Limerick Chamber Connect Magazine | Autumn/Winter 2023

AUTUMN/WINTER 2023

MAIN SPONSOR LIMERICK CHAMBER CONNECT MAGAZINE

EY Limerick: How EY is building on the growth story of the Midwest

Strong economic growth underpinned by an expanding FDI presence, a dynamic indigenous entrepreneurial sector and a highly skilled workforce, has seen the Midwest region cement itself as a choice location to live, work and do business, according to EY Limerick’s recently appointed lead partner, Mark Hegarty.

“I would be optimistic that Limerick is well-positioned for growth. Ongoing strategic development plans and local and FDI investment are impacting positively on the economic trajectory of the region,” said Mark Hegarty. “Limerick enjoys a vibrant economy, a thriving business ecosystem and a ready talent supply with many local businesses and major multinationals based in the area, providing a steady pipeline of jobs and supporting the wider economy.”

“3,000 new jobs were announced in Limerick last year and the city ranked 1st for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) strategy, which echoes the latest IDA report’s outlook for strong ongoing investment

Presidential Outlook

in Limerick. In fact, the steady stream of investment puts Limerick right at the forefront of innovation and is evidence of the Government’s commitment to bringing jobs to the region.”

Mark Hegarty recently moved from EY Cork to take up his role as lead partner at the firm’s Lim-

MIRIAM O’CONNOR 33

erick practice. A qualified chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in both industry and practice, Mark is highly experienced in finance function and large-scale organisational change and held a number of leadership positions before

The Corporate Veil MHP SELLORS Our Legal Sector Experts 53

Navigating the Payroll Landscape BDO Our Financial Sector Experts

Miriam O’Connor,

DRIVING PROGRESS FROM WITHIN

Dear Limerick Chamber Members,

As we work through another remarkable year together, I would like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for being an integral part of our vibrant Limerick Chamber community.

Limerick Chamber has always taken immense pride in representing the diverse and dynamic businesses that call the Mid-West Region their home. Your unwavering support and active participation have helped us evolve into a formidable voice for the interests of our region. With 55 new members so far in 2023 our collective voice has grown, making us a stronger force for positive change.

Our mission is to support your business to thrive from your Mid-West base and so we concentrate on equipping you with tools for success. In our ongoing commitment to serve your needs, our dedicated Chamber team has been working to broaden our offering via a range of services, from business promotion to networking opportunities, funding and advice for workforce training, and invaluable economic insights that informs our policy positions and is at the core of our evidence based lobbying.

New this year for Limerick Chamber, is our updated Digital Member Pack. This valuable resource empowers our members to maximize the benefits of their membership.

Our policy team have been busy with initiatives including; our Strategic Development Pipeline (found on the ‘Influence’ section on our website) which outlines the billions of euros of capital investment being made in the Mid-West, the publication of our latest, Mid-West Insights Report, our Pre-Budget 2024 submission, and the publication of our first 12 month review of our monthly Rental Monitor.

Furthermore, we also published in September the findings of our Consumer Insights Report, shedding light on the spending habits and trends of individuals in the Mid-West Region. This knowledge is a valuable asset for strategic decision-making within your businesses.

Our Limerick Chamber Skillnet team has been hard at work hosting a diverse array of training sessions and events, covering topics as varied as work permits and advanced training in the agricultural sector. We are delighted to provide this valuable resource to help you gain essential skills and insights.

This publication is a testament to our commitment to share knowledge, foster a sense of community, and shine a spotlight on the remarkable community we have built together.

My thanks to you, our membership, for your engagement throughout the year; your participation in surveys, your willingness to share your views in-person or over the phone, your attendance at networking events, training events or regional economic briefings, and all of the ways in which you engage with Limerick Chamber and input into it’s work.

Limerick Chamber stands proud a champion for investment and development of the Mid-West, thanks to your continued support.

Together, we will continue to adapt, innovate, overcome challenges and thrive, all the while with a focus on future opportunities for the Mid-West and building a sustainable future for the next generation of Limericks business leaders. Thank you once again for being a part of our journey.

Warm regards,

Dee Ryan CEO, Limerick Chamber

MEET YOUR TEAM

Dee Ryan Chief Executive Officer

Seán Golden Chief Economist / Director of Policy

MANAGEMENT

Caoimhe Moloney

Event & Communications Manager

Michael Mac Curtain

Skillnet Manager

Mary Egan

PA & Administrator

ADMINISTRATION

Antoinette Keating Financial Executive

Dermot Graham

Membership Executive

Margaret Corbett

Certificates of Origin Administrator

Sian Murray

Skillnet Administrator

Eoghan Carr

Economist / Policy Analyst

Aisling Nash

Digital Marketing Executive

MEET YOUR BOARD

Our Board is annually elected from within our membership each February. The Board sets the priority focus for the Chamber, reflecting the views of our diverse Mid-West business community.

Miriam O’Connor President Partner MHP Sellors LLP Noel Gavin Vice President Senior Vice President Northern Trust

Donal Cantillon (2022 President) Partner Focus Capital

Hurley (2021 President) General Manager Absolute Hotel

Pat Keating Chief Executive Office, Shannon Foynes Port Company

Leanne Storan Director, EY

Paul Ryan Senior Director Support & Site Lead, WP Engine

Lisa Killeen Partner Holmes LLP

Mick Ryan Head of Business Banking Mid-West, Bank Of Ireland

Maria Gleeson Chief Operating Officer, The Pudding

Alan Higgins Director of Operations & Digital Solutions, Ingenium Damien Garrihy Business Banking Clare/Limerick AIB

Lavinia Ryan New Ways of Working Manager VHI Group Services

Graham Burns Director CPL Regional Offices, CPL Resources

Mairead Connolly Partner, PWC

Liam Dwan Brown Thomas

Gillian Barry TUS

Mary Considine The Shannon Airport Group

Miriam O’Connor’s Vision for 2023 and Beyond

This summer has been a busy one for Miriam O’Connor, President of Limerick Chamber of Commerce. Since her appointment in March 2023, she’s hit the ground running with a number of key initiatives, each designed to continue the work of past presidents and advance her own plans to strengthen the Chamber. These include:

1. ENERGY ON THE ESTUARY

This endeavour is centred around the deployment of floating offshore wind (FLOW) at scale, which led to the Chamber’s Energy on the Estuary (EOTE) event in February of this year.

“The EOTE event came off the back of the Vision 2041 Strategic Review report commissioned by the Shannon Foynes Port Company and the continued work of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce,” O’Connor explains. “Our CEO Dee Ryan and board members Mary Considine and Pat Keating sat on that taskforce, so the Chamber has been heavily represented and involved in this initiative from the beginning.”

With roots in county Limerick, O’Connor always harboured an ambition to broaden the Chamber’s focus beyond the city centre and become a more regional group. “I’m delighted now that this has happened naturally, particularly with events such as Energy on the Estuary,” she says, pointing out that this initiative will affect all of us, because of energy costs, sustainability reporting obligations and local development opportunities. “We wanted to open up the conversation to people outside of the industry and bring this opportunity into the boardrooms of all our members, wherever they’re based.”

The 2020 Programme for Government committed to a target of 5GW of installed offshore wind capacity in Ireland’s maritime area by 2030. This plan is recognised by most as ambitious, but O’Connor is not one to accept defeat. “I’m a believer that most of the impediments that are before us are man-made — relating to regulations, planning and policy — and that’s something we can change,” she argues. “The most important thing is that we have the raw materials: the best location in Europe and a ripe geo-political climate.”

The Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce report (released in July 2023) outlines key steps that could make the 2030 aims achievable. “We’re intensively lobbying the government as we want to see the Taskforce’s recommendations implemented, with immediate policy change in the area of FLOW,” says O’Connor. “We’re going to be calling for action again and again. We’ve been given those assurances and now we need to see them happen.”

The second event in the series, Energy on the Estuary: Port Opportunities is due to take place on Thursday, 14th September 2023. Free to attend for members and non-members alike, the event aims to shed light on how Foynes and the Mid-West region can play a role in achieving the 2030 goals. Speakers include Liam Curran, Senior Technologist, Enterprise Ireland and Gael Offshore Network lead, Pat Keating, CEO Shannon Foynes Port Company and Seán Golden, Director of Policy, Limerick Chamber.

2. THE CHAMBER CITY CENTRE REVIEW

Although the Chamber has expanded its focus further afield, it remains just as dedicated as ever to the growth of Limerick city centre. This is demonstrated by their “Better Regions Initiative” which was launched in March of this year. It’s based on the recommendations contained in the “Future of Limerick” Report, commissioned by Limerick Chamber in 2021. In order to turn those findings into tangible actions, the team is now working on a “Chamber City Centre Review” (CCCR), which will be compiled between now and the end of year.

Having joined the Chamber five years ago, O’Connor has heard and experienced a great deal about the challenges faced by those living, working and trading on our city’s streets. “We don’t want to keep talking about the problems in the city centre, we want to start finding solutions,” says O’Connor. “This will require a fresh, common-sense approach and thinking outside of the box, which is something we’re very good at in the Chamber.”

A partner at MHP Sellors Solicitors and a former member of the Conveyancing Committee of the Law Society, O’Connor is very familiar with cross-functional collaboration and believes this is one of the Chamber’s biggest strengths. “There’s a lot of expertise around our boardroom table,” she explains. “We have backgrounds in professional services, foreign direct investment, international transport and much more. We have a broad range of skills that range from tax to law and HR and that equips us to find real workable solutions.”

Some of the key issues the report hopes to address include housing, vacancy, security, and the public realm:

Tackling the housing challenge

“This isn’t unique to Limerick, it’s a national problem,” O’Connor says. Businesses repeatedly voice their concerns over how housing is affecting staff recruitment and retention, so the Chamber is going to keep raising this as an issue: “We’re actively addressing affordable housing for workers in the city as we’re a business-representative organisation.”

The team regularly meets with key stakeholders to follow up on strategy and ascertain what steps can be taken to achieve tangible results. They look at housing holistically, as a vital element of wider improvements needed in the city. “We’ve a good relationship with the Council and are active in ongoing discussions, but housing is key to getting people back to living in the city centre,” agrees O’Connor. “We want to make this a livable city across all strands, with retail outlets, public facilities, and affordable housing.”

“In the CCCR, we’ll be looking at specific properties we want to see developed, potentially engaging with the owners to try to support them because it’s in all of our interests to avoid leaving units vacant and idle.”

Redefining the city centre

What is the city centre? How do we want it to look? What is needed right now? These are all questions O’Connor and her team ask themselves every day. Chief among their priorities is to arrest the decline of the city centre as a retail and commercial hub.

“We want to generate retail and office solutions in terms of diversification, footfall and incentivising high-end retailers,” she says. “As a result, we’re putting together a steering group of different retailers within the city, from independent shopowners through to high street chain stores to learn what works and doesn’t work for them.”

Again, the Chamber is taking a common-sense approach to this challenge. “We’re talking to businesses in the surrounding towns such as Ennis, Adare, Nenagh and Newcastlewest to try to learn how they might be incentivised to come into Limerick city centre,” O’Connor says. “We’re also conducting retail surveys and research outside of Ireland — particularly in Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool — to see how they managed to transform their cities into vibrant tourist, residential and business locations.”

Key to protecting and growing the area is enhanced security, particularly in light of an apparent rise in anti-social behaviour in Ireland’s major cities. “We have a very good relationship with senior members of An Garda Síochána in Henry Street and we made submissions in our policing plan,” O’Connor says. “But we need greater visibility on the streets to support the businesses that are there currently as well as attract new opportunities.”

Exploring the public realm

The team putting together the CCCR are also looking at public spaces in the city to analyse if they’re being used appropriately or to maximum effect. “The Milk Market is a fantastic example of a great covered location for the public — but only on the weekends,” O’Connor points out. “We have many other great spaces available throughout the city, it just takes a little creativity to look at how we can use them best.”

Street infrastructure is also under the microscope, as the team looks at how they can make Limerick more livable: “We’re examining the potential of covering laneways or otherwise making better use of them,” explains O’Connor. “Other cities have transformed side streets and laneways in this way, extending their commercial use into the winter.”

This kind of pragmatic thinking is what the Chamber is hoping will help revive commercial activity in the city centre. “We lost a lot of really good businesses over the last few years, and that decline in retail activity and footfall is becoming more evident now that the streets are more open,” O’Connor says. “There is a lot of really good business done in the city centre, and we want to make sure we protect that and build on it.”

“We’re completely independent and all of our data is evidencebased, which gives us an opportunity to put completely honest workable solutions out there — it’s up to the relevant stakeholders then to take them forward.”

GROWING AND NURTURING THE MEMBERSHIP

For Miriam O’Connor, 2023 has been a year of reconnecting with the Chamber community, expanding new membership and organising more events than ever: “We had our inaugural golf classic, hosted the Estonian ambassador, explored links with delegations from the USA and much more,” she says. “It’s been the first time since 2019 that we’ve really been able to get out and mingle, which has been fantastic.”

Despite the effects of COVID-19, membership of Limerick Chamber has been continually rising, reaching its highest numbers this year. O’Connor is aiming to broaden this membership further into the county by building visibility. “We’re getting more vocal about the work that we’re doing,” she says. “Especially now that we can travel and speak to people directly, which is why we’re going to Foynes for the Energy on the Estuary event in September.”

The Chamber offers three main benefits to its membership: connecting, training and influencing. “Because we’re a large Chamber, we have the internal resources to provide targeted and focused support to both sole traders and FDI enterprises, along with everybody else in between,” says O’Connor. “We’ve invested a lot in our team over the last 12 months, including hiring a new full time manager and administrator for our Skillnet training.”

O’Connor encourages members to get in touch if they have

that of their employees. The team tries to be practical by providing continuous professional development for Engineers Ireland, for example, as well as Microsoft Office training, ECDL, and even assistance navigating the visa process for companies engaged in international recruitment. “We’re very well connected, with wonderful relationships with the likes of IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, as well as local authorities, universities and colleges,” O’Connor says. “Our function is to make doing business in the Mid-West easier.”

Looking ahead to the future, O’Connor is excited by the newly reinvigorated Chamber with its increased staff, full schedule of events and extensive list of submissions. Chief among her plans for the rest of the year are continuing the Energy on the Estuary initiative, developing the Chamber City Centre Review and growing and reconnecting with the Chamber’s membership.

“I think the Chamber is in a really strong place right now,” she says. “I’d like at the end of my term to leave the Chamber more robust in terms of its offering, more secure in its growing membership and increasingly recognised as an active voice that really delivers for businesses in the region.”

