One business from every Local Enterprise Office area will come together to showcase the ideas, products and people behind Irish enterprise.
Every business starts somewhere. It could be an idea around the kitchen table, a problem on the farm or even someone thinking, “There has to be a better way of doing this.”
As Mike Cantwell, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Limerick says, “Every business has to start somewhere, sometimes with little more than a good idea and the determination to give it a go.”
And there will be plenty of those good ideas at this year’s Local Enterprise Village at the National Ploughing Championships. From 15th-17th September in Screggan, Co Offaly, the Village will bring together 31 businesses from across Ireland, with one representing each Local Enterprise Office area.
With close to 300,000 people expected at the Ploughing, it’s a brilliant chance for small businesses to show the country what they can do.
There’s a lot to taste at the Village. Waterford’s Oh My Cookies will be bringing its huge New York-style cookies, while Cork’s Second Street Bakeshop has award-winning toffee brittle made with Cork butter and Achill Island sea salt.
Mayo’s Van Velze’s Luxury Chocolates will have handmade chocolates and truffles, while Clare’s Hurst Botanicals will bring its naturally fermented kombucha. If savoury is more your thing, Le Skinny Chef from Laois makes plant-based pestos, dips, sauces and soups.
And Dublin’s Treat Street Limited is using the Ploughing to give the wider public the first proper taste of its new Actually Good Gourmet Popcorn range.
Some of the most interesting businesses at the Village started with a question: could there be an easier way? Sligo farmer Kenneth Freehill used more than 40 years of experience with sheep to create Lambsafe. Its Lamb Station holds a lamb safely at waist height while a farmer carries out routine jobs, helping to take some of the strain out of lambing season.
Cavan’s JE Engineering has tackled another farming challenge. Its JE Mobility Lift helps farmers and machinery operators with limited mobility get safely in and out of tractors and agricultural equipment. Visitors will be able to see the lift in action at the Ploughing.
Carlow’s Little & Loveable makes personalised gifts, including Sport Medal Boxes that give all those GAA, rugby, swimming and dancing medals somewhere better to live than the back of a drawer.
Donegal artist Jerusha Marley turns her hand-drawn artwork, inspired by Celtic designs, Irish mythology and nature, into silk scarves, cushions, prints and cards, and Louth-based SafeShel has created an inflatable emergency shelter that can be put up in under 15 seconds, giving casualties privacy while emergency teams treat them in public places.
There are businesses working in woodworking, electric vehicles, education, haircare, engineering, food, drink, design and much more!
Ireland’s Local Enterprise Offices support entrepreneurship in lots of different ways, from encouraging the next generation of young entrepreneurs to helping established businesses grow and reach new markets.
Meanwhile, businesses supported by Local Enterprise Offices are growing in all sorts of directions.
In Galway, MedScan3D, supported by LEO Galway, turns CT and MRI scans into patient-specific 3D models. Founded by Jacqui O’Connor and James Wall, the technology helps surgeons prepare for complex procedures and is also used in research, training and medical device testing.
And a good idea can travel a long way too. Athlone-based TAPiTAG, supported by LEO Westmeath, started as a clever alternative to paper business cards, using NFC and QR technology to share contact details. Today, its products are used in more than 95 countries, with around 84pc of sales coming from exports.
Waterford stationery company Pawpear has also grown with support from LEO Waterford. Its Irish-designed cards, prints and stationery are now stocked by more than 90 retailers across Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US.
And there’s a tasty success story from Roscommon. Noble Ice Cream, founded by Juliya and Alexander Kuzmanov, has grown into an award-winning gelato business with help from LEO Roscommon, including feasibility support, training and a Priming Grant.
From personalised gifts and healthcare to technology, stationery and gelato, these businesses show how support can help an idea take its next big step.
The Local Enterprise Village isn’t just about seeing what other businesses are doing. Visitors can also drop into the Business Advice Hub. Help can include one-to-one mentoring, training, feasibility support and grants, along with programmes to help businesses become more digital, sustainable and efficient.
For businesses thinking bigger, there’s also support to explore new markets. Get Exporting, and the Market Explorer Grant of up to €10,000 can help businesses research opportunities and take their first steps into exporting.
This year, Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Ireland will also be at the Local Enterprise Village, helping businesses interested in opportunities beyond Ireland. EEN is part of the world’s largest support network for small and medium-sized businesses with international ambitions, connecting Irish companies with opportunities in more than 50 countries.
Local Enterprise Offices support businesses from their very first idea through to growth and exporting. As Mike Cantwell says, “Whatever stage your business is at, your Local Enterprise Office is here to support you every step of the way.”
After all, today’s small idea could be tomorrow’s big Irish business.
The National Ploughing Championships 2026 take place from Tuesday, 15th to Thursday, 17th September, in Screggan, Co Offaly. Find out more at localenterprise.ie