11th March 2023
A seaweed business from Quilty is this year’s winner of the Clare Final of the National Enterprise Awards for 2023, Local Enterprise Office Clare has announced.
Wild Irish Seaweeds took the top prize of €3,000 and will now represent Local Enterprise Office Clare the 23rd National Enterprise Awards at the Round Room in Dublin on the 1st June.
This business produces seaweed products for the following industries: Food Ingredients, Cosmetic, Nutraceuticals, Retail, Food Service, Horticulture, and Agriculture. They have ranges of seaweed products for all these sectors exporting Organic Seaweed to 18 different countries.
Other winners at the Clare Final of the National Enterprise Awards held at the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis included :
McConnell Woollen Mills, Killaloe – Best Export Award
Palm Free Irish Soap, Tuamgraney – One to Watch Award
INDIGO, Shannon – Best Productivity Award
IFF Plastics, Cree – Best Sustainability/ Green Award
Evan Talty of Wild Irish Seaweeds will now be competing against 30 other finalists from every local authority area for a share of the €35,000 winners prize fund as national judging gets underway in May. Categories this year include ‘Best Export Business,’ ‘Best Start-Up’ and ‘Innovation,’ along with “One to Watch” and a “Sustainability / Green” award in addition to eight regional awards.
Previous national winners from Clare include Callan Technology, ABC Nutritional, McConnell Woollen Mills and Torpeys.
The Clare Final took place as part of a very successful Local Enterprise Week programme of events. There were over 300 physical events took place across the country, run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices from March 6th to 10th.
Speaking during Local Enterprise Week Padraic McElwee, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Clare said: “The National Enterprise Awards is about recognising and celebrating the achievements of small businesses. It also reflects the contribution these businesses make to their local communities by providing employment and the role they play in the economic vibrancy of our County. It was great to see such diversity and success among all our finalists and my congratulations to the winners. I wish our overall winner, Wild Irish Seaweed every success in the national finals later this year.”
Other local businesses were also shortlisted this year, and they were Wix & Wax Ireland, Welcome to the New World, Inagh Farmhouse Cheese, Great Visitor Experiences, Tensile Testing Services, Evolve Technologies, Alba Innovations, Hurst Botanicals & Clare Jam Co.
Among the special guests at the ceremony were Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr. Tony O’Brien. Cllr Tony O’Brien, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, said: “I wish to congratulate Wild Irish Seaweeds on winning the Clare Final and I wish them well as they go on to represent LEO Clare at the National Enterprise Awards in Dublin on 1st June. I would like to commend all the businesses who were category winners and all those who were shortlisted in the Clare Final. The range of businesses participating is a reflection of the vibrant business sector in County Clare and I would like to acknowledge the role of LEO Clare for the support that they provide.”
Members of the judging panel included Gillian Slattery of Enterprise Ireland, Damien Barrow of Curtin O’Friel & Co Accountants and Michelle Guthrie of LEO Clare.
Other high-profile events that took place during the week included the launch event, Navigating Recruitment & Retention for Employers, Supporting Small Business in the Digital World & Women in Business Workshop - Pitching to Win as well as Enterprise Clinics in Shannon, Kilrush and Scariff.
Local Enterprise Week is organised every year by the Local Enterprise Offices and supported by Enterprise Ireland, local authorities and the Government of Ireland with over 300 events taking place nationwide this year.
For all information and media requests around the County Enterprise Awards or Local Enterprise Week, please contact your Local Enterprise Office Clare Tel 087-4648402.
National Enterprise Awards 2023
Award Categories and Prize Fund
The 2023 National Enterprise Awards take place on Thursday, 1st June in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin and are organised by the Local Enterprise Offices
- Overall Winner, National Enterprise Awards 2022 (Cash Prize for business: €10,000)
- Best Export Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Best Innovation Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Best Start-Up Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Sustainability / Green Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- One to Watch Award (Cash Prize for business: €5,000)
- Eight Runner-Up Winners (Cash Prize for business: €2,000 each)
- Runner Up Regions:
- Dublin City, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown and South Dublin
- Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath
- Wicklow, Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny
- Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan
- Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Longford
- Galway, Mayo and Roscommon
- Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary
- Cork City, South Cork, Cork North & West and Waterford
