The Hot Desk

Hot Desk Jan 28th, Suzanne Parker guest host was joined in studio by  Dr. Laurence Fitzhenry from SETU will be coming in to talk about OcuHealth and their win at Venture Launch 2025. and cousins Colin and Conor O’Shea about their storage business Rent a Box. and also Regina Mangan from Liberty Blue will be looking forward to the Property Market in 2026.

Hot Desk Jan 21st Suzanna Parker guest hosts this weeks show and is j oined in studio by Claire Mooney President of Network Ireland Waterford branch to look forward to the year ahead.  Lynda Lawton from Waterford Chamber of Commerce to talk about the South East Jobs and Skills Fair being held in the Granville Hotel next month.  Finally, Clair Moriarty from Anita Cambie Financial will be...

Mary was joined in studio by Carmel Grant of Carmel Grant Designs, and Polly Doyle of Polly & Andy - they’re among the talented Waterford Designers who will represent the Déise at Showcase Ireland in the RDS. Breda Dooley at Matrix Recruitment will discuss what 2026 salaries look like in Ireland and where skills shortages are most acute. And the small firms association has launched its th...

Waterford-based Tom Cullen of SIMI about how the motor industry in Ireland should fare in 2026, given the significant year-on-year growth in the sale of electric vehicles in 2025.  Fractional CFO Joe O'Regan will give advice to SMEs on setting budgets and other financial plans for the year ahead.  And as more and more consumers move away from fast fashion,Mary chats to Tramore-based...

Dungarvan Brewing Company and Mary spoke to the owner Tom Dauber, who is visiting from the US. He and operations manager Katrina Murphy discuss the festive season, and what lies ahead for 2026.  Fresh from opening a new premises in Carrick on Suir, Ronan Mulligan of Mulligan’s pharmacy joined Mary in the studio.  And Mary spoke to Manager of Waterford Oysters, Clíona Mhic Giolla Chuda, a...

Mary is joined in studio Karen Dollery and Louise Prendergast of Viking Hotel Waterford, which has just received a 4 star classification.  She also spoke to Jimmy Burrows of the Fresh Food Courtyard, Dungarvan, about a recent win at the Butchers Guild Awards, and about trade in general at Christmas  And we hear about how Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens, Tramore were the winners of the To...

HotDesk Dec 3rd Mary is joined by Meg Dunphy of CIPD who will discuss flexible work and how businesses and employees feel about it, five years on from lockdown. Damien Smyth of Campion insurance in Waterford warns that cyber risk is now a defining threat to accounting firms. And new research shows jobseekers fear AI is unfairly screening out their applications  - Michelle Murphy, Director of...

On this episode of The Hot Desk with thanks to MK Brazil. Dr. Don O’Neill, Head of the Department of Culinary Arts, Hospitality & Tourism at SETU. Andrew Lambe from Company Bureau. Maggie Kenny from The Grazing Table

Aoibhin Fallon stands in for Mary this week. She chatted to Fergal Kelly, solutions engineer with Compar Vision Systems and robotics, based in the Cleaboy business park in Waterford. He will talk about the company’s recent expansion and also the rising concern that robotics are taking over many of the manual jobs traditionally done by humans. Trevor Darmody (Festival Director) and Mary Merritt (Ma...

Mary spoke to Stuart Fitzgerald, CEO of Waterford based Fitzgerald Power, on global challenges for Irish SMEs in the export market.  Colin Landers of Landers Bespoke Carpentry and Joinery in Villierstown will join Mary in studio to discuss what it means to be a finalist in the IKTG (Ireland Kitchen Trade Guide awards), which take place in Belfast in November. And Mary heard all about a new Ir...

The Hot Desk this week, Mary spoke to Abbeyside retailer Kelley Moroney who's been taking part in the BWG Foods NextGen Entrepreneurs Programme. She’ll give an overview of the current retail landscape in Ireland.  Mary was also be joined by Waterford based Counsellor and Coach Monica Jackman - she’s running free webinars for Mental Health Month, in association with Healthy Waterford.  An...

Hot Desk Oct 8th, Brendan Twohig of MK Brazil will be in to talk about what Budget 2026 means for businesses. Mary will speak to David Burke and Rebecca Queally who established Dungarvan’s newest hotel, The Hatmaker. Finally, National Women’s Enterprise Day will be celebrated in Tramore on October 16th - I'll be joined in studio by Jamie Whitty of Waterford LEO to give me the details.

