Louth female entrepreneurs encouraged to apply for ACORNS

Female entrepreneurs from Louth are being encouraged to submit their applications for the latest cycle of ACORNS, a highly successful development programme to support women living in rural Ireland who are in the early stages of starting their own business. 

Louth entrepreneur Aoife Finnegan of Curio PR recently completed the programme. She joins Joan McCann of The Code Lab and Martha McCabe of Goose Loves as previous Louth participants calling on businesswomen to join the programme. 

ACORNS has been providing support to early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland for more than a decade and has recently launched the 11th cycle of the business development programme. The deadline for applications for ACORNS 11 is midnight, September 22. There are up to 50 places available for ACORNS 11. Those wishing to receive an application form should register on the website www.acorns.ie.

When Aoife Finnegan returned to her hometown of Dundalk in early 2020, she didn’t expect to become a business owner. A turning point came when her friend asked for help promoting her business — a favour that quickly turned into something bigger. Word spread fast.

Artists, makers and small creative businesses across the region began getting in touch, people with great stories, but little time (or energy) to tell them. Aoife launched Curio PR www.curiopr.ie in 2021 to fill that gap: an independent agency focused on arts, culture, hospitality and tourism, rooted in strong storytelling and strategic media outreach.

Aoife says: “The ACORNS programme provided amazing support from fellow female entrepreneurs, which was absolutely invaluable. I received encouragement, support and friendship from an incredibly inspiring group of women. The guidance from Lead Entrepreneur Eimer Hannon was outstanding, and I gained so much from the in-person round table sessions.

"Paula Fitzsimons and her team were fantastic, working tirelessly to ensure female entrepreneurship thrives in rural Ireland. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity and highly recommend the programme to others.”

Joan McCann is an innovative coding education provider empowering Ireland’s young people with digital skills for the future. Joan had been volunteering with a community coding group when she realised she could marry the skills gleaned from her 15-year career in the IT industry with her passion for teaching kids about technology to create a viable business.

Launched in February 2021, The Code Lab offers online courses and hands-on workshops in coding, robotics, and electronics. Since its inception, The Code Lab has grown significantly, with Joan now delivering a structured Schools Coding Programme to primary schools across Ireland, helping teachers to seamlessly integrate coding into the curriculum and making coding more accessible for all pupils.

Joan says: “I took part in ACORNS 8 and ACORNS Plus in 2024/25, and both programmes have been transformative for me and my business. They boosted my confidence, sharpened my decision-making, and helped me focus on growing my business. I was thrilled to be featured in the 10-year ACORNS report, celebrating its impact. I would highly recommend ACORNS and ACORNS Plus to any business woman ready to dream big and drive her business forward."

Martha McCabe, founder of Goose Loves, a range of neckwarmers, was a participant on ACORNS 10 and says: “The benefit of ACORNS to a small business may seem unquantifiable initially.  But the gentle teasing out of what the core of your business is, and where you want to be, is a subtle but powerful tool, that you gain after the six months.  

"ACORNS is not about marketing strategies that you can read about in a book, it is practical support from people who understand the pitfalls and challenges any small business faces. I feel very lucky, to have been given the opportunity to complete this programme, and to have met the people that I have.”

ACORNS is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers. Participants interact with each other in the monthly round table sessions, which are facilitated by a Lead Entrepreneur, who has first-hand experience of starting and successfully growing a business in rural Ireland. 

Only early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland, and who have had no sales before the end of June 2022, are eligible to apply. As ACORNS receives many more applications than there are places available, selection is on a competitive basis.

ACORNS 11 will run from October 2025 to April 2026 and will include six monthly round table sessions, a workshop on understanding financials, a briefing by various development agencies and an end-of-cycle celebration. There will be no charge for those selected to participate in ACORNS 11, thanks to the continuing support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of time by the Lead Entrepreneurs.

Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Martin Heydon, TD, launched the call for applications for ACORNS 11. Minister Heydon said: “Following a decade of support from my Department for female rural entrepreneurs under the Rural Innovation Development Fund, I am delighted to launch the latest cycle. The programme continues to go from strength to strength and has supported over 550 women in rural Ireland over the last ten years.

“The ACORNS programme is a hugely successful programme, designed to support early-stage female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland. It aims to address the skills, enterprise and capability gaps that female entrepreneurs can face and in doing so provides support to help overcome the barriers which often limit entrepreneurial activity in rural areas.

 “Encouraging female entrepreneurs in rural Ireland to apply for support under the ACORNS programme which will help them realise their dreams of starting and growing successful businesses.”

A survey carried out at the end of ACORNS 10 revealed that 100% of the programme’s 52 participants felt closer to achieving their business ambitions following the programme and would recommend ACORNS to others. Some 90% said their participation brought about practical change within their business. 

Four businesses started to trade for the first time during ACORNS 10. The group’s combined turnover almost doubled over the course of the programme, increasing from €2.8m to €4.3m. ACORNS 10 participants employed a total of 104 staff at the end of the cycle, some 57 full-time and 47 part-time, an increase of 15. There were eight new exporters over the cycle.

Alongside the 52 participants in ACORNS 10, more than 300 past participants received continued support through the ACORNS Community, which provided them with the opportunity to take part in workshops, roundtables, a Community Forum and other networking events.

Each of the Lead Entrepreneurs give their time to the programme on a voluntary basis, as they believe in the philosophy of ‘entrepreneurs helping entrepreneurs’. This year’s voluntary Lead Entrepreneurs are Alison Ritchie, Polar Ice; Caroline Reidy, The HR Suite; Eimer Hannon, Hannon Travel; Geraldine Jones, Skin Formulas; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; and Triona MacGiolla Rí, Aró Digital Strategies. 

In addition, experienced businesswomen, Clare Duignan and Geraldine Kelly, who are on the Going for Growth advisory panel, will facilitate ACORNS Plus round tables for previous participants, who are committed to continuing driving forward the development of their businesses. 

ACORNS Lead Entrepreneur, Eimer Hannon of Hannon Travel, based in Navan said: “I’d really encourage early-stage female entrepreneurs to apply for ACORNS. I’d love to have had a similar network and support structure when I started Hannon Travel 25 years ago. Don’t miss the chance to back yourself!”