Guaranteed Irish Stories

In this episode of Guaranteed Irish Stories , Bríd chats to Lyndsey Cavanagh , the founder of One Dame Lane - a beautifully curated jewellery brand known for its bridal collections, bespoke designs, and a loyal following online and in-store in Blackrock and Greystones . Lyndsey shares the story of how she bootstrapped the business with just €25,000 , often making jewellery on-site - with her 5-yea...

On this episode of Guaranteed Irish Stories, Bríd is joined by Marissa Carter, founder of Cocoa Brown, the award-winning Irish beauty brand that changed the game with its 1 Hour Tan Mousse. Also joining the conversation is her husband and business partner, Ronan O’Flaherty. Together, they share the story behind the meteoric rise of Cocoa Brown and the grit it took to survive the bumps along the wa...

In this very special episode of Guaranteed Irish Stories , Bríd speaks to Dr. Norah Patten — award-winning STEM advocate, aerospace engineer, and Ireland’s future astronaut 🌍🚀. Raised in Co. Mayo with a lifelong obsession with space, Norah’s dream is now becoming a reality: in June 2024, it was announced that she will undertake a commercial spaceflight , making history for Ireland. They discuss:...

Our guest on this episode of Guaranteed Irish Stories is David McRedmond , CEO of An Post , one of Ireland’s largest and most iconic businesses. With over 10,000 employees, An Post has evolved far beyond its origins in mail — now leading the way in parcel delivery , financial services , insurance , and retail . In this thought-provoking conversation, David shares: 💼 His definition of leadership ,...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Patrick Murphy , CEO of Codex , a proud Irish business that has been profitable every year since its founding in 1979. In this conversation, Bríd and Patrick chat about: 💼 Big ambitions for Codex as it continues to evolve in a competitive market 🧩 A partnership with an Irish autism charity that's helping to reimagine the mo...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Joanne Reilly, the founder of Kinvara Skincare, an Irish brand specialising in natural, plant-powered skincare products. Bríd and Joanne discuss: Why she believes the Irish beauty industry has never been stronger Her PHD in Elephant conservation that underpins Kinvara Skincare’s eco-friendly mission And she has some specific ‘Sop...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Noel Keeley, Musgrave. On this episode, Bríd and Noel discuss: The future of Irish shopping and how population growth will change our shopping habits. Why the wave of health food and wellness products are here to stay. And understanding what the town shop does for the cohesion of the entire local community. On the Guaranteed Iris...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Pat Phelan, the Managing Director of Ballymore Ireland Bríd and Patrick discuss: The ways the construction industry can deliver on the need to urgently build more houses. Why there’s a need for a reality check for apartment building. And why the biggest challenge facing house building Ireland is LAND. On the Guaranteed Irish Stor...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Shane O’Reilly who is the MD of sustainable futures at KPMG Ireland. With over 20 years of experience of the global construction materials market having joined KPMG from CRH, he leads their ESG & Sustainability service line. On this episode, Bríd and Shane discuss: Why Ireland taking a lead on sustainability matters even if o...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Suzie O’Neill, the owner of AYU cosmetics and a new member of the Board of Guaranteed Irish. On this episode, Bríd and Suzie discuss:*the magic moment when she knew she’d cracked the formula for the brand’s famous concealer product * AYU’s ownership structure  * And there’s even a delve into the profit margin for the cosmetics in...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Damien McCann Chairman of Guaranteed Irish and CCO of Viatel Technologies. On this episode, Bríd and Damien discuss:* Damien’s appointment to Chairperson of the Guaranteed Irish board and his vision for the network. * The importance of collaboration between indigenous companies and multinational companies to create and maintain a...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is writer, broadcaster and comedian, Barbara Scully. As our 2024 season of podcasts draws to a close we take the time to reflect on some core themes for Irish business: How gender politics has shaped the evolution of Irish workplaces Why it’s vital for businesses to embrace valuable experience And in the 50th year of Guaranteed Irel...