Member Interviews

Q – Give us a quick description of your business. A – Brand Blarney is a voluntary group established in 2016 to create opportunities for the community to contribute to an already established tourist attraction in a manner that enhances Blarney’s status as a global brand, supports the local economy & gives tourists a reason to spend more time & money in the locality. Q -Who are the people behind Brand Blarney? A – While we are slow to call ourselves a committee, we recognize the need for some formal structure at times. Our present roles are as follows: Sue Pamment is the Chairperson. James Mulcahy is the Vice Chairperson Deborah Maguire is the Secretary Meghan Maguire is the Treasurer Tom O’Byrne, Fionnuala Carroll and Natasha Foley also coordinate various aspects of the Clogheenmilcon Fen projects that are underway. We also work with smaller groups of volunteers depending on the needs of the project of the day. The Brand Blarney team at the filming of the Father of the Fen video Q -Where are you based? A – Though few of us actually live in Blarney, we all consider Blarney as our base of operations since that is the focus of our efforts. Q-Tell us about your offerings. A – Blarney Village Heritage Map We developed a beautiful heritage map and trail of Blarney village with the support of the Cork County Council and the Blarney & District Historical Society. The map launched by author Alice Taylor was marked by an absolutely electric day of historical re-enactments performed by Blue Hat, Blarney Men’s Shed, Shandon Shawlies, Blarney Vintage Club, Cobh Heritage Vintage Era, Cór Géal and numerous other volunteers within the community. We also took part in Cork Culture Night with another hugely entertaining historical re-enactment around the village square- thanks in no small part to all the community groups who give us every support in our endeavors!…

Q – Give us a quick description of your business. A – Findings is a gift shop where everything – yes, everything – in the store is designed and made in the onsite workshop. Right now, Jewellery, Art, Stationery, Greeting Cards and other gifts are Findings’ main products, but the range will be growing all the time. Q -Where are you based? A – Findings is located on The Square in the heart of Blarney Village, beside the Castle Hotel. It’s a lovely location. In wintertime, when the trees are bare, I can see the Castle from the shop and, all year round, it’s lovely to be able to look out at The Square, at the trees and grass, and at people enjoying this beautiful amenity (or even dancing in it– see below). Q -Tell us about your role in the business. A – I initially started Findings as a temporary pop-up shop but that experience showed me that there could be a sustainable business in what I was doing. Ever since I’ve been refining the products, and the shop itself. From the outset I knew exactly how I wanted Findings to look and feel. I wanted Findings to be a little bit quirky, but cool and different. Like, when a customer walks in, I want them to feel they’ve stepped into an inviting and thoughtfully created space. Similarly, I wanted everything on sale in the shop, to be unique and distinct. I think I’ve achieved that. The next step is to launch the store website (hopefully in August), which will very much have the same feel as the shop. Q -How long have you been involved in this work? A – My background is as a writer. However, I’ve always loved making things but purely as a hobby – until I opened Findings.…