the local economy in previous. They also chat about how the Festival is taking place this year.

Cliff Reid of BoatTrips Ireland chats to John about his company which offers boat trips on the River Nore in Kilkenny and the River Barrow in Carlow and how they are adapting to new reality of Tourism industry.

The Little Mill Company based in Bennettsbridge, Co. Kilkenny was one of the companies who during the height of the lockdown would have been at their busiest, ensuring that they flour they produce was in plentiful supply for a nation who couldn't get enough of baking. Robert Mosse, Director of The Little Mill Company joined John to chat about their business, operating through Covid and what learning they would take from it.

MySkin Integrity Ltd is a Kilkenny based business which creates natural skincare products to help soothe and support clients during their cancer journey.  The business was founded by Denise O’Connell who joined John to chat about her business and how it began.

Sunshine Juice Ltd a local company based in Tinryland, Carlow is one of the largest freshly squeezed orange juice producers nationally, and MD Paul Walshe spoke with John about his organisation, working through Covid and the products that they produce.

Deirdre Dunne, Enterprise Executive with Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office joined John on the programme to chat about the recent Shop Local, Shop Safely which took place across the County.

With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]

With National Heritage Week kicking off this week, John spoke with Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform and Green Party TD for Carlow Kilkenny about Heritage and where it fits into business and the economy. Its potential for employment, the responsibilities, and opportunities which it presents for business owners.  

James Burke owner and lead consultant at JB&A Business Advisors joined John on The Bottom Line on KCLR in May, at that time many businesses were putting plans in place for reopening their shops and this week James spoke with John to discuss how businesses were now doing in the changed working environment and to discuss learnings.

Virgin Media Ireland have launched their €1million #backingbusiness initiative and Elaine Carroll CEO of All Ireland Business Foundation was one of the companies who is being supported by the initiative. Elaine joined John to tell him more about her organisation and the work that they do.

Design & Crafts Council of Ireland CEO Rosemary Steen spoke with John about the #madelocal campaign as well as providing an overview of the work done by the sector and it’s impact on the economy.

Áine Carey, Enterprise Executive with Carlow Local Enterprise Office spoke with John about the recent shop local, shop safely campaign which took place across Carlow.

 With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]

Economist Jim Power joined John to discuss the Government Stimulus Package and the overall environment facing business. Jim shared his thoughts on the positives and negatives of the package and what impact it will have on business. Brexit is continuing to rumble in the background and Jim chats to John about what potentially may occur, and the preparation needed by businesses. 

Newly elected President of Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce  Colin Ahern, and newly elected President of County Carlow Chamber of Commerce Colin Duggan, spoke to John on commencing their term of office in one of the most challenging times,  they discussed the stimulus package at a local level and the challenges that face business across Kilkenny and Carlow. 

Duncan Graham, newly appointed Managing Director of Retail Excellence Ireland discussed being appointed to his new position during a very difficult time for many in Retail. He also chats through the recently released survey results for the Retail Trade for the first 6 months of 2020 and the trends that they are seeing as a result of Covid-19. Duncan discusses the introduction of the wearing of facemasks in shops and the transition for retailers. 

NearForm are the company behind the development of the Covid-19 Tracing App in Ireland and Colm Harte, Technical Director and Project Lead joined John to chat through how they became involved in the development of the app and the process to build the app in early March to launching and being made available to the public in early July. 

Hotels across the country began reopening their doors to welcome guests to the public at the end of June and this week John spoke with Deirdre Grant, Director of Sales and Marketing at Lyrath Estate on how reopening had been and what the new norm looks like for guests visiting the hotel.

With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]

Eamon Quinn, Business Editor at the Irish Examiner joined John to discuss all the business news stories from the week. One of the top stories of the week was the July stimulus package due to be announced by the Government as well as the ruling in relation to the Apple tax.

Alan Seery, accountant with O'Neill Foley Chartered Accountants provided some practical information and advice on the temporary wage subsidy scheme and the pandemic unemployment payment for both employers and employees. Alan also discussed the Apple Tax case, its impact on Ireland going forward as well as the issue of state aid.

Brendan McDonald, Regional Business Development Manager with IDA Ireland joined John to discuss IDA Ireland and the future of Foreign Direct Investment in Ireland. IDA Ireland recently released their half yearly report which Brendan discussed in further detail with John as well as the job announcements across Carlow & Kilkenny in the last 6 months.

