Settle in for a spirited episode of Irish Stew with two pioneering women in the Irish spirits industry, Alice Carroll--the proud Limerick distiller and co-founder of Foxes Bow Whiskey, and Maura Clare--the Queen of Poitín and creator of the Smuggling Nun brand.

They swap notes on their journey into the spirits business, the challenges and opportunities of operating in traditionally male-dominated sectors, their innovative approaches to reviving and reshaping perceptions around Irish Whiskey and Poitín, how they crafted their distinctive flavor profiles, and the intriguing backstories of the Foxes Bow and Smuggling Nun names.

The conversations delve into the unique qualities of their spirits, their signature cocktail creations, the importance of women in the evolving Irish spirits industry, and who they’d most like to serve their libations to. Paging Beyoncé!

Join us for the story of two women forging ahead in the Irish drinks industry--Alice, gaining shelf space globally for Foxes Bow in a crowded Irish Whiskey category, and Maura opening new markets for a newly legal elixir with her Smuggling Nun Poitín.
Sláinte!

Links
Alice Carroll & Foxes Bow

• Website
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• LinkedIn

Maura Clare & Smuggling Nun

• Website
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Michael Meade spent over 20 years on Wall Street and then stepped away from the pressured world of high finance to do something totally different. Some, in his circumstances, may have opted for plenty of time on the golf course and cracking open a few brews, that’s not the kind of person Michael Meade is.

Intrigued by a visit to Ireland, Michael wanted to build a business that would connect to his Irish roots, work with a famous brewing dynasty, revive Ireland's oldest brewing brand and return beer making to Kilkenny, the home of red ale.

It has, and will continue to be, a journey for a son of Buffalo, one of America's most Irish of towns. Michael's partnership with the Smithwick family, the revival of Sullivan's Brewing in Kilkenny, an award winning beer developed by brewmaster Ian Hamilton, is a tale of both passion and the value in building a great team, that combination just might yield Ireland's next great export company.

Michael Meade's Links

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Twitter

Sullivans Brewing Company

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

As Chief Executive of the Western Development Commission (WDC), Allan Mulrooney is a tireless advocate for the Western Region of Ireland, promoting social and economic development for the counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Galway, and Clare.

Why go west? Allan points to the region's mix of the old and the new, how it fosters a work-life balance, the contrast of beautiful natural areas and vibrant cities, its expanding broadband internet and innovation-spurring connected hubs--and some of the best surfing in the world!

Growing up in Strandhill, just west of Sligo, Allan first paddled out into the surf before he was a teenager—the water was cold, but then the sport wasn’t cool. It sounds pretty cool when Allan tells of traveling the world with a few surfboards and a guitar on his back.

Talking to Allan, you see career threads spinning out in all directions—surf bum, web publisher, social enterprise entrepreneur, community advocate, business development executive, communications professional—and all those threads come together in his leadership role at the WDC, where he and his team work to tell the region’s compelling “Work Smarter, Live Better” story.

Join us as we head west with Allan for an audio tour of the scenic beauty, appealing lifestyle, expanding business ecosystem, dynamic innovation hubs, vibrant cities and peaceful towns, growing business opportunities, emerging career possibilities, growing economy, and all that’s best about the West.

But if surfing is your draw, Allan cautions it takes “more courage or madness” than he has to tackle the forty- and fifty-foot “mutant” waves off Mullaghmore Head!

Links:
Allan Mulrooney

• Twitter / X
• LinkedIn
• Websites:
  o gostrandhill.com (Co-Founder at)
  o gostrandhill.com/strandhill-indonesian-relief-fund (SIRF Charity)

Western Development Commission

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Twitter / X
• Facebook
• Instagram