Down To Business

Joan and Lorcan join bobby to discuss the biggest business stories to hit the headlines this weekend.

Now many of us are guilty of having a sweet tooth, so many in fact that the global chocolate market is valued at over $100 billion. Joining Bobby to discuss the many facets of the chocolate business is: · Simon O'Keeffe, Head of Sales of Lir Chocolates · Aisling Walsh, Marketing Director, Butlers Chocolates · Mary Healy, Director & Co-Owner of The Chocolate Garden

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chais is Ronan Foley, CEO of Gallagher Ireland.

In recent weeks we have been reading a lot about a potential economic collapse but if the most recent data is to be believed, the bleakest of potential future scenarios is likely to be averted. Joining Bobby to discuss the state of the Irish economic landscape is economist, Jim Power.

Since hanging up his Leinster, Ireland, and Lions jerseys, Jamie Heaslip has knuckled down and completed a Masters in Business and championed startups, particularly in the tech area. He joins Bobby to discuss his latest venture 'Limbo' and to chat about adjusting to life after professional sport.

The importance of the Agrifood sector in Ireland cannot be overstated. It’s Ireland’s largest and oldest indigenous industry, employing 14% of the workforce in rural Ireland. But how have our farmers been faring over the past couple of years and what challenges lie ahead for the farming & the Agri sector as a whole as we strive to move to greener pastures? Eoin Lowry, Head of Agriculture at Bank of Ireland joins Bobby to discuss.

Joining Bobby to take a look at some of the big business stories that are making the news this morning is Ciara McDonagh of Healy Communications & Ian Curran, business reporter with the Irish Times.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Terry McCartney of Belmont Court and Motel.

Sean Magee is a singer-songwriter from Fermanagh and is now a well-established musician and performer in his own right, playing a wide mix of styles with tonnes of energy. He joins Bobby for a chat and a singsong.

Bobby takes a look at some of the businesses that call Enniskillen home. He is joined by Sarah McHugh, Museum and Heritage Manager at Enniskillen Castle, Noelle McAloon of Enniskillen BID, Genny Brown of Yoga Ocean, and also Joe McGirr of the Boatyard Distillery.

Friend of the show and one of Ireland's most well-renowned and beloved chefs, Neven Maguire, took time out of his busy schedule to come up from Cavan - where he runs his award-winning 'MacNean House & Restaurant' - to chat to Bobby about how he is getting on as well as his relationship with the wonderful town of Enniskillen.

To get a better sense of Enniskillen as a town and a place to do business Bobby was joined on a walking tour by local entrepreneur and founder of 'Enniskillen Taste Experience', Mark Adams.

Bobby takes to the water with Barry Flanagan an architect turned tour guide who is the owner of Erne Water Taxi.

Joining Bobby to discuss the biggest business stories of the day was Caroline Reidy of the HR Suite and Doug Keating of Avalon.

Bobby was joined on his trip to Enniskillen by Fermanagh native Nathan Carter.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Connor Heaney, MD and Co-Founder of CXC Global.

Jeweller, Paul Sheeran - the man behind the opening of six luxury watch ‘boutiques’ on the ground floor of the new Chatham & King development off Grafton Street - welcomed Bobby to show him around the new retail offering in Dublin city center and to chat about his beginnings in the industry.

For some they are a place of solitude, for others a world of the mythic and the mythical, somewhere to let your imagination run wild but for everyone, a museum can offer a little slice of heaven. To discuss the trials and tribulations of running a museum Bobby is joined by: - Gill Cousins, Director of The Hunt Museum - Tom O'Rahilly, Director of The Leprechaun Museum - Catherine Toolan, Managing Director of Diageo Irish Brand Homes / The Guinness Storehouse

As a nation we always seem to punch well above our weight and that was no different this week when it was announced that six Irish business people were named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list. One man who can take at least a little credit for the success of the next generation of Irish entrepreneurs is co-founder of the ‘Junior Entrepreneur Programme’, Jerry Kennelly. Jerry has spent the last 13 years turning the classroom into the boardroom helping over 100,000 Irish children start businesses - he joins Bobby to discuss.