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Joanne Geary, Managing Director of Ireland’s leading home and property portal, MyHome.ie. On this episode, Bríd and Joanne discuss: - Why it’s important to describe what’s happening in Irish housing supply as a ‘crisis’ -Why the government actually needs to build 200k houses this year and the ideas that will stimulate increased o...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Crystel Robbins Rynne the Chief Operating Office of HR Locker which is an employee management software application. Crystel explains how HR Locker has embraced CSRD reporting and advises on how they’ve achieved staff buy-in on it. Crystel tells Bríd about the innovations and ideas they have to maintain and grow culture in a fully...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Dean Rock, the 8-time All Ireland winner who is now the National Sales Manager for Procure.ie - the largest utility broker in the company with over 6000 commercial customers. He tells Bríd about how he has applied the same thirst for incremental improvement that he saw with the Dubs to his business career. He sees the GAA skillse...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Paul Coffey and Brian Drinan owners of Cork café group, Perry Street. In this episode, married couple Brian and Paul discuss the pressing need for the Irish government to support Irish hospitality by cutting the VAT rate in the upcoming budget. There’s also a discussion about why they feel there’s a disregard for hospitality in I...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Sinéad Crowther of Tonstix, which is an Irish honey jelly pop that provides relief for sore throats, colds, hayfever and allergies. In this episode Sinéad explains how recent research suggests that the product, which is medicinal-free, is more effective at soothing sore throats than a steroid. She breaks down the business’ market...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is David Mc Keown, Co-CEO of Kilsaran a leading Irish manufacturer of concrete products. Kilsaran is 60 years old this year, in this episode we explore the history of this family-run business, founded in the small Louth village of the same name. On the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast we speak to trailblazers from the Guaranteed Iri...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is the International Rugby Experience’s Sales and Marketing manager, Emma Foote. The experience, which is located in Limerick, gives visitors an fully-immersive, multi-sensory insight into what it takes to become a rugby legend. Paul O’Connell is the chairperson of the board that runs the tourist attraction and Emma describes how hi...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Patrick Cotter, CEO and founder of Rural Wifi. Rural Wifi is an alternative wifi provider based in Ireland that has already been part of the team that brought wifi to the Aran Islands. Not only that, the company supports the largest transport wifi network in the UK and Ireland. Before Rural Wifi, its founder Patrick Cotter had fo...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Lisa Kennedy from Tourist SOS. Having recently rebranded from the Irish Tourist Assistance Service (ITAS), Tourist SOS is expanding, with ambitions to move into Europe. It is a free, nationwide service that is unique to Ireland and dedicated to helping international tourists who experience a crime or other distressing incident wh...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is MarieAnn McLoughlin Dwyer, a Co-Founder of Runway 28 Gin.  She tells us the story behind her small-batch, premium, artisan gin blended by Listoke Distillery in County Louth. The gin is inspired by the world of aviation and indeed MarieAnn is a former air-hostess, she is married to a pilot, so it’s a world that she knows very well...

Our guest on this episode of the Guaranteed Irish Stories podcast is Glenisk’ commercial powerhouse, Emma Walls. Based in Tullamore, County Offaly, Glenisk is an iconic Irish brand that makes an award-winning range of dairy products from the home of the family farm where they employ eighty people. The company hit the news headlines in 2021 when a fire that burned for days, ravaged their production...

Norma Reilly is Head of Lending at Community Credit Union, a not-for-profit cooperative owned by and run for the benefit of its 40,000+ members in the areas of Dublin 7 and Dublin 15. We speak to her at a very exciting moment in the history of the Credit Union movement in Ireland, as a collection of 77 credit unions are joining forces to offer mortgages with standardised rates and policies across...

Lauren O’Reilly is listed on Ireland’s 30-under-30, she’s a recent Trinity College pharmacy graduate and she’s the co-founder of one of Ireland’s fastest growing new apps. In 2021, along with former classmate, Bidemi Afolabi, they founded ProMotion Rewards a shopping rewards app which now has 50,000 users and a million hits a month. In this episode, we hear about her incredible journey and how mic...