Hot Desk Oct 1st,Mary spoke with Liam Quinn of Waterford Area Partnership about the company’s new brand identity, which includes a name change to Buíon Phort Láirge She was also joined by Joe Queenan, founder of the Foxford brand, which is now housed at Mount Congreve And Claire Mooney of Waterford company ReduceCosts will outline changes to commercial energy bills this October  That's the Ho...

Hot Desk Sep 24th ,Mary will be joined in studio by Professor John Notan to discuss Supplement Certified, which he co-founded -  the team researches if supplements contain what it says on the label.  She will speak to Brian Murphy of Deloitte. Brian is Lead Partner for Ireland's Best Managed Companies Awards Programme. he will speak about new survey findings around AI, barriers to g...

Hot Desk Sep 17th , South East Technological University (SETU) has announced the appointment of its very first Chief Operations Officer (COO), David Denieffe. I'll speak to David, who will outline what he hopes to bring to the role.  I'll be joined in studio by Waterford based Christine Murphy of Urban Aran - she'll tell me about her involvement in Paris Fashion Week through Th...

Hot Desk Sep 10th Mary was joined in studio by Sarah Hewson, owner of Birdie's Café in Fenor, where she roasts her own coffee and offers a gallery / event space for local artists, designers and creators. Sarah will discuss leaving a career in Dublin to run a business at home in Waterford, as well as giving details of upcoming events at Birdie's.  Also in studio will be Edel Tobin, founder of...

Hot Desk Sep 3rd Mary was joined in studio by James O'Sullivan, Head of Commercialisation at SETU, about 'Unlock Innovation,' an upcoming webinar connecting regional businesses with world-class expertise.  Over 70% of Irish organisations have information exposed online according to Global cybersecurity firm Smarttech247. Mary was joined by the company's CEO Raluca Saceanu who will have a...

Hot Desk Aug 27th ,Mary was joined by Gareth Evans, Head of Enterprise at Waterford LEO about the upcoming Glas awards, and about business clinics the LEO has been holding across the county.  Mary also spoke to Craig Dee, MD and Founder of Momentum Events and owner of Coach House Coffee, Crough Coffee, and The Stables Café Mount Congreve. Craig will discuss how the summer has been for to...

Hot Desk Aug 20th , Aoibhin Fallon here, standing in for Mary O Neil on this week's show. With the annual Harvest Festival fast approaching Aoibhin speak to organiser Mark Dunne about the positive impact that the festival has on local businesses.  John Barron from Go Challenge has details of an upcoming event they are running at SETU. "Connect At Work" is a conference for people leaders, whic...

Hot Desk Aug 13th, Mary spoke to Paul McCormack, CEO of Hydrogen Ireland, about how, as a country, we need to maximise the potential and interaction of multiple forms of energy in our future lives.  One in three jobseekers in Ireland check the company's green credentials before applying, according to new findings from Matrix Recruitment, which has a base in Waterford. Mary heard mor...

Hot Desk Aug 6th, Mary was joined in studio by David Sinnott, CEO of Waterford Port, on foot of it recently being named Logistics & Supply Chain Company of the Year at the Chambers Ireland Awards. Also in studio was Gráinne Kennedy, Climate Action Officer at Waterford City & County Council. She'll have the details of the 'Business Pledge for a Cleaner, Greener Waterford 2025' sch...

Hot Desk July 30th 2025, Mary was joined by James Flahavan, Sales Director with Flahavans. He'll reflect on the continuing success of the company that's been in his family for seven generations, as well as discussing the current market, and the opportunities that lie ahead.  Mary also spoke to Valerie Farrell of Waterford's biggest solicitor practice Nolan Farrell & Goff, on 50 years in b...

Hot Desk July 23rd, Mary will be joined in studio by Waterford business owner Clifden Foyle, about his plans for the Saratoga in Woodstown, which he recently acquired.  She will speak to Phillip Doyle, Waterford native and founder of the company Business Platforms, about how the consultancy firm  has announced a significant expansion that will see its workforce double by 2...

Hot Desk July 16th, Mary spoke to Liam Dunne, CEO and Founder of Waterford based company Klearcom - fresh from an eye-opening trip to Japan as part of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. She was also be joined by Lynda Lawton of Waterford Chamber to tell me about the 'Think Waterford First' accreditation scheme that the Chamber has launched.  And career breaks put Irish women's pensions a...

Hot Desk July 9th, Mary will be joined in studio by Stephen Barnes, Senior Project Manager of the Extended Reality (XR) team at Walton Institute, about a new interactive app they've developed; ESB Networks AR: The Story of Electricity.  Ian Power, MD of Unitec will let me know about an upcoming Cyber Security event the company is hosting in Waterford.  And Mount...