For any leader, be it in the field of business, the military, or any professional organization, knowing how to lead and what style will work best for you and your team can often be the biggest hurdle. Neil Jurd is a global expert in leadership development and author of ‘The Leadership Book’ - he joins Bobby to discuss.

It's St Patrick’s Day weekend, Johnny Sexton going for the all-time record of points scored in the championship, his last home game, and last 6 Nations game, and the team is vying for a first-ever Grand Slam decider in Dublin - it couldn’t get any bigger than this. Ireland will be lining out against England later on today and the eyes of the nation will be watching. Ireland and Munster Rugby Legend, Marcus Horan joins Bobby to discuss.

Joining Bobby to discuss the biggest business stories of the day was the positive economist Susan Hayes Culleton and Irish Examiner columnist Ian Mallon.

This week Bobby was joined by three industry experts to disect the trials and tribulations of running a museum or archive experience. Joining Bobby was Gill Cousins, Director of The Hunt Museum in Limerick, Tom O'Rahilly, Director of The Leprachaun Museum and Catherine Toolan, Managing Director of Diageo Irish Brand Homes / The Guinness Storehouse.

Just under 30,000 house completions were conducted in 2022 - a figure widely considered to be significantly short of the average level required to meet housing demand, never mind make up for the lack of completions in previous years. And with the recent decision to lift the ban on evictions this week, what exactly can we expect in 2023 and beyond for our beleaguered property market? Joining Bobby is: · Brendan McGee, Managing Director of Franklins in Donegal · Clement Herron of Clement Herron Real Estate, Portlaoise · Louise Kenny, Director of Lisney Sotheby's International Realty based in Dublin

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Eoghan Donnellan, General Manager at Nisbets Ireland.

Bobby speaks to Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, author of 'Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals'. Together they discuss how data visualization can help you better communicate through the power of storytelling and the way to make data a pivotal point in your story.

Bobby found himself out & about in Donegal earlier on this week whereupon he took the opportunity to chat with the men and women behind the iconic soft drinks brand 'Football Special'.

The Government is to examine a raft of new measures to try to encourage people to leave their cars at home, of which new charges for cars entering congested urban centres would form a central part. Joining Bobby to discuss this is Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times.

In recent years Ireland has matured immeasurably in relation to its attitudes to mental health and the therapists who help us when we may be struggling. So, for this week’s Industry Review, Bobby wanted to find out a little bit more about the field of psychoanalysis, CBT, and talk therapy as a whole. Joining Bobby is: - Helen Vaughan, Psychotherapist and owner of ‘Maynooth Counselling and Psychotherapy’. - Stella O’Malley, Psychotherapist and author of ‘What Your Teen is Trying to Tell You’. - Enda Murphy, Psychotherapist, Director of SeeMe.ie, and author ‘Five Steps to Happiness’.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Joanna Jensen, CEO & founder of Childs Farm.

Co-ops have been part of history since the 19th century, know throughout the world as a tool for empowering marginalised communities. Matt Noyes has just co-authored 'Cooperatives at Work', a book that seeks to remind us of the power of the Co-op - he joins Bobby to discuss.

Recent figures from Europe and the CSO are shedding more light on the current economic situation. So, as the cloud of uncertainty around the economy begins to disperse it's time to ask what this means for the country, for business, and for your pocket. One man with at least some of those answers is economist Dan O’Brien, he joins Bobby to discuss.

Bobby took a trip out to Galway city to have a chat with chef, JP McMahon about the state of the restaurant sector, how he has bounced back after COVID, and how he strikes the right balance between his personal life and work.