EY Limerick: How EY is building on the growth story of the Midwest

EY Limerick: How EY is building on the growth story of the Mid-West

EY Limerick: How EY is building on the growth story of the Midwest

Strong economic growth underpinned by an expanding FDI presence, a dynamic indigenous entrepreneurial sector and a highly skilled workforce, has seen the Midwest region cement itself as a choice location to live, work and do business, according to EY Limerick’s recently appointed lead partner, Mark Hegarty.

Strong economic growth underpinned by an expanding FDI presence, a dynamic indigenous entrepreneurial sector and a highly skilled workforce, has seen the Midwest region cement itself as a choice location to live, work and do business, according to EY Limerick’s recently appointed lead partner, Mark Hegarty.

“I would be optimistic that Limerick is well-positioned for growth. Ongoing strategic development plans and local and FDI investment are impacting positively on the economic trajectory of the region,” said Mark Hegarty. “Limerick enjoys a vibrant economy, a thriving business ecosystem and a ready talent supply with many local businesses and major multinationals based in the area, providing a steady pipeline of jobs and supporting the wider economy.”

“I would be optimistic that Limerick is well-positioned for growth. Ongoing strategic development plans and local and FDI investment are impacting positively on the economic trajectory of the region,” said Mark Hegarty. “Limerick enjoys a vibrant economy, a thriving business ecosystem and a ready talent supply with many local businesses and major multinationals based in the area, providing a steady pipeline of jobs and supporting the wider economy.”

“3,000 new jobs were announced in Limerick last year and the city ranked 1st for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) strategy, which echoes the latest IDA report’s outlook for strong ongoing investment

“3,000 new jobs were announced in Limerick last year and the city ranked 1st for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) strategy, which echoes the latest IDA report’s outlook for strong ongoing investment

Meet your EY Limerick Partner team.

Mark Hegarty Lead Partner mark.hegarty@ie.ey.com

Michael Johnson Global Compliance and Reporting michael.johnson@ie.ey.com

Andy Clery Assurance andy.clery@ie.ey.com

in Limerick. In fact, the steady stream of investment puts Limerick right at the forefront of innovation and is evidence of the Government’s commitment to bringing jobs to the region.” Mark Hegarty recently moved from EY Cork to take up his role as lead partner at the firm’s Lim-

in Limerick. In fact, the steady stream of investment puts Limerick right at the forefront of innovation and is evidence of the Government’s commitment to bringing jobs to the region.”

Mark Hegarty recently moved from EY Cork to take up his role as lead partner at the firm’s Lim-

erick practice. A qualified chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in both industry and practice, Mark is highly experienced in finance function and large-scale organisational change and held a number of leadership positions before

erick practice. A qualified chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in both industry and practice, Mark is highly experienced in finance function and large-scale organisational change and held a number of leadership positions before

Leanne

Tax leanne.storan@ie.ey.com

Mike Keane Assurance michael.keane@ie.ey.com

Storan

Billy McMahon International Tax billy.mcmahon@ie.ey.com

Michael Johnson Global Compliance and Reporting michael.johnson@ie.ey.com

Andy Clery Assurance andy.clery@ie.ey.com

Mike Keane Assurance michael.keane@ie.ey.com

Mark Hegarty Lead Partner mark.hegarty@ie.ey.com

Leanne Storan Tax leanne.storan@ie.ey.com

McMahon International Tax billy.mcmahon@ie.ey.com

he joined EY in 2019.

The firm has had a presence in Limerick since 1980 and has invested significantly in recent years, scaling alongside the fast-growing economy of the Midwest region. EY’s Limerick practice has over 150 people today, including 10 partners, representing a three-fold growth in the past five years. Mark says “EY’s Limerick practice has gone from strength to strength. Geographic location is no longer as relevant in today’s interconnected and flexible work environment which has opened up a world of opportunity for the region,” he said, “and at EY, our greatest strength is our people, so this means we have the ability to offer high-quality opportunities based here in Limerick.’’

he joined EY in 2019. The firm has had a presence in Limerick since 1980 and has invested significantly in recent years, scaling alongside the fast-growing economy of the Midwest region. EY’s Limerick practice has over 150 people today, including 10 partners, representing a three-fold growth in the past five years. Mark says “EY’s Limerick practice has gone from strength to strength. Geographic location is no longer as relevant in today’s interconnected and flexible work environment which has opened up a world of opportunity for the region,” he said, “and at EY, our greatest strength is our people, so this means we have the ability to offer high-quality opportunities based here in Limerick.’’

“Our teams serve local clients, clients elsewhere in Ireland and international clients. The appeal that Limerick has as a great place to live, coupled with advances in technology and new ways of working, means that, in the face of competitive demands for talent, EY Limerick is very attractive as people can develop their careers, while also building their homes and lives here.

“Our teams serve local clients, clients elsewhere in Ireland and international clients. The appeal that Limerick has as a great place to live, coupled with advances in technology and new ways of working, means that, in the face of competitive demands for talent, EY Limerick is very attractive as people can develop their careers, while also building their homes and lives here.

According to Mark, this creates enormous opportunities for clients. ‘’The region has seen significant multinational growth, with companies covering life sciences, aviation, technology and manufacturing industries, as well as strong indigenous growth across the private sector. EY collaborates with our clients on a blend of complex issues, including supply chains and logistics, ESG, energy and infrastructure, data analytics, and technology

According to Mark, this creates enormous opportunities for clients. ‘’The region has seen significant multinational growth, with companies covering life sciences, aviation, technology and manufacturing industries, as well as strong indigenous growth across the private sector. EY collaborates with our clients on a blend of complex issues, including supply chains and logistics, ESG, energy and infrastructure, data analytics, and technology

transformation and managed services – which are rapidly growing areas of our practice.’’

Great optimism

transformation and managed services – which are rapidly growing areas of our practice.’’

While it has been a period of significant growth, the problems facing businesses are arguably more complex than ever and external support is becoming less a luxury, more a necessity for long-term growth.

Great optimism

While it has been a period of significant growth, the problems facing businesses are arguably more complex than ever and external support is becoming less a luxury, more a necessity for long-term growth.

Mark explains “The emergence of Generative AI, the threat of cyber, the need to embrace digital transformation and the importance of decarbonisation, mean that complex strategic challenges need to be solved quicker than ever.’’

Mark explains “The emergence of Generative AI, the threat of cyber, the need to embrace digital transformation and the importance of decarbonisation, mean that complex strategic challenges need to be solved quicker than ever.’’

“Many businesses, including local SMEs of large multinationals, do not have the capabilities or in-house capacity to overcome all their challenges in a timely manner. This is where we can assist. We have the skills and deep sectoral knowledge to deliver for clients, at speed and scale. In the past, businesses may have recruited where today, they’re more likely to partner with us to solve strategic issues in a timely manner. The great results our teams deliver for clients means that our business continues to grow across all parts of our EY practice in Limerick.’’

“Many businesses, including local SMEs of large multinationals, do not have the capabilities or in-house capacity to overcome all their challenges in a timely manner. This is where we can assist. We have the skills and deep sectoral knowledge to deliver for clients, at speed and scale. In the past, businesses may have recruited where today, they’re more likely to partner with us to solve strategic issues in a timely manner. The great results our teams deliver for clients means that our business continues to grow across all parts of our EY practice in Limerick.’’

“Looking ahead, there are headwinds to navigate, including interest rates and the geopolitical situation – but against that backdrop, the outlook for investment remains good. We know that Limerick is a great place to live, work, and do business and we see the local economy continuing to perform very well into the future.”

“Looking ahead, there are headwinds to navigate, including interest rates and the geopolitical situation – but against that backdrop, the outlook for investment remains good. We know that Limerick is a great place to live, work, and do business and we see the local economy continuing to perform very well into the future.”

Meet your EY Limerick Partner team.

John Nealon Global Compliance and Reporting john.nealon@ie.ey.com

Niamh Tobin Financial Accounting Advisory Services

niamh.tobin@ie.ey.com

Maurice Foley Technology Consulting maurice.foley@ie.ey.com

John Finnerty Global Compliance and Reporting john.finnerty@ie.ey.com

John Nealon Global Compliance and Reporting john.nealon@ie.ey.com

produce, expertly prepared by our talented chefs.

Policy Spotlight

The Limerick Chamber policy team has continued to represent the big issues faced by members thus far in 2023. The policy team is one the few dedicated chamber policy teams in the country and Limerick Chamber prides itself on coordinating with our members for policy development. So far in 2023:

We launched our pre-budget submission for 2024. The budget submission, entitled Our People, Our Place, Our Future represents an evidence base of the culmination of independent research and member consultation carried out within the Chamber over the last year. It focuses on housing, security, infrastructure and public services.

We made a detailed submission as part of the Mid-Term review of the Regional Airports Programme, where we advocated for increase support for European business routes from Shannon Airport, as well as utilising existing capacity in the state owned network.

We have also updated Limerick Chamber’s Strategic Development Pipeline (SDP) which provides transparency for public capital projects across the Mid-West. When launched, the SDP highlighted over €6billion worth of investment across the region and the online portal is used as a tool for identifying the most up to date information.

The most recent Mid-West Economic Insights was published, with a focus on providing an in depth overview of the economics of the Mid-West, through housing, transport, logistics, education and employment.

Housing remains a large issue for our members. Because of this, Limerick Chamber publishes its monthly Mid-West Rental Monitor, highlighting the lack of supply of housing across the region and recommendations to improve the current landscape.

To view all our publications visit limerickchamber.ie/publications or get in touch with our Limerick Chamber Policy Team:

Lastly, we engaged with members to make a submission on the draft BusConnects plan for Limerick where we advocated for greater public transport access to key employment locations, as well as implementing shorter journey times.

Seán Golden, Chief Economist / Director of Policy ENVELOPE sgolden@limerickchamber.ie

Eoghan Carr, Economist / Policy Analyst ENVELOPE ecarr@limerickchamber.ie

Seán Golden Chief Economist / Director of Policy

Eoghan Carr Economist / Policy Analyst

5 Must Know Tips on Planning Your Corporate Event to Keep Your Guests Smiling!

Hosting an impressive corporate event allows you to strengthen bonds with employees and current clients, while developing genuine connections and attracting future ones.

Regardless of the purpose of your event, the organisation and execution of your soirée is crucial. If done right, it can create tremendous benefits to your business. Here are our top tips to plan a corporate event that your attendees won’t soon forget!

1. Have a Clear Understanding of the Purpose of the Event

The type of event you are holding will determine the tone, the theme and even the venue itself. It will also allow you to plan what administrative processes need to be put in place, as well as assign the correct people to the correct projects in order to keep things under control. It will also help determine what your clients, or colleagues, can expect.

2. Set a Date

Choosing a date can be one of the most difficult tasks of organising your event. Trying to align diaries for the highest attendance is key!

Consider bank holidays, internal or client meetings to rule out any crossover, this will ensure key members of the business are able to attend, as well as increasing the attendance rate. Remember, when sending your invitations, the earlier the better. This means people can mark their calendar and save the date for you.

3. Create a Realistic Budget

Knowing what kind of budget you have to work with to determine what sort of event you can create. Once you have a budget, knowing what to allocate this to is essential. If you have a little left over this can be allocated to extra last-minute wow factors!

4. Find the perfect venue

Once you’ve determined the type of meeting you’d like to create, it’s time to find a venue that suits the event and allows you to bring your vision to life.

Location is key! Booking a venue in a convenient and accessible area with a vibrant and professional atmosphere so that attendees will make the commute. Ensure the location fits the number of guests and suits your budget.

5. Food & Beverage Arrangements

The type of food and beverage you choose will depend on many factors - what kind of event you are hosting, your venue, your budget, and so on. You will need to think about the type of food you will be serving. Will it be a set menu, will your guests need to choose their food beforehand?

Don’t forget the drinks! There are different options when it comes to providing drinks at a corporate event. You could provide each guest with drinks vouchers, have a set number of bottles per table, or tipples served by staff behind the bar.

Luckily, The SpitJack Limerick is the perfect venue for your Corporate Soirée!

Located on the corner of Henry Street and Bedford Row in the City Centre, with ease of access and convenient parking with a multi-storey Q-park Harvey’s Quay just steps away from us.

We offer dining over 2 floors. With an open kitchen on the ground floor, a full cocktail bar & the Bedford Room for events on the lower floor, enhanced by our lovely Al Fresco Terrace. Our space is equipped for all occasions, such as Corporate Meetings, Breakfast and Dinner Meetings, Christmas Parties, and Team Bonding Events.

TO MAKE A BOOKING, PLEASE EMAIL: reservations@thespitjack.com

WEBSITE: www.thespitjack.com

ADDRESS: 6/7 Bedford Row, Limerick, V94 VY76

Sourcing only the highest quality seasonal local produce, expertly prepared by our accomplished chefs, with high service standards, in beautiful dining spaces - the Award-Winning The SpitJack Restaurant is the first of its kind in Ireland.

Think Talent

Limerick Chamber Skillnet is an enterprise-led, regional, multi sector business network that funds and provides bespoke business training for companies in the Mid-West. We continue to add to our training plan for 2023. Please contact us to discuss your training needs for this year.

Some of the courses to be delivered through Limerick Chamber Skillnet up to November 2023 will include:

Leadership

• Lunch and Learn – Insights into The Art of High Performance Leadership

• Lunch and Learn – Igniting Employee Engagement and Maximising Teams Performance

• Presentation Training

• Theatre Skills for Business

• Professional Skills for Industry

• Diploma in High Performance Leadership Engineering

• Certificate in Professional Engineering

Food Safety

• QQi Level 5 Implementing Food Safety Management Systems

• QQi Level 6: Designing Food Safety Management Systems

Productivity & Cross Sectoral

• Certificate in International Trade

Visit our website www.limerickchamber.ie/upcoming-training

Contact the team skillnet@limerickchamber.ie

Agri Sector

• Artificial Insemination Training

Diversity & Inclusion

• Lunch & Learn – Identifying and Tackling Unconcious Bias in your Organisation

• Better Business English Language Course

Contact us today

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We Provide Training Programmes

Limerick Chamber Skillnet enterprising training programmes upskill local and national organisations in a wide range of industries so they can reach their true potential in business.

TRAIN

Upcoming Training

We’ll help you find the right training for you and your team to maximise your business’ potential

Customer Testimonials

Avail of 20% funding for eligible training for your team via Limerick Chamber Skillnet

Discover More

Complimentary access to CPD accredited events during the year

For further information on any of our training visit limerickchamber.ie/train or get in touch:

Michael Mac Curtain, Skillnet Manager

E: m.maccurtain@limerickchamber.ie

Sian Murray, Skillnet Administrator

E: s.murray@limerickchamber.ie

Limerick Chamber Skillnet is funded by Skillnet Ireland and member companies. Skillnet Ireland is funded from the National Training Fund through The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

PUTTING THE ATLANTIC TO WORK

The Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report

This summer saw the launch of a report that could well be studied in classrooms in years to come as having “reshaped Ireland’s economy and society”, in the words of Minister Simon Coveney. The result of some 5,000 hours of research across 15 months, the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report concluded that “due to a confluence of natural resources, necessity and timing, we present the single greatest opportunity for sustainable economic growth in Ireland’s history – the development of one of the world’s largest renewable energy hubs, built primarily around the harnessing of global scale offshore wind energy from the Shannon Estuary.”

