Women in Business in West Cork Anna Healy

For the second season in my podcast series, I want to explore what Resilience means to people and what practices they have developed to overcome their challenges.

Introducing Derbhile Graham. Derbhile wears many hats. She is a writer, a celebrant, a creative writing tutor and a transcriber. Earlier in her career she was a journalist and her work appeared in many national magazines and newspapers. She has published a novel. The Pink Cage (Book Republic 2011).

In 2020, she was awarded a Diploma in Family and Funeral Celebrancy from the Irish Institute of Celebrants and she is now qualified to deliver baby namings, weddings, vow renewals and funerals. In 2017, she was the winner of the Arts category in the Network Waterford Women in Business Awards.

I want to tell you a little about Laura Whalen. Laura lives in Courtmacsherry with her partner and 5 children. She is a doll maker, a celebrant, a writer and the creator of women's spaces. Her work is currently focused on The Babog Project, which aims to make a doll for each of the 6000 babies that are said to have died in Ireland's mother and baby homes. For more information or to get involved in the project visit the website www.thebabogproject.com

Rita Holding, started her business, RH Vintage Interiors, in January 2017. Rita lived and worked in London for a number of years and always had a passion for vintage furniture and interiors.


When Rita and her family family relocated to West Cork, she decided it was time to turn this passion into a business and RH Vintage Interiors was born. Her business is now thriving and she stays loyal to her established brand, which is quality, uniqueness and colour.


Rita also offers a professional, bespoke painting commission service and holds regular chalk painting classes from her workshop in Rosscarbery.
Rita launched a new e-commerce website in February 2019, www.rhvintageinteriors.com.

A new interview for West Cork FM this week. Introducing Sara Devoy Craniosacral Biodynamics. You can hear her this Saturday evening at 9pm online at West Cork FM.

Recognizing the spark in others has been a passion of Sara's from an early age. Working as the anthropologist for Body shop International, as a radio and Television researcher and as the owner- manager of a successful Organic farm in Rosscarbery have been some of her many roles.

"Since 1990s I became fascinated by cutting-edge research pointing to the imprint our birth has on our lives." says Sara. " How we are first welcomed has a huge impact on our self-esteem, capacity to learn and build relationships." Sara offers one on one work with adults, children and babies. She also offers supportive programmes with a team called Stories from the womb, related to birth, loss and mothering.

The individual Craniosacral sessions she offers to adults and babies eases physical ailments and calms the nervous system. Vitality, self-compassion and stillness are the foundations of Saras' work. Her sessions address both physical challenges as well as emotional and mental well-being

Sara incorporates meditation, energy exercises, partner yoga and gentle craniosacral approaches. The emphasis is on settling into our true creative nature rather than an over-reliance on mental constructs.

Sara has a practice in Rosscarbery & Cork City. She offers programmes for women in business, mini-retreats and skype sessions on request.

What a lovely lady I have for you today!

Karla Goodman formerly an actress turned highly experienced television producer, founded Made to Measure Films a professional video production company in 2014. The company is based in West Cork and generates fun, unique and memorable videos, tailor made to the specifics of business needs. They also produce short documentaries and have recently begun offering ‘Legacy Films’ for people wanting to capture their family history in an interview format.

The production team is made up of a group of TV professionals with many years of experience, and a wealth of creativity. Their knowledge of the TV industry allows them the expertise to compete with large and expensive advertising companies but to offer outstanding production values at a fraction of the cost.

After graduating in Drama and Classics at UCL, and a semester at Berkeley University in California she trained as a professional actress in London and went into professional acting and directing for 10 years.

She moved into a career in television in 1998 working at Ardmore Studios, Dublin, Ricochet, Granada and Channel Four in London, She also worked on ‘Time Team’ an RTS (Royal Television Society) award winner and stalwart of British TV for 20 years.

Drama is still very important to her and the ‘story’ is always the drive in most of her films. “Story telling is the the most powerful way to put ideas into the world”.

For my next Women in Business in West Cork interview with West Cork FM, I feel that it is fitting that I have chosen Caroline Murphy from West Cork Eggs. This time last year, Caroline won the Network Ireland Emerging Business of the Year award. You can listen in tonight at 9pm online on West Cork FM.

This is a story of City Chic to Country Chick. 20 years ago Caroline moved from London to West Cork where she met her husband and they now live on the family farm with their 4 kids, just outside Rosscarbery.

In 2009 Caroline bought my first 4 hens and from there by business grew to our now 3000 free range birds. They are part of the Food Academy family and supply 21 Supervalu stores in the Cork area as well as other independent retail outlets, cafes, restaurants and hotels. “We believe in giving our hens good food, freedom and fun and in return they give us what we believe are the best eggs in Cork.”

In 2018 West Cork Eggs was accredited by the Business All Stars in Croke Park in Dublin and they also won the regional and national award for “Best Emerging Business” at the Network Ireland Businesswoman awards and they won “Best New Business” at the Southern Star Awards and lastly but by no means least, they won a Gold Award at the Blas na hEireann Food awards.

Caroline is involved in Network Ireland and is very passionate about helping others to succeed through being supportive and listening. She has also worked with Transition Year students which she thoroughly enjoys.

“Family is hugely important to me and I think West Cork is probably the best place in the world to live!”