Painting and decorating was a priority for many during the lockdown period, Kate Gaynor of The PaintHub in Carlow spoke with John about her business and the decisions  & changes they made to their business as a result of being so busy during Covid. 

Kilkenny County Council in partnership with Fáilte Ireland have established a recovery task force and one of the initiatives recently launched was the Kilkenny Welcome Team. This initiative will see local volunteers meeting and greeting visitors, providing a warm Kilkenny welcome along with helpful information.  Martina Comerford of Kilkenny County Council spoke with John in more detail of the Kilkenny Welcome Team.

With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]

This week on The Bottom Line on KCLR John Purcell was joined by Business Editor of the Sunday Independent Samantha McCaughren to chat through some of the big business stories from the week including the technology issues that posed difficulties at a recent virtual AGM and the story relating to Fintech company Wirecard.  Having recently received a Merit Award at the Justice Media awards for articles on Ireland’s growing role in policing social media across the EU, Samantha spoke about social media and the issue of misinformation on the various platforms, the regulations that are coming down the track for social media and the role the BAI will have to play in this.

RT Smart Data are a Carlow based company who recently launched their new UWB (Ultrawide Band) smart wearable devices which can provide an auditable trail for social distancing and contact tracing. Ciaran Bolger, Chief Financial Officer of RT Smart Data spoke to John to tell him how the idea came about for their wearable device as well discussing the technology and how it can help businesses deal with the challenges of contact tracing and physical distancing. Ciaran chats through how they have been piloting the device and the plans for future with the technology. https://www.rtsmartdata.com 

Brian Kelly, Founder of CRM company MindaClient spoke with John about remote working and their new product Rebuild, which came about from their own experiences of working remotely during Covid-19 restrictions. The new system helps companies focus on the staff as well as clients & sales https://www.mindaclient.com/

Up until recently Ireland was the only country in Europe that did not have an online Will Register, this fact led to the establishment of thewillregister.ie. Joe Farrell one of its founders spoke with John about how the business came about and the service they provide. https://www.thewillregister.ie/

Ciara Herity chats to John about her business lovegreen.ie  a new website which was created during the pandemic to help both the consumer to find, shop and connect with Irish owned businesses and to help local businesses reach their customers. Ciara spoke about how the business came about and her plans for the future. www.lovegreen.ie 

LoanITT a Credit Intermediary company based in Kilkenny founded in February 2019 has gone from strength to strength and now handles finance for 150 garages across Ireland. John Duggan Co-Founder and CEO of LoanITT spoke with John to tell him more about the company and their latest venture KYIPER the FinTech arm of LoanITT which provides Open Banking solutions.  https://loanitt.ie 

 
With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected] 

This week on The Bottom Line on KCLR John spoke with Michael O’Keeffe, Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Michael spoke with John about the BAI, their role in broadcasting & the wider media world, the future of Journalism in Ireland, media consumption by the public and the future of online media. www.bai.ie

Dr. Noel Richardson lecturer & director of The National Centre for Men’s Health located in IT Carlow joined John to speak about International Men’s Health Week which took place from 15th -21st June. Noel discussed the importance of being proactive in managing your health and some tips and advice for looking after yourself while working from home.  https://www.mhfi.org/mhw/about-mhw.html & https://www.itcarlow.ie/research/research-centres/healthcore.htm

A sector that is a huge contributor to the local economies of Carlow & Kilkenny is the hospitality & tourism sector, and as many businesses in the sector prepare to open their doors for the first time in months,  John met with Paul Beehan, General Manager at the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny.  Paul spoke about how the last number of months have been in the hotel, the preparations and plans for reopening on the 29th June and what the "new norm" will look like. https://www.newparkhotelkilkenny.com

David Beirne, Senior VP Of UPMC International and Managing Director of UPMC Ireland joined John to speak about the recent good news that the UPMC Global Technology Operations Centre will be located in in MacDonagh Junction, Kilkenny and is expected to employ up to 60 skilled technology workers and other support staff over the next three years. David spoke about the healthcare sector & the plans for the future of UPMC in Ireland. https://www.upmc.ie/

Jobs for Family Carers Ireland is a central place to post any jobs from around Ireland that may suit family carers, allowing them to have a career while also being a carer. Fiona O’Neill, founder of Jobs for Family Carers spoke with John to tell us about the work that she does, how it came about and her plans for the future. www.jobsforfamilycarers.ie

With thanks to O’Neill Foley, Produced by Deirdre Dromey.

To contact the show, email [email protected]