Described by Taskforce Chairman Barry O’Sullivan as the “opportunity of the century for region and state,” the report provides a timely solution that meets the acute challenges of climate change, energy security and energy demand.

A QUALIFIED GROUP

The Taskforce was established as part of the Programme for Government 2020. It was intended to evaluate the economic potential of the Shannon Estuary area, including how it might be realised in an economically and environmentally sustainable way.

“The purpose of the Taskforce was to identify the potential of the region,” Barry O’Sullivan confirms. “An Taoiseach asked for a vision, action plan and recommendations for implementation.” That meant assessing the strengths and comparative advantages of the Shannon Estuary “from an investment and enterprise development perspective, in a national and international context.”

The voluntary Taskforce included IDA board member Barry O’Sullivan, Mary Considine, CEO of Shannon Airport Group and Dee Ryan, CEO of Limerick Chamber. Senior academics, industry technicians and government officials were also part of this multidisciplinary effort. The report was based on direct engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders, including the office of An Taoiseach, local representatives and public and private sector experts. Two rounds of public consultation were carried out, resulting in over 40 unique responses.

A TIMELY CHALLENGE

The world has learned a sharp lesson about energy over the last eighteen months. We now understand in a much more meaningful way that we must have energy independence and reliable access to sustainable forms of renewable energy. This is part of what is driving the European Commission’s ‘Green Deal’, which seeks to accelerate the decarbonisation of the EU energy supply while prioritising self-sufficiency.

In the national context, the Irish Climate Action Plan 2023 and its policy on wind energy aims to see 2 gigawatts (GW) of floating offshore wind (FLOW) in development by 2030. If achieved, this will go some way to meeting the current Irish need of 5.5GW. Research by Bechtel, a global engineering company, found that wind from the Atlantic can provide 70GW of energy, which would put Ireland in a position to supply Europe with the excess, generating significant revenue. “In fact,” says Barry O’Sullivan, “There is thought to be 630GW available across the whole of Ireland’s sovereign waters, which represents a huge natural resource for the country — we’ve enough power out there for about 70 million people.”

On a more local level, access to our own power supply would make the cost of living more affordable (our energy costs are approximately 38% higher than the European average). It would also help us “attract new industries here and develop our own industries to take that power, create value-add and take our economy to a new level,” says O’Sullivan.

“In a post-fossil fuel Europe, a European supergrid will need to be built with air from Northern Europe and solar from the Southern Mediterranean,” he points out. “We are in a unique position to put ourselves squarely in that picture, making us a key part of the future of global energy.”

A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION

The Taskforce found that the Shannon Estuary region can meet this need and more by harvesting wind energy from the Atlantic through Ireland’s “Atlantic Green Digital Corridor”. This could run from Donegal to Cork, anchored by the Estuary in the middle. Barry O’Sullivan sees this as a place where we can “take the infinite green energy from the Atlantic and convert that into a new economy and new society for Ireland.”

It would do this by:

· Capitalising on the supply of wind energy in the Atlantic, through investment and innovation.

· Providing Ireland and the EU with secure, green, affordable energy, through priority planning designation.

· Accelerating the delivery of strategic infrastructure as well as a sustainable and integrated transport and connectivity network that links the region with the rest of Ireland and the world beyond.

· Investing in the region to create a vibrant place to live, work and invest in, via new job opportunities, tourism offerings and research and educational hubs.

· Building the bedrock for sustainable economic development and growth in the area, while also helping to address challenges relating to development balance, congestion and carbonisation.

The result of these efforts could include the creation of 10,000 jobs and a net zero region by 2035; 50,000 incremental “green jobs”; growth of the existing economy; and the emergence of a new leading location in Ireland for investment, relocation and tourism.

This potential development is something of a “Shannon Scheme 2.0”, just as era-defining as the one that harnessed the power of the Shannon through a new hydroelectric power station at Ardnacrusha in the 1920s. That brought a reliable supply of electricity to the island of Ireland at a time when the State was only in its infancy, and rapidly accelerated the country’s growth.

A UNIQUELY PRIMED LOCATION

We may not have the oil of the Middle East or the rainforests of South America, but Ireland is uniquely rich in one natural resource: wind. As an island on the edge of Europe, our marine territory amounts to more than 10 times our land mass.

Furthermore, the Shannon Estuary seems almost purposebuilt for offshore wind energy, featuring:

· Over 500km2 of deep sheltered water — ideal for floating offshore wind installation

· Direct access to some of the world’s best wind resources, primarily the Atlantic Ocean

· More than 100km of flat terrain suitable for industrial development

· Co-location with Foynes, one of the deepest water ports in Europe

· Proximity to economic, educational and employment hubs in Limerick, Clare and Galway

At the launch of the Taskforce report, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said that the Estuary has the capacity to rebalance the national economy and provide a solution to climate change. “This is bringing power to the people, but it’s also bringing industry to where the power is,” he said. “There’s so much development in the east that’s good for everyone but if it’s all in the east the country is imbalanced. Using this power in the west to bring jobs to create energy but also to balance our country, real strong growth right along the west coast, north west, south west…I think that’s a good news story for everyone.”

challenges at hand.

As a result, they recommended:

· The establishment of a National Floating Offshore Wind Development Agency, modelled on Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland, to deliver this opportunity via national and international investment, innovation and entrepreneurship.

· The provision of funding to enable the technical studies needed to inform/guide the critical next steps in the future development of the Estuary.

· The assignment of responsibility to existing government departments and agencies to implement the other remaining actions. They also proposed that progress will be reported twice yearly by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The primary purpose of the National Floating Offshore Wind Development Agency would be to attract the large capital required for harvesting wind energy. This includes infrastructure such as the expansion of Foynes port, but more crucially refers to the development cost of FLOW, which Barry O’Sullivan estimates at roughly €2bn per gigawatt.

While the cost is a significant barrier, the pay-off in terms of global export may be enough to overcome this for major commercial investors. However, that is contingent on other factors being favourable, including a permissive planning environment, smooth bureaucratic process and government and local support.

A NEED FOR ACTION

As Limerick Chamber President Miriam O’Connor points out, “There are investors out there but they won’t wait forever;

We’re also in danger of diluting our prime position because we may have already lost first-mover advantage. The UK, France, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain have all declared their own FLOW targets with Scotland already actively producing wind energy. This makes the implementation of the The Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce Report all the more urgent.

Speaking in Ardnacrusha in July, Barry O’Sullivan appealed to all the leading stakeholders — national, political, and commercial — to unite in their efforts to realise this plan for the region. “Our ask of all of you now today, in this noble place of Irish history, is to lead Ireland into Shannon Scheme 2.0,” he said. “Support us, and the people of this Estuary will lead the harvest of our Atlantic wind for the benefit of all of our citizens, in every parish of our land. If not, history will not be kind to any of us. Our time has come.”

At the launch of the report, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was firm in his support for this “visionary piece of work” and its proposed “green digital powerhouse for the country”. The Shannon Estuary can drive “Ireland’s future economic development, harnessing the enormous renewable energy that we have here and building new industries, producing green fertiliser, producing sustainable synthetic aviation fuels, powering the nation and also creating power for exports,” he said. While acknowledging that the fully realised project will take decades to deliver, he also said we can “get it started right away”, a sentiment shared by the Limerick Chamber.

“The opportunity is now; it will either be the greatest achievement for our generation or the biggest lost opportunity,” agrees Chamber President Miriam O’Connor. “We don’t have the luxury of time; independently, the research is all saying we’re in the best position in terms of location, resources and need — we just need to make it happen.”

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ENERGY ON THE ESTUARY

The Role of Foynes

It would be almost impossible to overstate the importance of the Foynes area in the development of offshore wind production in Ireland. In essence, without this vital area, Ireland doesn’t have a port that meets the specific criteria needed to develop, build, and support an offshore wind farm. Foynes port can help to ensure Ireland meets the government’s 2030 decarbonisation goals, as well as the many targets to come in future decades.

Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) will be a critical piece of the offshore wind puzzle that needs to come together in order to hit those targets. We sat down with SFPC CEO Pat Keating, who confirmed that the company is working tirelessly to make sure they have the infrastructure in place to support offshore wind in the coming years.

Keating explains that Ireland’s portion of the Atlantic west coast has the potential to deliver more than 500 gigawatts (GW) of energy. Put in context, Ireland’s existing local grid demand is 5.5GW. “We have a huge energy resource within our jurisdiction that can be used for domestic demand and also for export to Europe to satisfy euro demand for renewables,” he says. “It’s true what you may have heard — this could be for Ireland what oil was for Saudi Arabia.”

In order to achieve net zero by 2050, offshore wind farms will need to be producing 37.5GW, a relatively small slice of what’s available on our windy western shore. However, without significant investment in the port and energy grid, as well as coordinated government policy, those targets won’t be met.

MOMENTUM IS ON OUR SIDE

Thankfully, it appears that momentum is moving in the right direction, and various stakeholders are making considerable headway to ensure the infrastructure is in place for Mid-West offshore wind energy production.

Because of the multi-year lead times required to create such massive infrastructure, Keating argues that SFPC isn’t in a

position to wait until all of the other pieces are put into place to get started. Instead, the only way to be ready when anticipated government policy and connectivity line up is to start building the necessary infrastructure now. To that end, SFPC commissioned a master plan with the assistance of American-based engineering company Bechtel last year. Its aim was to help determine the steps necessary to actively launch and support offshore wind farm production in the coming years.

“With Bechtel, we engineered out what type of port and what scale of port capacity is needed to deliver 10GW by 2050,” says Keating, “We took a very practical approach to workflows and practices and we’ve mapped out what size of quayside infrastructure we need.”

IMPLEMENTING THE MASTER PLAN

The SFPC has already begun implementing the master plan, Keating says: “This is a roadmap to creating and accommodating the supply chain to build the wind farms.” He explains that the wind farms will either be fixed or floating, but that the roadmap accounts for both scenarios. “Fixed wind farms are attached directly to the sea bed at up to 60 metre depths, and floating wind farms can be anchored to the sea floor at depths of up to 1000 metres,” he says.

The preparations for offshore floating wind farms will require a much larger scale. Floating offshore wind farms will mean bigger machines, bigger turbines and floating structures of 12-20,000 tonnes of steel and concrete. “You’re talking about turbines the height of the Eiffel tower,” says Keating. “The infrastructure that’s required is all significant, from deep water quays and jetties, crane operations and everything you’d have in a port but at a scale of two or three times the average size.”

Preparations are now taking place at Foynes to accommodate these huge projects, and SFPC is currently in the planning and funding process for an 800m new deep water jetty that will require a hefty cost of €400M.

ANCILLARY INFRASTRUCTURE AVAILABILITY IN THE AREA

Not only is the Foynes port the correct depth to support these massive substructures, there are also other elements in the surrounding area that will allow the midcoast region to support building and maintaining the coming wind farms.

Foynes port offers 500 square kilometres of space for building and staging the wind turbines and substructures for the offshore farms.

Additionally, the port has adequate wet storage space, a critical requirement due to the unpredictable nature of the Atlantic Ocean. Wet storage allows partially or fully built structures to be stored while they’re being finalised and waiting to be deployed into their ultimate locations. “Because we’re dealing with a marine environment, you’re not going to be able to access the wind farm at all times,” Keating explains. “The concept of wet storage is vitally important so we have numerous areas where we can store devices until the weather allows you to move on.” Keating maintained that the wet storage will provide a buffer as they attempt to run production at a steady rate of 20-30 turbines per year. When the weather doesn’t cooperate, the wet storage area will allow production to continue unhindered.

In fact, Keating says Foynes port provides sheltered deep water that avoids the swells of the Atlantic: “The Shannon is about the only water course where we can offer the scale of wet storage required to support this.”

Finally, the Foynes area already has a node for connectivity for wind energy making its way back to the mainland to be shipped around Ireland and outside of Ireland, as needed. “We’re working in conjunction with ESB at their Moneypoint site,” Keating reports. “It currently has a 400kV line that connects it as a strategic node to the rest of the country.” This will provide the vital outlet for wind energy exiting the port and making its way around the country.

ON OUR WAY TO GREEN ENERGY

The Foynes area will indeed be a vital piece of the offshore wind energy puzzle, and thanks to the Shannon Foynes Port Company, it is well on its way to being prepared to launch the first offshore wind farm in 2028. The Mid-West area can look forward to being one of the leading producers of green energy, and enjoy continued job growth and community development alongside much-needed decarbonisation benefits.

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Opportunities in the Air

HOW WE’LL ACHIEVE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE

With energy independence and exportation as Ireland’s ultimate goals, it’s important to keep in mind that Ireland is well-poised to achieve them in a timely fashion.

According to Cunniffe, our onshore wind energy production can be increased considerably — without requiring as many turbines as were previously used. “One of the good news stories is that we can double the amount of power we produce with much fewer turbines,” says Cunniffe. “We don’t need to add the equivalent amount of turbines, we can add a fraction.”

Additionally, Cunniffe credits our onshore wind workforce and anticipates that the skill in the industry will easily expand to offshore wind as well. “We can take our world-class workforce from onshore wind and develop that into one of the best global resources for offshore energy,” he says.

Ireland is currently lagging behind other European countries, such as the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium, when it comes to offshore wind energy production because we haven’t invested beyond the initial farm in Wexford that was

However, while Ireland may be on the back foot when it comes to offshore wind farm development, Cunniffe reports that we should be able to both learn from the experience of other countries and take advantage of lessons they may have

Looking to our neighbours in the UK and continental Europe to determine the best path forward will allow us to capitalise on Ireland’s unique position as one of the windiest countries in the world. Additionally, we’ll be able to put Ireland’s considerable sea geography to use with added learnings from countries who have already invested in more extensive offshore wind farms. “The size of our ocean area is seven times larger than our land area,” says Cunniffe. “We have limited land availability, but we can really take advantage of offshore

Between the sheer amount of available space we have to work with and a workforce already knowledgeable in wind energy production, Cunniffe is confident that wind energy will ensure Ireland reaches its energy independence targets and can begin to export energy to other countries. “We don’t have to be reliant on fossil fuels from geopolitically complicated areas when the Atlantic Ocean can offer Ireland energy independence,” explains Cunniffe.