It’s arguably the most exciting sport of all, but for many investors in recent years, it’s the most profitable sport of all. Formula One returns this Sunday in Bahrain with lights out at 3pm, but just how big is the business fueling the sport itself? Joining Bobby to discuss this is sports business columnist and reporter, Ian Mallon.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is John Donoghue, CEO, and Managing Partner of Ifac.

Dr. Ruth Gotian is a New Yorker who has traveled to Ireland to deliver the first two of this year’s IMI Masterclasses. Her specialty is looking at how high achievers keep their level of excellence and her latest book 'The Success Factor: Developing the Mindset and Skillset for Peak Performance' has interviews with a plethora of high achievers ranging from Dr Faucci to Steve Kerr. She joins Bobby to discuss.

The need for toughness in business is undeniable but sometimes it’s hard to know where to get it from. One place many CEOs are now turning to is the US military. Katrina Steady is an ex-US military resilience coach with over two decades of experience in the field who coaches CEOs and business leaders on various performance-enhancing techniques to level up their business game face. She joins Bobby to discuss.

Bobby was out in west Dublin at what has to be one of the oldest businesses in Ireland and no, it's not a pub. Rathbornes have been making luxury, hand-poured candles, and home fragrances since 1488 - quite an astonishing legacy. He was joined by Rathbornes Managing Director Vincent Brady to talk about the company and its incredible longevity.

While for years we were transfixed on the threat COVID posed to the retail sector, in more recent months we have had the cost-of-living crisis to deal with. But while consumers are being forced to make some stark decisions about where to spend their money, so far the retail sales data indicates spending remains high. Joining Bobby to discuss this and what we might do to attract the investment our towns and cities need right now is Neil Bannon, Executive Chairman of Commercial Property Consultancy firm 'Bannon'.

With an ever-increasing desire to look and feel good, food is obviously a huge part of the equation and there is one industry that caters to just those wishes. Nutritionists up and down the country are satisfying our appetites with no-nonsense, honest information about what we should be eating. Joining Bobby to dissect the trials and tribulations of being a nutritionist is: - Consultant nutritionist Gaye Godkin, - Sports nutritionist Daniel Davey - Mary Carmody of ‘Mary Carmody Nutrition’.

'As I Remember It: Bertie Ahern & the Good Friday Agreement' is a new podcast that tells the story of the Good Friday Agreement as told by those who negotiated it and marks the first time all those involved have reunited to reflect on the negotiations in 25 years. Head to newstalk.com/goodfridayagreement.

Bobby explores the expanding world of content creation with Lynn Hunter of The Collaborations Agency, content creator and founder of Fia Éadaoin Fitzmaurice, and comedian and actor Michael Fry.

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of joins Bobby to discuss the economic report which advocates for the government to extend the reduced 9% VAT Rate until the end of 2025.

Bobby puts on his wellies to visit Lunasa Farm, a free-range pork and beef business.

Joining Bobby in the executive chair this week is David Crimmins, CEO of Medihive

Ernest Cantilion, owner of ‘Electric’ in Cork City tells Bobby about Valentine's Day in his bar and restaurant. Ernest thinks it's is boring, and couples don't really enjoy it and so he’s decided to do something about it.

Should you mix business with pleasure? Bobby is joined with Niraj Kapur- a LinkedIn Top Voice, LinkedIn Sales Coach and trainer and author of ‘Business Growth: Lessons Learned from Divorce, Dating and Falling In Love’

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Patrick Joy, Founder of Suretank Group.

Writing in last Sunday’s Independent Conor Skehan suggested that Ireland could be run better if we followed the lead of the Irish rugby team. Conor joins Bobby to discuss.

The night-time economy has been on the ropes for a number of years - from pandemics to licensing restrictions, to a cost-of-living crisis. It’s not been easy. So for this week’s Industry Review, to help Bobby get a sense of how our late-night bars and nightclubs are faring, he is joined by: - Sunil Sharpe of Give Us the Night - Ian Redmond of Tramline in Dublin - Robbie Fox, former nightclub owner and veteran of 'Renards' in Dublin