EmpowHER 2025: Supporting women entrepreneurs in Ireland

In this article, Leitrim County Council reflects on their role in EmpowHer 2025. An event, which took place in Leitrim, where women leaders came together to help female founders scale their businesses and navigate the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs.

On February 7th, Leitrim County Council were a part of EmpowHer 2025, where women leaders come together to help female founders scale their businesses. The event, which took place at Leitrim’s Carrick Business Campus, supported attendees in navigating challenges for female entrepreneurs, securing investment and supports, and scaling for sustainable growth with senior women in business offering practical support to female founders.

Women are currently significantly under-represented in entrepreneurship and this is even more so the case in rural Ireland.

Former Dragon and entrepreneur Norah Casey hosted the event at the reimagined Carrick on Shannon Business Campus. Joining her on stage was a force of truly inspiring women leaders in business including Louise Phelan, former Global VP of PayPal and Senior Independent Director, Ryanair; Breege O’Donoghue, Former Executive Director of Primark; Sonia Deasy, Founder & CEO, Pestle & Mortar; Oonagh O’Hagan, Owner & MD, Meagher’s Pharmacy Group; and Niamh Ryan and Charlene Flanagan, Founders of Ella & Jo cosmetics.

“We need to address the gap in women entrepreneurship, particularly in areas outside of the urban hubs in Ireland. Many women choose to live in more affordable community settings to raise families and our aim is to support them in a practical way by asking senior women leaders to share stories and swap experiences to help them fulfill their potential”, commented Norah Casey, who has Leitrim roots and sits on the Carrick Campus Advisory Board.

This event aimed to address this geographical inequality and to support female entrepreneurs along the western corridor to kickstart enterprises and achieve investment and supports to scale their businesses.

Credit: Leitrim County Council

Chair of the Advisory Board, Caoimhe McLoughlin, Partner, KPMG, another Leitrim woman, introduced the proceedings and outlined the benefits for entrepreneurs looking to scale and grow their business from Carrick Business Campus.

Caoimhe shared exciting plans for the transformation and development of Carrick Campus, stating that the goal is to establish Carrick Business Campus as a premier business hub for both existing and future tenants, she added “the key focus was enhancing the infrastructure, improving the operational efficiency and most importantly build something that would foster a vibrant business community.”

Each of the women taking part brought a unique perspective enlightening the audience with their experience and re-enforcing that with hard work and self belief you can achieve anything you desire.