CHALLENGES ON THE PATH FORWARD

The momentum of wind energy projects is humming forward. In fact, four offshore wind projects were recently chosen by the government to be put into action, including one in the Mid-West region. However, the path forward won’t be without potential obstacles in the way.

While the potential for Irish wind energy production is vast, there are several pieces of the puzzle that need to slot into place in order for targets to be met on or around 2030.

First, the planning system for potential offshore wind projects has thus far been quite slow. Cunniffe and Wind Energy Ireland have been lobbying to improve the speed at which projects can be evaluated so that potential investors and companies can get a faster understanding of whether their project will be approved. The current onshore wind planning process runs about 18 months from application to decision — far longer than the estimated 18 weeks. The offshore planning system has yet to be truly tested, but wind energy advocates are concerned that it, too, will be a years-long process.

“We’re not asking for more favorable decisions,” Cunniffe says. “We’re asking for more resources to be put into the planning system to give more certainty on the time frame.”

Another potential obstacle on the road to wind energy independence is port capability, which will be critical in ensuring offshore wind turbines can be assembled and brought out to sea. We discussed this element at length with Pat Keating, CEO of Shannon Foynes Port Company, for this magazine, but all signs point toward their port system having the capability to meet demand by 2028.

Cunniffe points out that if the port capability isn’t prepared, “We’ll build the wind farms in Liverpool, France, maybe even Norway if we don’t invest in our own ports. Investment in ports like Shannon Foynes, Moneypoint is so important.”

Finally, the electricity grid could pose a problem once offshore wind energy is produced. Cunniffe explains that the electricity grid in Ireland was built starting in the 1920s and grew enormously throughout the 20th century. “We had lots of head room in the grid as a result of that investment,” says Cunniffe. “But we really haven’t invested in our grid in one or two decades.” Because of growth in demand, electrification of heat pumps, the proliferation of electric vehicles and renewable energy from wind and solar, “we’ve eaten up all that head room.”

“Unless we invest more in our grid and build more substations, cables and overhead lines, we’re not going to be able to move the power from the wind farms out to homes and cities in Ireland as well as other countries in Europe.”

The electricity grid will need considerable government investment, not just to ensure decarbonisation goals are met, but to improve the security of the electricity supply and to continue to grow the supply.

MOMENTUM DRIVING WIND ENERGY FORWARD

Despite these potential challenges, Cunniffe remains positive that the 2030 targets will be met. “I’m very optimistic that this is being taken very seriously by the government, and that people are really starting to focus on how to improve the planning system, how to grow the capacity of the grid and how to put the funding models into place to allow our ports to invest. It’s happening. Would I like it to happen faster? Absolutely. If it’s not 2030, it might be a year or two late, but it’s going to be there.”

BUILDING A LILLY LIMERICK LEGACY

Eli Lilly and Company forging strong links with local business and educational communities ahead of new plant opening

Globally renowned life sciences giant Eli Lilly and Company announced in 2022 that it would expand its footprint of Irish sites by developing a bio-pharmaceutical facility in the IDA’s Raheen Business Park in Limerick to assist with the manufacturing and supply of products for their life-saving medicines across the world.

The [$1bn] announcement set the wheels in motion for one of the largest-ever single investments in Limerick city and county, providing a much-needed boost to the local economy, with up to 1,000 people expected to be employed in the plant’s initial construction phase and over 300 permanent staff who will commission and operate the facility in the longer term.

Senior officials at Lilly subsequently revealed that they had carefully selected Limerick as the third Irish site location for several key reasons:

· Excellent infrastructure, including the nearby Shannon Airport

· Availability of talent with two prominent third level institutions close by

· Proximity to existing Irish operations in Kinsale and Little Island in Co. Cork

· A ready-made, fit-for-purpose serviced site in Raheen

The new plant is expected to be fully operational in the next 3 years but General Manager Dave Riordan has explained that work is already well underway and the company is already taking steps to firmly establish themselves in the Limerick community.

Having started his career in Lilly over 20 years ago as a student on Co-Operative placement, Mr Riordan is a former University of Limerick Mechanical Engineering graduate. He spent time in various roles in manufacturing operations and management in Ireland, the US and Puerto Rico before coming “home” to accept the position in Limerick.

In relation to the current status of construction, he said: “We broke ground in December 2022, and we’ve made really good progress on the construction. For anybody who drives past the site now, you can see that the main outline structure is already in place.

Over the next few months, we expect that the buildings will be fully weathered in and will look complete from the outside. We will then spend the next year or so fitting out the inside, installing the internal equipment and then commissioning and qualifying the facilities– with the target of being operational in the next 3 years.”

Mr Riordan also revealed that Lilly is working with several local traders and suppliers as part of the initial construction phase – and that this would continue as the project progressed.

He added that hiring and recruitment are currently at the top of the short-term list of priorities for the plant, with over twenty-five permanent staff now working at the facility. By the time the plant starts operations over 300 staff are expected to be employed by Lilly across a variety of functions within the plant.

He added: “We need most of the permanent employees on board sooner than you would think, as they will work alongside the construction team over the next two years to test all the high-tech equipment that will be installed in the facility and bring it online. That means we have a constant flow of new jobs coming on stream and interviewing is progressing at pace.

“We’re looking for a wide range of skills and experiences with manufacturing operations personnel being at the core of our business. These are the people who will actually be on the production floor making medicine, but they’re supported by engineers and scientists and a host of other technical and professional disciplines.

Those interested in applying for roles at Lilly Limerick can visit the company website to view current vacancies @ https://careers.lilly.com (Search location: Limerick) and upload their CV online by clicking on Join Our Talent Community.

Engagement with the local community in Limerick has been a significant priority for Lilly since they announced their intention to build the Raheen facility.

Last year, the company held a community event at the South Court Hotel which saw four hundred people attend to learn more about the company, the team and their work.

He explains: “We’ve been involved in as many local groups as makes sense. We’re members of the Limerick Chamber. We’ve participated in some of the other regional business groups and are also active in the community in terms of volunteering and charitable outreach.

“We’re looking across the community for people who are interested in a long-term career with us – from the locality if possible. There are so many opportunities at Lilly whether you want to stay local in Limerick or Cork, or travel the world like I’ve done”

Lilly management have also met with both University of Limerick and The Technological University of the Shannon. The company has a long-standing relationship with the University of Limerick who have provided them with both Co-Operative students and graduates for decades. Both institutions are currently working closely with Lilly to provide more graduates to Lilly in the future.

Long term, Mr Riordan said the opening of the Raheen facility would mark the beginning of a lengthy commitment to Limerick.

“We intend to couple our long-term investment in Limerick with positive partnerships across the local community where we’re already thinking 30-40 years ahead – at least,” he concluded.

Dave Riordan General Manager Eli Lilly, Limerick

Rendered image of the new Eli Lilly Limerick manufacturing plant set to be operational in the coming years.

THE TASK AHEAD

Securing Ireland’s Green Future

There’s no doubt that green energy will play a major role in the next several decades for Ireland. But for most of us, that vision probably doesn’t extend further than an electric car charging in the driveway. For Liam Curran and Darragh Cotter, charged with Enterprise Ireland’s Gael Offshore Network, the green energy vision is far more expansive and will actually impact a wide range of industries and communities across the country. We sat down with Liam to learn how.

Ireland’s decarbonisation goals for the next several decades have presented the country with a critical opportunity to use offshore wind production to provide the green energy necessary to meet those targets. “Offshore wind will be an absolute lynchpin in terms of the decarbonisation of the Irish energy system,” says Curran.

But with offshore wind comes far more than just green energy; wind energy brings Irish jobs, community investment and development, and the exportation of Irish expertise around the world.

Who’s involved in Gael Offshore?

Curran and Cotter have been working in the offshore wind area with Enterprise Ireland for the last five years, bringing together 85 companies under the umbrella of the Gael Offshore Network.

The companies represented by Gael Offshore Network are all known as ‘tier two contractors’, Curran explained. The companies that develop offshore wind farms as well as those that build the huge components will be major multinationals because Ireland doesn’t yet have the expertise in those areas. However, Irish companies are well represented in tier two contracting roles, supporting the development, launch and maintenance of offshore wind projects with a variety of jobs and specialties.

Curran reports that they worked to ensure that four categories of companies within the offshore industry would be represented within Gael Offshore Network. First, there’s the offshore group, companies that are well established in the industry and have been working in specialties like seabed mapping, geo technology, crew transfer services and more. Gael Offshore Network also includes an onshore group that’s made up of companies that are responsible for the cabling and substations that are needed when bringing wind energy back from the water.

There are also companies represented in the broader marine engineering space that will be able to turn their hands to offshore wind with engineering marine renewable device expertise. And finally, the fourth category refers to companies in the digital technology space that supply 4G and 5G offshore communication systems, virtual reality systems for training maintenance technicians, robotic systems for sea repair and more.

With such a wide range of companies already represented in Ireland, Gael Offshore Network unites a broad swathe of industry specialists in the offshore industry.

What does the Gael Offshore Network do?

The Gael Offshore Network represents the 85 organisations under the offshore wind energy umbrella both to government bodies here at home, as well as to potential developers and contractors they could work with abroad.

Curran reported that the Network often hosts pavilions at relevant global trade shows, “to promote Irish capabilities to a broad section of society.” For instance, six Irish companies joined them at Global Offshore, an important trade show in London this past June, with the goal of getting them in front of buyers and industry leaders. “We’re trying to make the tier one and developer levels aware of our capabilities and what we can do,” Curran says.

The Network also brings companies on market trips to other countries such as Scotland, where they can gain facetime with important industry leaders, and here at home they run inward investment events. “We bring buyers in, and showcase the Irish capability to them,” Curran explains.

Finally, the Gael Offshore Network works with government entities to look at the education element to see what investment will be needed to ensure Ireland is training workers to support the growing industry.

What benefits can Ireland expect?

The most obvious benefit Ireland can expect as offshore wind grows as an industry is in employment. “We’re not in a position where we can manufacture blades or turbines,” says Curran. “But there are lots and lots of other things we can do.” In the five or six-year development phase before a wind farm is built, companies are needed to explore the resource itself, measure wind speed, examine the sea bed to determine its suitability to a wind farm, and map how cables will connect the farm to the shore, to name just a few.

Within the operation maintenance phase, there will be considerable, long-lasting, highly skilled and well-paid jobs in coastal communities close to where the farms have been built. “These are particularly attractive to Enterprise Ireland because of our regional development remit,” reports Curran, who recently visited the Beatrice offshore wind farm in a town of 5,000 people in Scotland.

“That project has been hugely beneficial to that community,” says Curran. “There are about 80 full time maintenance technicians, six crew transfer vessels and their crews, associated support services, restaurants, accommodation, and that’s all benefiting from the industry.” Curran expects Ireland to see that situation replicated in other coastal communities as offshore wind grows in scope over the next several decades.

In addition to the jobs and community development offshore wind production will bring, it should also “attract energy-intensive industries that would be looking for green electricity to run their processes in the future,” explains Curran, meaning data centres or other tech hubs. “When we do get to the stage where we can deploy floating offshore wind off the west coast, we will be able to generate far more electricity than we will be able to use in our own grid,” he says. “There’s the potential to export electricity to mainland Europe or to convert it into other forms of energy like green hydrogen, aviation fuel, methanol or ammonia.”

While we’re shipping energy out of Ireland after we exceed our own supply, we may well also be exporting our offshore energy-related products and services. Curran expects there to be markets in the UK, the Baltic region, the Mediterranean, Vietnam, Japan, both US coast, and South America. “There will be offshore wind projects all over the globe and if we have the right skills and capabilities, they can be exported,” he explains.

Showcasing Irish capabilities for the future of green energy

The task ahead does include the ongoing showcasing of Irish SMEs in the offshore wind industry to developers and tier-one contractors in the UK and European countries. That means Curran and Cotter will continue to highlight the incredible work being done by Irish companies within the sector in order to attract increased investment in the offshore industry into the country. All with the goal of building robust offshore wind energy capability here so communities can reap the rewards, and so the people of Ireland can continue to build expertise that will benefit us all.

DIRECTORS BEWARE

The Corporate Veil is Not Impenetrable

Directors' liability and the corporate veil are important concepts in corporate law, as they determine the extent to which directors can be held personally liable for the actions of a company. Recent landmark judgments from the Irish High Court in the cases of Powers v Greymountain Management Ltd (In Liquidation) [2022] IEHC 599 and Keating v Shannon Foynes Port Company [2022] IEHC 505 have highlighted the complexities of these concepts and their potential implications for company directors.

Ronan Hynes, Partner in the Litigation Dispute Resolution department of MHP Sellors LLP, provides a whistlestop tour of these legal developments which provide a stark reminder to anybody who is either a company director or considering such as role on the personal risks inherent in becoming a company director.

What is the corporate veil?

Firstly, it is important to understand the concept of piercing the corporate veil. This refers to a legal principle that allows a court to hold the directors or shareholders of a company personally liable for the actions of the company, rather than limiting liability to the company itself. This principle is typically invoked in cases where the company has been used to perpetrate fraud or other illegal activities, or where the company is a mere facade for the shareholders' activities.

Recent Caselaw Developments

In Powers v Greymountain Management Ltd (In Liquidation) [2022] IEHC 599, Mr Justice Twomey set aside the protection of limited liability and held two directors (along with two other individuals who were deemed to be “shadow directors”) personally liable for the losses suffered by investors, as they had failed to properly discharge their duties as directors. One of the directors was a student who was not involved in the business at all. Even though the directors themselves had no knowledge of the fraud and were unwitting participants, the fact that they didn’t exercise any supervision or oversight at board level resulted in the court deciding that the circumstances justified “lifting the corporate veil” and that they should be held personally liable for the losses involved. Mr Justice Twomey noted that while lifting the corporate veil should certainly not be taken lightly, there are certain circumstances that justified lifting the veil such as;

· fraud or the misapplication of monies or misrepresentation on the part of the directors;

· directors syphoning off large sums of money out of the company to leave the company unable to fulfil its obligations; and

· negligence or impropriety on the part of the directors in the conduct of the affairs of the company.

Most importantly, the High Court did not draw any distinction between shadow directors and directors when applying the above principles.

In a second landmark ruling in Keating v Shannon Foynes Port Company [2022] IEHC 505, the High Court examined the conduct of the company's directors and their involvement in the contractual obligations between the parties. It emphasised that directors cannot shield behind the corporate veil to escape personal responsibility when their actions directly impact contractual obligations. The court, in this instance, pierced the corporate veil, holding the directors personally liable for a breach of contract alongside the company. Mr. Justice Sanfey held that the company directors should have acted in the best interests of the company and not with “unquestioning adherence” to the wishes of the shareholders.

What are the key takeaways?

There are some critical learnings for company directors or individuals considering such a role (particularly in a nonexecutive capacity) from these landmark rulings as follows:

(1) they should fully understand the statutory duties of directors pursuant to the Companies Act 2014, the complexities of directors liability and the corporate veil to effectively manage the risks associated with being a company director;

(2) carry out a very careful examination and due diligence of any company they are considering becoming a director of

(3) take a pro-active role in the oversight of the business even if appointed in a shadow or non-executive capacity;

(4) put the interests of the company ahead of the interests of shareholders unless in specific exceptional circumstances;

(5) keep up to date with legal developments and seek legal advice if they have any doubts about their liabilities and responsibilities; and

(6) ensure that a comprehensive policy of insurance is in place to cover directors and officers liability.

In conclusion, the Irish High Court has not been afraid to highlight the potential liabilities of company directors and the circumstances in which it is prepared to pierce the corporate veil. The courts will pierce the corporate veil in situations where it is deemed necessary to prevent fraud or other illegal activities regardless of the knowledge of directors or shadow directors. These judgments serve as a salutary reminder to company directors that the corporate veil is not impenetrable. Directors should fully understand their duties as directors and that they exercise appropriate control over, and have an awareness of, the activities of their company. They must act responsibly, in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. If they fail to do so, company directors may be held personally liable for the actions of the company. It is also critical for companies to have robust corporate governance practices in place to ensure that the risk of such liabilities is minimised as much as possible.

Ronan Hynes, Partner

Ronan is a Partner specialising in Litigation & Dispute Resolution with MHP Sellors LLP and 2023 Irish Law Awards winner for Civil Litigation Lawyer of the Year. Ronan is dual common law qualified having trained and practiced with a leading UK national law firm. Ronan holds an LLM in International Commercial Law from University of Nottingham and an Executive MBA at Trinity College, Dublin. Ronan has built a reputation for being a strong, commercially aware litigator, renowned for a down-toearth, energetic, results driven approach. He advises on all aspects of civil and commercial litigation with particular interest in complex, and high value healthcare malpractice lawsuits. Ronan’s mission as a lawyer is simple: to re-imagine the delivery of legal services and provide an unrivalled, client centric service with outstanding results and outcomes. Ronan is an advocate of New Law, the fusion of client centricity, disruptive technologies, more efficient use of human capital and innovative pricing.

MHP Sellors LLP Solicitors is a progressive and dynamic business law firm with offices in Limerick & Ennis. The firm consists of a unique mix of seasoned legal practitioners and dynamic young professionals, all sharing one purpose: to deliver an exceptional service. MHP Sellors LLP won the prestigious Munster Law Firm of the Year at the Irish Law Awards in 2019 and currently hold the Q9000 legal accreditation. The firm advises both private and business clients across four core practice areas: Commercial & Corporate, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Property and Private Client. The firm has three fundamental yet simple values: to fully serve its clients, to be always straightforward and to stay at the cutting edge.

NEW MEMBERS HIGHLIGHT

CAREER DECISIONS

www.careerdecisions.ie

www.coachdeveloptransform.com

Lilly has been operating in Ireland since 1978 and today the company employs almost 2,500 people at existing sites in Kinsale and Little Island, Co. Cork.

In 2022, the company announced a major investment in the development of a state-of-the-art biotech manufacturing campus at a greenfield site in Raheen, Co. Limerick. This “Next Generation Biotech” drug substance facility will be Lilly’s most technically advanced manufacturing site to date. At start-up, the campus is forecast to employ around 350 people across a wide range of disciplines. To find out about career opportunities at Lilly Limerick visit careers.lilly.com, and search for “Limerick”.

He has run events in London, Sydney and the US and would be delighted to lend his expertise to make your event memorable for you and your guests.

HILT

www.wearehilt.com

ENVELOPE info@wearehilt.com

phone 061 315760

Career Decisions is an award-winning Guaranteed Irish company, celebrating nearly 30 years in business. They have established an unrivalled reputation as Ireland’s leading provider of premium quality Executive & Leadership Coaching and Career Coaching Programmes.

Career Decisions is the leading provider of Executive and Leadership Coaching Programmes to public sector organisations and multinational organisations nationwide. The company established a specialist division called CoachDevelopTransform to reflect their status at the forefront of Executive Coaching & Leadership Development. Their customised and unrivalled quality programmes have been delivered to people at all levels from CEOs, Executives, Directors, Senior and MidLevel Managers and Teams.

ELI LILLY

ELITE TALENT

HUB LIMITED

www.elitetalenthub.ie

ENVELOPE sean.savicic@elitetalenthub.ie phone 061 544459

Elite Talent Hub is an Irish recruitment agency that embodies these qualities, and more. Founded in 2023 in Limerick, we have rapidly established ourselves as a unique provider of recruitment services throughout the Republic of Ireland. Our team of skilled professionals specialises in a diverse range of industries such as Commercial, Industrial, Healthcare, Construction and Engineering.

GC CATERING

www.georgecaseycatering.com

phone 087 4344315

Lilly unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We’ve been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help more than 51 million people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world’s most significant health challenges.

Ireland’s elite catering business for all your corporate and private needs with service as its backbone delivered in any environment.

George is the chef patron of GC Catering and has over 25 years experience working in the world’s leading restaurants.

Hilt is a people consulting business with a mission to help you and your teams achieve career focus, resilience and growth. We work with organisations and individuals to help them identify and achieve career progression and skills development goals for themselves and their teams. We design and deliver group and individual training and learning through our bespoke workshops, online courses, webinars and one-to-one training sessions. Through our lively, engaging and highly practical workshops we promote and encourage a growth mindset for building resilience into the career development process.

We work with organisations to design and implement valid, objective, and accountable interview and selection procedures for their business including how to manage unconscious bias throughout the process. We are passionate about our clients and our definition of a great day is when our clients tell us that we helped them achieve career growth or clarity of career direction for themselves or for their team members.

HOW MIGHT WE

www.howmightwe.design ENVELOPE jane@howmightwe.design

Dr Jane Hession and Ronan Healy are co-founders of How Might We, a design studio that helps their clients improve their employee and customer experiences.

They specialise in:

1. Strategy development and implementation

2. Improving customer-centricity for increased sales

3. Team building (especially challenging team dynamics)

4. Increasing cross-functional collaboration and learning

5. Strengthening culture for improved employee experiences

They have worked with a broad range of multinationals, SME’s and government departments, plus have been featured on numerous global podcasts.

INTERNATIONAL RUGBY EXPERIENCE

www.internationalrugbyexperience.com

phone 061 544800

preserve classical French flavours while cleverly adding contemporary twists. We offer a variety of pastries, cakes and party assortments which are guaranteed to impress for any occasion.

Located at Castletroy Town Centre and Jetland Shoping Centre, we are open 7 days a week. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for further information.

LAURENCE GARRIC

ENVELOPE laurence.garric@outlook.com

phone 086 824 0959

OUR DAILY BREAD

www.ourdailybread.irish

phone 083 069 7646

International Rugby Experience is a world class, fully interactive experience in the heart of Limerick city, celebrating what it takes to become a legend of the game. Explore world rugby’s values of Passion, Discipline, Integrity, Solidarity and Respect as you move through six awe inspiring stages. Feel the passion of game day, hear legendary stories brought to life and have fun putting your own skills to the test. A unique experience for team building, client entertainment, off site meetings and unique corporate events in our 6th floor Legends Gallery featuring panoramic city views.

LA PATISSERIE

www.lapatisserie.ie

phone 089 7076557

Helping businesses put LEAN processes in place, with a focus on employee retention and engagement, towards greater business sustainability.

NOVAS

https://www.novas.ie/donate/ ENVELOPE Jackie.leonard@novas.ie phone 061 370325

We are the sourdough pioneers on a mission to revolutionize bread, one generation at a time. Our Daily Bread is more than a bakery; it’s a tribute to culinary excellence and unwavering dedication to crafting authentic sourdough creations. Our journey began with a vision: to resurrect the essence of true sourdough, using timeless techniques and the finest ingredients. Emphasizing flavor, texture, and nutritional value, we’ve established ourselves as a premier supplier to the food service industry. Our products transcend bread; they embody a symphony of tastes, a mark of quality, and a sensory culinary adventure.

REHABCARE

phone 01 2057200

La Patisserie pastries are uniquely handcrafted in-house fresh every morning by our Chef-Patissier, who endeavours to

NOVAS is a voluntary organisation and Approved Housing Body working with families and single adults who are disadvantaged and socially excluded; primarily those who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. We provide a range of services and accommodation for marginalised households throughout Ireland with more than 30 services primarily in the Mid-West region.

Contact:

Jackie Leonard, Head of Fundraising Jackie.leonard@novas.ie or call (061) 370325

RehabCare is a trusted service provider committed to providing Day, Residential, Respite and Home Support services for people with disabilities, adults and children, people with mental health difficulties and older people in every community in Ireland. RehabCare services support people to maximise their independence, community presence and participation and to live lives of their choosing. RehabCare operates 167 services nationwide, including 18 services across Limerick and Co Clare.

How to make a Donation: www.rehab.ie/donate

SOUND TO LIGHT

www.soundtolight.ie

phone 061 577 300

THE SPITJACK

www.thespitjack.com

phone 061 781996

TWOMEYS BAKERY

www.twomeysbakery.com

phone 063 83084

Sound to Light is an industry leading supplier of audio, lighting, LED screens, technical support and PowerPoint/video equipment. Our team of 15 technicians support a wide range of events including but not limited to, conferences and corporate events nationwide. We pride ourselves on delivering the highest standard of service whilst also being very competitive on price. If you have a conference or event coming up please get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

STAFFLINE IRELAND

www.stafflinerecruit.com

phone 061 531 315

The Spitjack Limerick opened in 2020 following the success of The Spitjack Cork. Started in 2017 by Limerick based couple Richard Gavin and Laura Sureda. Winner of best Newcomer restaurant in Limerick 2022. The Spitjack Limerick is located on the corner of Henry Street and Bedford Row The Spitjack serves only the finest local produce, expertly prepared and served in superb surroundings. The Spitjack takes it name from Rotisserie Cooking which is the back bone of the concept. Opened 7 days a week serving Breakfast, Brunch Lunch and Dinner from 9am to bedtime.

TIERNEY’S OFFICE AUTOMATION LTD

www.tierneys.ie

phone 065 6828 281

Twomeys Bakery is a fourth generation family bakery, nestled in the heart of West Limerick in the village of Dromcollogher. Established in 1901, we are one of Ireland’s oldest family bakeries. The Twomey name is synonymous with quality baking. Our team has a wealth of baking experience and craftsmanship, and we take immense pride in perfecting our product, ensuring that it is of the highest quality possible. A range of fresh Artisan Breads, Cakes & Tarts are produced and distributed nationwide on a daily basis from our purpose built facility in Dromcollogher.

UBER TECHNOLOGIES

www.uber.com

A leading workforce solutions provider in recruitment and employment. With expertise in various sectors, we connect skilled candidates to businesses through tailored solutions. Offering services from recruitment to workforce management, our experienced team ensures quality matches and streamlined processes. We’re more than a recruitment agency – we’re a strategic partner empowering businesses and talent for success in a dynamic landscape. Join us in creating a brighter future were potential meets opportunity.

Established in 1993, Tierney’s are regarded as a leading independent IT solution provider within the Hospitality and SME sector across Ireland and the UK. Tierney’s provide a trusted and reputable range of IT Solutions, Support and Consultancy Services to the International Hotel, Restaurant and Leisure Industry across the UK and Ireland. Our commitment within the Hospitality Sector brings cutting edge solutions to our customers from leading partners around the globe enabling our clients to gain the maximum from their IT investment helping them achieve their specific needs.

Uber seamlessly unites riders and drivers through its user-friendly app, and has redefined convenience in transportation, and reimagined the way the world moves. Not only does Uber provide an unmatched ride-hailing experience, but its reach extends to food delivery, freight logistics, eco-friendly solutions, and beyond, embodying a commitment to shaping cities of the future.

The Limerick Centre of Excellence, the first of its kind in EMEA, performs a vital support function for users across the region, delivering unparalleled experiences for all users of the application, both internally and externally.

UPMC SPORTS MEDICINE CLINIC

www.upmc.ie/servcies/sportsmedicine

phone 061 531312

solutions. Headquartered in Limerick city, our company is owned and managed by a team of three college friends. We deliver exceptional website design, web applications, and streamlined automated software solutions primarily to SME’s across Ireland.

to excel in today’s competitive landscape. Whether you’re aiming to master the art of persuasive communication, captivate audiences through impactful presentations, or drive sales to new heights, Your Success Coach offers tailored programs designed to meet your specific needs.

UPMC is a renowned international healthcare provider. Delivering highquality healthcare in Ireland since 2006, our four hospitals include UPMC Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin, UPMC Aut Even Hospital in Kilkenny, UPMC Whitfield Hospital in Waterford, and UPMC Kildare Hospital in Clane. Additional locations include UPMC Hillman Cancer Centres in Waterford and Cork and an outpatient facility in Carlow. UPMC Sports Medicine Clinics are located in Waterford, Limerick, Tipperary, and Mayo.

For decades, UPMC Sports Medicine has been treating people from around the globe, helping to speed up recovery and restore function.

Our UPMC Sports Medicine Clinic in Limerick, which employs all local people, now offers the latest equipment and treatments for people of all ages and abilities, from athletes to active retirees. We have a team of highly skilled sports medicine experts who offer medical treatments, surgery to repair sports injuries, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. The clinic also offers group classes for Osteoarthritis and Falls Prevention.

WEBDEVBUILDERS LTD

www.webdevbuilders.ie phone 061 513039

At WebDevBuilders Ltd, we take immense pride in our work, offering affordable services without compromising on quality. Our primary objective is to provide each client with a comprehensive package, encompassing cutting-edge website design, tailored software solutions, and unrivaled ongoing customer support.

Despite our rapid growth, we remain committed to treating each client with the utmost care and consideration, fostering a family-like relationship. Our uninterrupted and meticulous services are accompanied by an abundance of knowledge, ensuring the creation of exciting. responsive and user-friendly websites, web applications, and automated lean software solutions. Whether you are seeking a website, an app, or custom software automation, we warmly welcome the opportunity to engage in a discussion about what we can do for you.

YOUR SUCCESS COACH

www.yoursuccesscoach.ie phone 061 574341 / 086 395 9146

Your Success Coach

Engage - Insight - Impact

Your Success Coach is a training firm located in Limerick dedicated to unlocking your potential for professional growth. Specialising in communication skills, presentation skills, and sales skills training, we are your trusted partner on the journey to achieving excellence in both personal and business spheres.

Our comprehensive training sessions blend practical insights with hands-on exercises, fostering skill development that translates into real-world success. Elevate your professional prowess and navigate challenges with confidence, guided by the guidance of Your Success Coach. Your success is our mission.

Join us today and embark on a transformative journey toward achieving your goals. Discover the power of effective communication, compelling presentations, and unparalleled sales techniques with Your Success Coach.

WebDevBuilders Ltd is a distinguished and acclaimed company specialising in website design and development, as well as automated custom software

Our expert coaches are committed to equipping individuals and businesses with the tools and techniques necessary

ADVERTISING & MEDIA

Alphaset 061 314227

www.alphaset.ie

Bridge PR Public Relations

061 375808

www.bridgepr.ie

Cube Printing Ltd

061 400658

www.cube.irish

Detail Factory

087 6858758

www.detailfactory.ie

Limerick Leader

061 214501

www.limerickleader.ie

Limerick Post

061 413322

www.limerickpost.ie

Southern Marketing Design Media

061 310286

www.southern.ie

GBM Limerick Ltd

061 317977

www.gbmlimerick.ie

Piquant Media

087 7809332

www.piquant.ie

Impact Labelling Systems Ltd

061 437990

www.impactlabelling.com

SEO Limerick

085 1178094

www.seolimerick.ie

AGRICULTURAL, FISHING & FORESTRY

Grassland Agro

087 2410606

www.grassland.ie

Samco Agricultural Manufacturing

061 396176

www.samco.ie

Veon Ltd

087 9000000

www.veon.ie

ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Dance Limerick 061 400994

www.dancelimerick.ie

Irish Chamber Orchestra 061 202620

www.irishchamberorchestra.com

Lime Tree Theatre 061 953400

www.limetreetheatre.ie

Live95 061 461900

www.live95.ie

The Hunt Museum 061 312833

www.huntmuseum.com

University Concert Hall 061 213311

www.uch.ie

William Bird Sales Ltd 061 419988

www.funderland.com

COMMUNITY & CIVIC ORGANISATIONS

Limerick City Community Radio 085 7867412

www.lccr.ie

AUTOMOTIVE & MARINE

Audi Limerick 061 336000

www.audilimerick.ie

Brian Geary Toyota

061 225225

www.briangeary.ie

Dennehy Motors Ltd. 061 442444

www.denehymotors.ie

Lyons of Limerick 061 413344

www.lyonsoflimerick.com

BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Antaris Consulting 061 953100

www.antarisconsulting.com

Arup Consulting Engineers 061 212100

www.arup.com

Atlantic Projects Company 01 2301843

www.atlanticprojects.com

BCM Consulting Engineers Ltd 061 518417

www.bcmgroup.ie

Boyden Ireland Limited 01 9120634

www.boyden.com

BS & B Safety Systems 061 227022

www.bsb.ie

Career Decisions Ireland 061 400664

wwwcareerdecisions.ie

Careerwise Recruitment

061 364990

www.careerwise.ie

Careline Moving and Storage 061 326070

www.careline.ie

Carelon Global Solutions Ireland Ltd. 087 2836499

www.legato.com

Cleaning Plus 061 574 341

www.cleaningplus.ie

Clohessy Minihane Solicitors LLP 061 461000

www.cmlegal.ie

CPL 061 221701

www.cpl.ie

CREGG Recruitment

061 363318

www.creggrecruitment.ie

CuddyQS

061 574177

www.cuddyqs.ie

Data Storage & Management Ltd.

061 332206

www.dsm.ie

DHL Global Forwarding

www.dhl.com

Dundon Callanan Solicitors 061 411022

www.dundoncallanan.ie

Dutec Ltd T/A Just Print 061 498031

www.justprint.ie

Edward Cotter Partnership (Limerick) Ltd

061 313340 www.ecp.ie

Elite Talent Hub Ltd. www.elitetalenthub.ie

EML Architects Ltd. 061 312249

www.eml.ie

Exertis Supply Chain Services

061 226600

www.exertissupplychain.com

ExperiQ

061 957290

www.experiq.ie

Fergusons Hearing Aid Clinic

061 313633

www.ferghac.ie

Foynes Engineering Ltd 069 65509

www.foynesengineering.ie

GGL Security

061 319077

www.gglsecurity.com

Go Fresh Cleaning Ltd.

T/a GF Cleaners

087 2297341

www.gfcleaners.ie

Griffin’s Funeral Home 061 415000

www.griffinfunerals.com

Harmonics 061 336136

www.harmonics.ie

Healy & Partners Architects Ltd. 061 410966

www.healypartners.com

Hilt

061 315760 www.wearehilt.com

Holmes O’Malley Sexton LLP 061 313222

www.holmeslaw.ie

How Might We Design 087 1469631

www.howmightwe.design

Illuminati Enterprises 083 1185050 http://www.isc-cx.com

Ingenium 061 385841

www.ingeniumtc.com

Integrum Ltd 087 9120109

www.integrum.ie

Irish Management Institute 01 2078426

www.imi.ie

Kirkland Investments Ltd. 061 596330 wwww.kirklandinvestments.com

L12 Training Solutions 087 2077017

www.L12trainingsolutions.ie

Laurence Garric 086 8240959

Leahy & Partners 061 315700

www.leahyandpartners.com

Limerick Market Trustees 061 214782

www.milkmarketlimerick.ie

Linesight

061 493515

www.linesight.com

Lyons of Limerick 061 413344

www.lyonsoflimerick.com

Malachy Walsh & Partners 061 480164

www.mwp.ie

Melior Management 061 311700

www.melior.ie

Melvyn Hanley Solicitors 061 400533

www.melvinhanly.com

MHP Sellors LLP 061 414355

www.sellors.ie

Mid-West Food Safety Co LTD 061 340943

www.midwestfoodsafety.ie

Morgan McKinley 061 430940

www.morganmckinley.ie

Morning Star Photography 061 450709

www.morningstar.ie

Murphy Dental Care 061 312300

www.murphydentalcare.ie

O’Gorman Solicitors 061 418214

www.ogorman.ie

O’Loughlin Project Engineers Ltd. 061 310673

www.olpe.ie

Praxis Architecture 061 314848

www.praxis-architecture.com

PUNCH Consulting Engineers 061 221200

www.punchconsulting.com

Q3 Security Systems 061 353533 / 01 5394433

www.q3.ie

QPTech IT Recruitment 061 209510

www.qptech.ie

Quinn Architects

061 312100

www.quinnarchitects.ie

Resonation

086 2510154

www.resonation.ie

Ryan Hanley

01 2973030/ 091 587116

www.ryanhanley.ie

Sales Dynamics

01 8220523

www.insthinktive.com

Saros Consulting

01 6533171

www.sarosconsulting.com

Shamrock Consulting

061 633633

www.shamrockconsulting.com

Sound to Light

061 577300

www.soundtolight.ie

Staffline Ireland

061 531315

www.staffline.ie

Sweeney McGann Solicitors

061 317533

www.sweenymgcann.com

Synergy Security Solutions

061 425200

www.synergy365.ie

Takumi Precision Engineering 061 308626

www.takumiprecision.com

TaxAssist Accountants

Adare & Newcastle West 061 310429

www.taxassist.ie/adare

The Pudding

01 5397939

www.thepudding.co

Turas Nua Limerick

061 314594

www.turasnua.ie

UBER Ireland Centre of Excellence

Limited

www.uber.com

UPMC Sport Medicine Clinic

061 531312

www.upmc.ie/services/sports-medicine

Your Success Coach

061 574341

www.yoursuccesscoach.ie

COMMUNITY & CIVIC ORGANISATIONS

Bedford Row Family Project

061 315332

www.bedfordrow.ie

Bóthar 087 4574164

www.bothar.ie

Cancer Fund for Children

+ 353 (0) 44 28 9080 5599

www.cancerfundforchildren.com

Cliona’s Foundation

061 331333

www.clionas.ie

Focus Ireland Ltd.

061 405300

www.focusireland.ie

Helium Arts

+ 353 (0) 44 93 96 960 www.helium.ie

JumpAGrade

061 513048

www.jumpagrade.co

Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP)

086 8393397

www.ledp.ie

Limerick Youth Service

061 412444

www.limerickyouthservice.com

Mid-West Simon Community

061 608980

www.midwestsimon.ie

Network Ireland Limerick 085 1601783

www.networkireland.ie

Paul Partnership/Limerick LES

061 412999

www.paulpartnership.ie

Peter McVerry Trust

01 8230776

www.pmvtrust.ie

Rape Crisis Mid-West

1800 311511

www.rapecrisis.ie

Rehabcare part of the Rebab Group

086 8359699

www.rehab.ie/rehabcare

Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau

087 6616630

www.conferenceandsportsbureau.com

Society of St Vincent de Paul 061 317327

www.svp.ie

Tait House Community Enterprise CLG 061 415340

www.taithouse.ie

The Saoirse Foundation

083 0044444

www.thesaoirsefoundation.com

COMPUTERS & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

4site 061 3066688

www.4sitenetworks.com

ActionPoint

061 337632

www.actionpoint.ie

AMCS Group 061 390600

www.amcsgroup.com

Arista Networks Ltd. 061 369542

www.arista.com

Aspira 021 2352550

www.aspira.ie

Avvio 061 335680

www.avvio.com

Casa Communications Ltd. 061 633000

www.casa-systems.com

Cashbook Software

061 338400

www.cashbook.com

Cloudcards Ltd.

061 748767

www.cloudcards.ie

Elive Ltd.

061 305038

www.elive.net

Enet 061 274000

www.enet.ie

Extreme Networks

061 705500

www.extremenetworks.com

FileCloud Technologies Ltd.

086 3242890

www.filecloud.com

First ComplianceThe Data Protection Experts

087 7787606

www.first-compliance.com

Hybrid Technology Partners

061 211444

www.hybridtp.ie

IT Systems

061 375140

www.itsystems.ie

Limerick Clinic

091 785590

www.limerickclinic.com

Kemp Technologies Ltd. +1 631-345-5292

www.kemptechnologies.com

Kneat Solutions Ltd.

061 203826

www.kneat.com

Numata Business IT

061 548017

www.numata.co

Siemens Industry Software Ltd.

061 256200

www.mentor.com

Three Ireland (Hutchinson) Ltd.

083 3333333

www.three.ie

Tierney’s Office Automation Ltd.

065 6828281

www.tierneys.ie

VBOX Ltd.

087 6574840

www.vbox.ie

Virgin Media 061 272174

www.virginmedia.ie

WebDevBuilders Ltd.

061 513039

www.webdevbuilders.ie

WP Engine

www.wpengine.com

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT & CONTRACTORS

Conack Construction

061 310002

www.conack.ie

Kirby Group Engineering 061 226060

www.kirbygroup.com

Michael Long Construction Ltd. T/A MLC Builders 061 512117

www.mlcbuilders.ie

Paddy Hoare Building & Civil Engineering Contractors

061 334130

The Galtee Group

062 46898

www.thegalteegroup.ie

McHale Plant Sales Ltd. 061 379112

www.mchaleplantsales.com

LRK Flooring Ltd. 061 215961

www.lrkflooring.ie

Gracon Equipment Inspection & Safety

087 795 6234

www.gracon.ie

Platt Reilly 447565000000

www.plattreilly.co.uk

Shannon Coiled Springs 061 311666

www.shannoncoiledsprings.ie

FINANCE & INSURANCE

AIB Bank 061 414388

www.aib.ie

Amesto Global 061 574250

www.amesto.global

Bank of Ireland 076 6241632

www.bankofireland.com

BDO 061 414455

www.bdo.ie

C&M Financial Services 061 311266

www.premiumclaims.ie

Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland 061 436500

www.cantorfitzgerald.ie

Decare Dental Insurance Ireland 094 9378608

www.decare.ie/corporate

Deloitte 061 435500

www.deloitte.ie

Eden Capital 061 546060

www.edencapital.ie

EY 061 319988

www.ey.com/en_ie

FBD Insurance 061 491400

www.fbd.ie

FDC Accountants Tax Consultants (Western Region) Ltd. 069 62688

www.fdc.ie

First Choice Financial Services DAC

t/a Mortgage ABC 061 317260

www.fcfs.ie

First Citizen Finance DAC

087 2580851 / 01 8846700

www.firstcitizen.ie

Fiserv Solutions Europe Ltd.

067 53103

www.fiserv.com

Fitzpatrick Donnellan Ltd. 061 310277

www.fitzpatrickdonnellan.ie

Focus Capital Partners

061 214400

www.focuscapitalpartners.ie

Frost Insurances Ltd. 061 310566

www.frostinsurances.ie

FundRock Management Company S.A. (Ireland Branch)

061 502363

www.fundrock.com

Glass Lewis Europe Ltd.

061 292801

www.glasslewis.com

Goodbody Stockbrokers

021 4279266

www.goodbody.ie

Grant Thornton

061 312744

www.grantthornton.ie

Grid Finance

01 6853004

www.gridfinance.ie

Honan Financial Services Ltd. 087 1277155

www.honanfs.com

Hourigan Rowsome Ltd.

061 401111

www.houriganrowsome.ie

IQEQ 061 714007

www.iqeq.com

Keogh Somers

061 318500

www.keoghryantierney.ie

LAYA Healthcare

021 2022807

www.layahealthcare.ie

Limerick & District Credit Union Limited

061 455831

www.mylimerickcu.ie

Marsh Ireland Ltd. 021 4907400

www.marsh.com/ie

McKeogh Gallagher Ryan 061 208050

www.mgraccountants.ie

Metis Ireland Financial Planning Limited

061 518365

www.metisireland.ie

Moore

061 229666

www.mspatrickmcnamara.ie

Northern Trust (Ireland) Ltd 15422696

www.northerntrust.com

Permanent TSB.

061 318922

www.tsb.ie

Power Insurances

061 226722

www.powerinsurances.ie

PPS Financial Planning

061 484425

www.ppsfinancial.ie

PricewaterhouseCoopers

061 212300

www.pwc.ie

Sarsfield Credit Union Ltd. 061 317910

www.sarsfieldcu.ie

Sullivan Insurances

061 313255

www.sullivaninsurances.ie

Thomond Company Secretarial Limited T/a Moloney O’Neill 061 316468

www.moloneyoneill.ie

Unio Wealth Management

083 0565107

www.unio.ie

VHI Healthcare

www.vhi.ie

GOVERNMENT, EDUCATION & INDIVIDUALS

BTiS 061 233625

http://www.btis.ie

Confirm CentreSmart Manufacturing 061 234395

www.confirm.ie

Further Education & Training Centre 061 442100

www.lcetb.ie

Glenstal Abbey 061 621019

www.glenstal.com

Griffith College Limerick 061 310031

www.griffith.ie/locations/limerick

IDA Ireland

01 603 4000

www.ida.ie

Limerick City & County Council 061 557202

www.limerickcity.ie

Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC

061 517432

www.limerick2030.ie

Local Enterprise Office 061 557499

www.localenterprise.ie/limerick

Mary Immaculate College 061 204994

www.mic.ul.ie

National Learning Network 061 229777

www.nln.ie

NED College . 061 468571

www.ned.ie

Optima Training and Consulting Ltd. 061 514744

www.optimatraining.ie

Rightword Language Institute

087 6084454

www.rightwordinstitute.com

St. Gabriel’s Foundation

061 302733

www.stgabriels.ie

The Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Mid-West

061 293233

www.hartnettcentre.ie

UL Student Life

www.ulstudentlife.ie

Villiers School

061 451447

www.villiers-school.com

Bernal Enterprise Services

087 4146431

www.bernalinstitute.com

HEALTH CARE

3Dental Limerick

061 414673

www.3dental.ie/limerick/

Bons Secours

061 490530

www.bonsecours.ie/limerick

Eli Lilly

021 4702220

www.lilly.com

Employment Health Advisors

061 303975

www.ehalimerick.ie

Home Instead Senior Care

061 462070

www.homeinstead.ie

Irish Blood Transfusion Service

061 306980

www.giveblood.ie

Limerick Clinic

091 785590

www.limerickclinic.com

Medcode Health Care Services

061 596355

www.medcode.ie

Medmark Occupational Healthcare

061 444888

www.medmark.ie

Mid-West Physiotherapy

061 201444

www.midwestphysio.ie

Milford Care Centre

061 485860

www.milfordcarecentre.ie

UL Hospitals Group

061 482598

www.ulh.ie

LODGING & TRAVEL

Absolute Hotel Limerick 061 463600

www.absolutehotel.com

Adare Manor

061 605200

www.adaremanor.com

Castletroy Park Hotel

061 335566

www.castletroypark.ie

Clayton Hotel Limerick 061 444100

www.claytonhotellimerick.com

Discover Limerick DAC 061 556478

www.kingjohncastle.ie

Dromoland Castle

061 368144

www.dromoland.ie

Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel & Spa

061 605100

www.woodlands-hotel.ie

Great National South Court Hotel & Off The Bone Gastropub 061 487487

www.southcourthotel.com

Limerick Strand Hotel

061 421800

www.strandhotellimerick.ie

Limerick Travel

061 204444

www.limericktravel.ie

www.letsgotravel.ie

No 1 Pery Square Hotel and Spa 061 402402

www.oneperysquare.com

Plassey Campus Centre UL

061 202360

www.campuslife.ul.ie

The Bedford Townhouse & Cafe 061 204400

www.thebedford.ie

The George Boutique Hotel

061 460400

www.georgelimerick.com

The Maldron Hotel Limerick 061 436100

www.maldronhotellimerick.com

The Savoy Hotel 085 1656579

www.savoylimerick.com

MANUFACTURING, PRODUCTION & WHOLESALE

Adhesives Research Ireland Ltd. 061 300300

www.adhesivesresearch.com

Analog Devices International UC 061 229011

www.analog.com

Baker Hughes 061 470200

www.ge.com

BD Research Centre Ireland

061 538619

www. emea.jobs.bd.com/limerick-ireland

Bespoke Sauce Company

t/a Global Sauces

061 306700

www.globalsauces.ie

Chemifloc Ltd

061 708699

www. chemifloc.com

Cook Medical

061 334440

www.cookmedical.eu

Croom Medical 061 397744

www.croomprecision.com

Dell Technologies 061 304091

www.dell.ie

DesignPro Automation

069 63842

www.designproautomation.com

Edwards Lifesciences

www.edwards.com

Electrical Rewind Services

061 417070

www.electricalrewinds.ie

Fleming Medical Ltd.

061 304600

www.flemmingmedical.ie

HL Commodity Foods Ltd.

061 383801

www.hlcf.ie

Irish Cement Ltd.

061 487200

www.irishcement.ie

Irish Wire Products Ltd.

061 221100

www.irishwire.com

JJ O’Toole Ltd.

061 229333 www.jjotoole.ie

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care 061 203203

www.janssen.com

Key Ingredients

061 358977

www.keyingredients.ie

Maidenform Hanes Brand Ltd

061 474435

www.maidenform.com

McMahons Builders Providers

061 484030

www.mcmahons.ie

Musgrave MarketPlace

061 444700

www.musgravemarketplace.ie

New Vistas Healthcare Ltd

061 334455

www.newvistashealthcare.com

Novostrat Ltd.

061 339287

www.novostrat.com

ON Semiconductor

061 583000

www.onsemi.com

Optel Group

085 8086660

www.optelgroup.com

PBC Biomed

061 704740

www.pbcbiomed.ie

Provincial Floorcoverings Ltd.

061 227100

www.pfl.ie

Qualpack Ltd.

087 1702517

www.qualpack.net

Richardsons Foods

061 294552

www.richardsons.ie

RUSAL Aughinish 061 604301

www. rusal.ru/en/development/social_in

Serosep Limited

061 358190

www.serosep.com

SL Controls Limited

071 9134040 www.slcontrols.com

Spectrum Instruments

061 333322

www.ntmdt-fi.com

Stryker Howmedica International

061 498 200 www.stryker.com

TECHNOPATH Distribution Ltd.

061 335844 www.techno-path.com

Teleflex

061 331906

www.teleflex.com

The Sailor’s Home Company Ltd.

086 8123515

www.sailorshomeirishwhiskey.com

VPK Packaging Ltd.

061 402500

www.rigid.ie

Wuerth Ireland Ltd.

061 430200

www.wurth.ie

PUBLIC UTILITIES & ENVIRONMENT

Clean Ireland Recycling

www.cleanireland.ie

DGD Shredding Services

061 491333

www.dgdshredding.ie

ECOS Environmental Consultants Limited

061 633644

www.ecos.ie

Gas Networks Ireland 021 4534000

www.gasnetworks.ie

Greensource Ltd. 061 953600

www.greensource.ie

Limerick Metal Recycling Company 061 418153

www.oranmetalgroup.com

Limerick Polymer Production 061 523333

www.lpp.ie

Mr Binman 061 351127

www.mrbinman.com

Rentokil 061 412588

www.rentokil.ie

Simply Blue Group

www,simplybluegroup.com

VIOTAS 061 970015

www.viotas.com

REAL ESTATE, MOVING & STORAGE

Arthurs Quay Management Services 061 412462

www.arthursquay.ie

Cushman & Wakefield 061 418111

www.cushmanandwakfeild.ie

Gray Offices 091 511400

www.grayoffices.ie

GVM Auctioneering 061 413522

www.gvm.ie

Helen McCormac Estate Agents 061 446066

www.mcea.ie

Confirm Centre-Smart Manufacturing

061 234395

www.confirm.ie

O’Dwyer Safety Services Ltd.

061 422207

www.ossltd.ie

Villiers School

061 451447

www.villiers-school.com

Mid-West Food Safety Co. Ltd.

061 340943

www. midwestfoodsafety.ie

TRANSPORT / LOGISTICS / DISTRIBUTION SERVICES

AerCap Ireland Ltd.

061 723600

www.aercap.com

Argosea Services Ltd.

061 413833

www.argosea.ie

ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink Ltd.

T/A Citylink

091 564164

www.citylink.ie

Doyle Shipping Group

061 303750

www.dsg.ie

Eastway Global Forwarding Ltd.

061 500700

www.eastway.ie

Iarnrod Eireann

061 217308

www.irishrail.ie

Irish Express Cargo Ltd

T/A Flextronics

061 480777

http://http.logistics.flextronics.com

Jenkinson Logistics

061 261600

www.jenkinson.ie

Leatrans Ltd.

061 304330

www.leatrans.com

Martin Ryan Haulage

061 381231

www.martinryanhaulage.ie

Park Magic 061 311422

www.parkmagic.net

Shannon Foynes Port Company

069 73100

www.SFPC.ie

Shannon Group

061 712000

www.shannongroup.ie

STL Logistics

061 200250

www.stllogistics.ie

Corporate Coaches

087 2584811

www.corporate-coaches.ie

Bus Eireann

01 8366111

www.buseireann.ie

Fusion Logistics Ltd.

087 2583964

www.fusionlogistics.ie

VOLUNTARY / CHARITY Barnardos

The Saoirse Foundation

083 004 4444

www.thesaoirsefoundation.com

Cliona’s Foundation

061 331333

www.clionas.ie

Focus Ireland Ltd.

061 405300

www.focusireland.ie

Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP)

086 839 3397

www.ledp.ie

Limerick Youth Service 061 412444

www.limerickyouthservice.com

Mid-West Simon Community 061 608980

www.midwestsimon.ie

Network Ireland Limerick

085 160 1783

www.networkireland.ie

Novas 061 370325

www.novas.ie

Paul Partnership/Limerick LES 061 412999

www.paulpartnership.ie

Peter McVerry Trust 01 8230776

www.pmvtrust.ie

Rape Crisis Mid-West 1800 311511

www.rapecrisis.ie

Society of St. Vincent de Paul 061 317327

www.svp.ie

Tait House Community Enterprise CLG 061 415340

www.taithouse.ie

The Hope Foundation 021 4292990

Bóthar 087 4574164

www.bothar.ie

Saint Mary’s Cathedral 061 310293

www.saintmaryscathedral.ie

Bedford Row Family Project 061 315332

www.bedfordrow.ie

Helium Arts + 353 (0) 44 93 96 960

www.helium.ie

Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau 087 6616630

WASTE MANAGEMENT / RECYCLING

Clean Ireland Recycling

www.cleanireland.ie (189) 0361800

DGD Shredding Services 061 491333

www.dgdshredding.ie

Majulah ICAV

+65 6435 0277

www.finegrainproperty.com

Property Management Ireland (PMI)

061 451522

www.propertymanagementireland.ie

Regus 086 7969520

www.regus.ie

Rooney Auctioneers (Limerick) Ltd. 061 413511

www.rooneys.eu

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Inis Offshore Wind

www.inisoffshorewind.ie

New Fortress Energy 068 53427

www.newfortressenergy.com

SSE Renewables

www.sserenewables.com

RESTAURANTS, FOOD & BEVERAGES

Bobby Byrnes

061 316949

www.bobbybyrnes.ie

Market Ally Bars Ltd.

T/A The Old Quarter 086 8818166

www.theoldquarter.ie

Sodalicious

061 595156

www.sodalicious.ie

Habit Coffee & Retail 083 3139458

www.habitcoffeeretail.ie

Kenry House Enterprises Ltd.

t/a Neville’s Bar

061 395985

www.nevillesbar.ie

Bentleys Limited Partnership (101 Bar)

061 597164

www.101limerick.com

The SpitJack Ltd.

061 781996

www.thespitjack.com

La Patisserie / The French Table 061 609274

www.frenchtable.ie

George Casey t/a GC Catering

www.georgecaseycatering.com

Twomey’s Bakery Ltd.

063 83084

www.twomeysbakery.com

Our Daily Bread

061 203826

www.ourdailybread.irish

SHOPPING & SPECIALITY RETAIL

Ashbrook Pharmacy Ltd.

t/a Scanlons Pharmacy 061 454000

www.scanlonspharmacy.com

Brown Thomas 061 417222

www.brownthomas.com

CompuB 061 440 022

www.compub.com

Condell The Office Centre 061 414806

www.theofficecentre.com

Gleeson Spar Supermarket

061 310913

Keanes Jewellers

021 4271256

www.keanes.ie

Lidl Ireland GmbH

087 9165882

www.lidl.ie

Lock Doctor Ltd.

061 305664

www.lockdoctor.ie/locksmiths-in-limerick/

M2 Office Supplies

061 303666

www.m2.ie

Matthew Stephens Jewellers Ltd. 061 415583

www.matthewstephens.ie

O’Briens Wine Off Licence

061 422559

www.obrienswine.i

O’Mahonys Booksellers Ltd.

061 418155

www.omahonys.ie

Ryans Centra

061 313396

www.centra.ie/locate/munster/limerick/ oconnell-st.-limerick

Tadhg Kearney Jewellers

061 413034

Tesco Ireland

087 1332526

www.tescoireland.ie

Tony Connolly Menswear

061 410324

www.connollyman.com

Widdess Fitzgibbon Pharmacy

061 414061

www.widdessfitzgibbonpharmacy.ie

SPORTS & RECREATION

Evolution Cycles

061 513063

www.evolutioncycles.ie

Flexitime

089 6170400

www.flexitime.ie

Greyhound Racing Ireland

061 448000

www.grireland.ie

International Rugby Experience

061 544800

www.internationalrugbyexperience.com

Thomond Park Stadium Company Ltd. 061 421100

www.thomondpark.ie

UL Sport

061 213555

www.ulsport.ie

TRANSPORTATION

AerCap Ireland Ltd.

061 723600

www.aercap.com

Argosea Services Ltd.

061 413833

www.argosea.ie

Bus Eireann

01 8366111

www.buseireann.ie

Celtic Tugs

021 5004205

www.mainport.ie

ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink Ltd.

T/A Citylink 091 564164

www.citylink.ie

Corporate Coaches 087 2584811

www.corporate-coaches.ie

Doyle Shipping Group 061 303750

www.dsg.ie

Eastway Global Forwarding Ltd. 061 500700

www.eastway.ie

Fusion Logistics Ltd. 087 2583964

www.fusionlogistics.ie

Iarnrod Eireann

061 217308

www.irishrail.ie

Irish Express Cargo Ltd

T/A Flextronics

061 480777

https://flex.com/

Jenkinson Logistics 061 261600

www.jenkinson.ie

Leatrans Ltd. 061 304330

www.leatrans.com

Martin Ryan Haulage 061 381231

www.martinryanhaulage.ie

Benefits of Being a Limerick Chamber Member

✔ Keep up to date with regional business community news through Fortnightly Chamber e-newsletter to 1,700 in-company contacts.

✔ Complimentary copies of membership magazine Limerick Chamber Connect.

✔ Supporting you with your workforce planning - avail of 20% funding for eligible training for your team via Limerick Chamber Skillnet.

✔ Join Limerick Chamber Gift Card scheme to promote your consumer facing business or reward your team.

✔ Get involved and have your views/ concerns included in factors impacting on Mid-West business, represented through lobbying at Local, National and European level.

✔ Boost your organisations profile through our many marketing opportunities.

✔ Avail of our exclusive Online Member’s area Business Directory, where you can post offers, jobs and events.

✔ Grow your network by attending our many organised business events/briefings.

Park Magic 061 311422

www.parkmagic.net

Shannon Airport Transfers 061 484911

www.shannonairporttransfers.eu

Shannon Foynes Port Company 069 73100

www.SFPC.ie

Shannon Group 061 712000

www.shannongroup.ie

STL Logistics 061 200250

www.stllogistics.ie

✔ Get exposure in our Members Magazine through a free feature in new members section & Members Directory and avail of our competitive rates in advert/editorial space.

✔ Complimentary access to CPD accredited events (avg 6 hours per annum).

✔ Free entry to the annual Regional Business Awards.

✔ Support the mission and work of Limerick Chamber to foster the best possible business environment for businesses trading in the Mid-West.

Dermot Graham Membership Executive

OUR CHARITY MEMBERS

CLIONA’S FOUNDATION

professional artists, volunteers and onsite medical care.

Our mission is to improve these children’s wellbeing and creativity by supporting them to make new friends, grow in confidence and have fun!

Impact Survey in 2022:

• 93% of parents indicated that attending Helium Arts workshops had improved their child’s physical health and wellbeing.

• 100% of medical professionals reported that the healthcare experience for children attending appointments and their parents had been positively impacted by the presence of Helium Arts in the waiting rooms.

LEDP

DONATE:

https://clionas.ie/donate/

ENVELOPE info@clionas.ie phone 061 331333

Cliona’s provides financial assistance directly to parents of children with life-limiting or chronic complex care needs across Ireland to help with the non-medical expenses related to caring for their child. They believe that no family should have to face any added financial stress, when already struggling with the devastation and trauma of a seriously ill child and have supported 1,305 families over the past 15 years.

HELIUM ARTS

JUMPAGRADE

www.ledp.ie

ENVELOPE info@ledp.ie

Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) is an organisation synonymous with Limerick’s transformation over the past 20 years. A unique model: a commercial property which uses its funds to invest in impactful community projects, it is multistakeholder local partnership, which provides a critical mass of economic activity and community-based services to support inclusivity on top of its direct financial investment in community projects.

MID-WEST SIMON COMMUNITY

VISIT:

www.jumpagrade.com

ENVELOPE clodaghryan@jumpagrade.com

DONATE:

https://helium.ie/help/donate/ Helium Arts is an Irish charity offering FREE, specially designed art workshops for children and young people living with lifelong health conditions - supported by

jumpAgrade is a not for profit organization based in the University of Limerick supporting second level students from underrepresented backgrounds to fulfil their potential and reach their own unique progression goals. Using our own purpose-built platform, jumpAgrade combines digital innovation with research-based frameworks to support our students through a connection with a jumpAgrade Teacher Mentor. Our mission is to reduce education inequality in Ireland. We plan to support 100 students from under-represented communities across Limerick and the Mid-West for the coming academic year.

DONATE: www.mwsimon.ie

Mid-West Simon Community Unit 4 Walnut House, Turnpike Road, Ennis, Co. Clare V95 EE68

CONTACT:

ENVELOPE info@mwsimon.ie

phone 061 608980

Mid-West Simon Community is the largest homeless services provider in the Mid-West Region (Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary).

We support individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or experiencing housing difficulties. We offer 6 emergency accommodation locations, 3 transitional housing locations, 78 permanent housing units with tenancy sustainment and support, and monthly foodbanks for people experiencing food poverty.

In 2022 we supported 790 individual people in Emergency and Transitional accommodation and 6,821 were supported by the foodbank.

NOVAS

REHABCARE

If you are interested in supporting St. Gabriel’s we have a number of ways you can get involved:

• Corporate giving (You could sponsor a vital piece of equipment or help us increase our services).

• Event Sponsorship (You can take a table at our Ladies Lunch, a team at our Golf Classic, do an Abseil, run a Coffee Morning, run or walk the Great Limerick Run or Cook Medical Mini Marathon)

DONATE:

https://www.novas.ie/donate/

CONTACT:

Jackie Leonard, Head of Fundraising

ENVELOPE Jackie.leonard@novas.ie phone 061 370325

NOVAS is a voluntary organisation and Approved Housing Body working with families and single adults who are disadvantaged and socially excluded; primarily those who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. NOVAS meets the needs of some of the most vulnerable people through the pillars of housing, health and recovery. We provide a range of services and accommodation for marginalised households throughout Ireland with more than 30 services primarily in the Mid-West region. We offer bespoke, client-centred services and last year provided support and services to almost 6,000 people. We recognise the complex issues that cause homelessness and endeavour to offer holistic, long-term solutions. We believe everyone is entitled to a home.

DONATE:

www.rehab.ie/donate phone 01 2057200

RehabCare is a trusted, high-quality and consistent service provider. Across all RehabCare services, an individualised approach is taken to ensure that each person has a support service that meets their needs whilst enabling them to progress on their journey, develop and become more independent over time. We are committed to providing Day, residential and respite services for people with disabilities, adults and children, people with mental health difficulties and older people. Our services support people to maximise their independence, community presence and participation and live their chosen lives

ST. GABRIEL’S FOUNDATION

• Payroll Giving (For as little as €2 per week per employee you can help us to plan and support a specific project or piece of equipment)

• Volunteer Project (Help us transform a space for our children through painting or gardening)

• Offer our services to your staff – support our Hydrotherapy Pool and Orthotics Services and support your staff too to help with any back or foot pain they may have.

Find out more about the work we do on our website www.stgabriels.ie or email Kate kfinucane@stgabriels.ie to arrange a meeting to see all the ways we could work together.

www.stgabriels.ie

ENVELOPE kfinucane@stgabriels.ie

St. Gabriel’s Foundation’s whole ethos is to improve the lives of children living with disabilities in the Mid-West, helping them to reach their full potential and supporting their families through the dayto-day delivery of a range of specialist services and therapy interventions including clinical therapies, respite, education, hydrotherapy and orthotics.

20 Years of Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau Sees €150M Economic Impact for Shannon Region

The Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau marks its 20th anniversary this year with the announcement that it has attracted international conferences and events to the Shannon region worth €150 million for the local economy.

The bureau celebrated two decades of excellence in attracting prestigious conferences and events to the region by hosting a celebratory event for its many partners and ambassadors at the Strand Hotel, Limerick.

Reflecting on their remarkable journey, Karen Ronan, General Manager, Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau, stated, "We've overcome numerous challenges in the Mid-West region over the past two decades, and it is truly phenomenal to be celebrating our 20th anniversary. Our efforts have resulted in an economic impact of over 150 million euros for the wider Shannon region, including Limerick.

The Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau serves as a convention bureau while also encompassing a sports remit. Its primary objective is to attract international conferences, events, sport competitions, and high-end luxury incentive business to the region. This focus brings significant economic benefits for the hospitality industry and entire tourism infrastructure in the Shannon region with knock-on effects for the wider economy.

The bureau originally based within Limerick Chamber offices now works collaboratively with Failte Ireland, the County Councils in Clare, Limerick, Shannon Airport, and all the academic and tourism stakeholders in the region to attract events of substantial scale and impact.

"The success of this collaboration has created a win-win situation for our entire tourism infrastructure in the Shannon region," emphasised Karen Ronan.

Working in partnership with the University of Limerick Conference and Sports Campus in attracting international sports events and conferences has been hugely successful. This year alone, the Shannon Region will welcome the World Tag Rugby Championship, the World Youth Archery Championships and the European Ultimate Frisbee Championships and European Flag Football Championships. UL also recently hosted the IEEE Oceans Conference and the International Association for Cross Cultural Psychology highlighting the diversity of events hosted in the area.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Tony Brazil, Chairperson, Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, said “Since its inception, the team has worked with hundreds of ambassadors across sport, culture, business and academia. These ambassadors work tirelessly with us in the Bureau and Failte Ireland to bid for, and win, international events for the Shannon Region. Each conference or sporting delegate is worth €1,880 to the local economy so you can see quickly how valuable this segment of tourism is.”

Practical and Financial Supports available for International Conferences coming to Limerick!

The Bureau is always looking for conference or sporting ambassadors who can influence a conference or event to the region. So If you can, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to hear about the practical and financial supports available through Failte Ireland.

Our professional team of advisers offer their services impartially and free of any charges or commissions. We provide impartial guidance to ensure a memorable event that exceeds your expectations – all in a region that makes an excellent destination for meetings, conferences, exhibitions, incentive travel, elite athlete training and sporting events.

For more information about the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau and its initiatives, please visit https://www.conferenceandsportsbureau.com/

OUR STRATEGIC PARTNERS

Limerick Chamber would like to acknowledge the ongoing support provided by our Strategic Partners.

The Changing Landscape of Payroll in Ireland

The last number of years have seen a dramatic increase in the requirements and complexities of the payroll function. From the introduction of real time reporting under PAYE Modernisation in January 2019 to the emergency measures introduced by the government during the 2020 pandemic, the payroll function has had to be both agile and adaptable.

2022 saw the introduction of Gender Pay GAP reporting and Statutory Sick Pay came into effect in January of this year. The requirements of the payroll function will increase further in 2024 when we will see the introduction of Enhanced Reporting Obligations, which, although not strictly a payroll function, will likely fall within payroll’s remit. Pension Auto- Enrolment, a new retirement system for employees, will also come into effect in the second half of 2024.

Enhanced reporting obligations

Finance Act 2022 provides for the introduction of mandatory reporting by employers of certain payments made to employees and directors. Where you make one or more of the payments listed below, you must submit the details electronically through Revenue Online Services (ROS) on or before the payment date. This facility will be similar to that used currently for payroll reporting.

1. The remote working daily allowance of up to €3.20 per day,

2. The payment of travel and subsistence expenses

3. Small benefits covered by the small benefit exemption.

With the implementation date of January 1st fast approaching employers will need to consider the following

• Which, if any, of these benefits/expenses are currently provided to employees

• Are the organisations policies and practices in line with the legislation and applicable rules.

• How is this information currently collated and maintained

• The frequency of payments, the requirement for real time reporting will put an additional administrative burden on employers particularly where multiple expense runs are being completed each month

Pension auto-enrolment

Auto-enrolment is a new retirement savings system for employees that will be introduced in the second half of 2024.

People who do not have a pension scheme, earn more than €20,000 per year and are aged between 23 and 60 will be automatically enrolled into the new system. The employee, employer and the State will contribute – for every €3 that an employee puts in, the employer will also put in €3 and the State will top up by €1. This means that for every €3 contributed by the employee, €7 will be put into the employee’s account. An independent body, the Central Processing Authority, will be set up to administer the scheme and look after participants’ best interests.

What does auto-enrolment scheme mean for employers?

• all employees meeting the eligibility criteria, who do not already have a pension scheme will be enrolled

• you will need to ensure that your payroll can take instruction for enrolment, calculate and pay employee and employer contributions to the Central Processing Authority

• you will be required to match members’ contributions up to an eventual maximum of 6% subject to an earnings threshold of €80,000

• employer contributions will be deductible for corporation tax purposes

• if you fail to meet your auto-enrolment obligations as an employer, you will be subject to penalties and possibly to prosecution

Payroll is no longer a matter of paying employees; the increasing complexities require input from a number of stakeholders across the organisation and with 2024 only a matter of months away now is the time to review current processes to ensure that your business is both meeting the current reporting requirements and also that you are well placed for what’s coming down the track in 2024

For further information please contact:

Pamela Coonan Director Outsourced Payroll Services

ENVELOPE pcoonan@bdo.ie

phone 061- 414 455

BDO limerick is one of the largest accounting practices in the Mid- West and our Outsourced Payroll Department is run by a team of IPASS qualified Payroll Professionals who’s offering is further enhanced by out Tax Advisory and Accounting Services.

Energy on the Estuary:

Port Opportunities

Date: 14th September 2023

Time: 10.30am - 11.30am

Venue: Foynes Yacht Club

Upcoming Events 2023

Limerick Chamber Member

Mingle | October 2023

Date: 17th October 2023

Time: 11.30am - 1.00pm

Venue: Limerick Chamber

Navigating the Changing Sustainability Reporting Landscape

Date: 26th September 2023

Time: 10.30am – 12.45pm

Venue: Limerick Chamber

Navigating the Changing Sustainability Reporting Landscape

Date: 26th October 2023

Time: 10.30am - 12.45pm

Venue: Limerick Chamber

Should there be a specific area you feel should be added to the Limerick Chamber Events Calendar please contact:

Back row L-R: Noel Gavin Northern Trust, Pat Pigott AIB, Lisa Kileen Holmes LLP, Nandi O’Sullivan The Shannon Airport Group, Dee Ryan Limerick Chamber, Gemma Harte BDO, Leanne Storan EY, Graham Burns CPL, Rory Corbett Limerick City and County Council

Front row: Michael MacCurtain Limerick Chamber Skillnet, Gillian Barry TUS

L-R: Joe Cleary, Mr Binman, Main Sponsor, Peter Murray SFPC and Miriam O’Connor, President

L-R: Ciara O’Keefe, Ian Gardiner, Andy Hall and Aileen Lawlor, Northern Trust

Liam Woulfe, Medtronic

L-R: Joe Cleary Mr Binman, Maeve Kiely Laya Healthcare, Michael Mac Curtain Limerick Chamber Skillnet

L-R: Alan Higgins Ingenium, Lavinia Ryan VHI Healthcare, Leanne Storan EY, Nandi O’Sullivan The Shannon Airport Group

L-R: Caoimhe Moloney Limerick Chamber, Diarmuid Byrnes DHL, Declan McGiven AIB

L-R: Rory Farrell Permanent TSB, Martina Sheehan AIB, Shane Walsh Permanent TSB

L-R: Geraldine O’Carroll PWC, Dee Ryan Limerick Chamber, Mairead Connolly PWC, Joe Cleary Mr Binman

L-R: Aoife O Meara, and Pamela Carmody, Three Ireland

L-R: Graham Burns CPL, Gillian Barry TUS, Patrick O’Regan Stryker, Liam Woulfe Grassland Agro Gillian Horan, The Pudding

Premium Meeting & EVENT SPACE

40th EVA International Partner with Limerick Twenty Thirty and Gardens International

EVA International is set to have the perfect host for one of its showcase exhibitions this year, with a range of artworks to be staged at the iconic Limerick Twenty Thirty-owned Gardens International during the autumn event.

In addition to the exhibitions already planned for the Henry Street building, Limerick Twenty Thirty has now also stepped in to make additional space available there to house displays that were due to be hosted in the Sailors’ Home, which sadly was extensively damaged by a recent fire.

The Gardens International building – a multi-award winning architectural fusion of old and new Limerick – will be one of the key venues for the 2023 EVA International, Ireland’s largest visual arts event with a history of working in Limerick for over four decades.

LOCATION:

Visit the exhibition areas at Gardens International on Henry Street, Limerick, V94 4D83

DATES:

31 August – 29 October 2023

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As a leading center for commercial investment and employment opportunities, Limerick is now one of the fastest growing regions in Ireland. At EY we’re proud to work with many leading organisations in Limerick and the Mid-West region, supporting their innovation and growth objectives to deliver long term sustainable value.

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