Nenagh business backs Love Tipperary Gift Card with Ireland's Favourite Local Business award
The Nenagh boutique is the latest Tipperary business to nominated as Ireland’s Favourite Local Business, a competition linked in with Town and Business giftcards. In this case, the Love Tipperary Gift Card.
Marion Murphy Cooney’s boutique in Nenagh is the latest business nominated to be nominated as Ireland’s Favourite Local Business, the national competition which is backed by County Tipperary Chamber.
Other County Tipperary businesses nominated in the competition so far include Cahir Arts, Chou’s Cottage, The Junction Gastrobar, Carri’s Gift Shop, Patty’s Flower Shop, Relish Fine Foods, Connolly Man, Fetch Coffee, Marlhill Open Farm, Sadie’s Hair Salon, Tudor Artisan Hub, The Ugly Duckling, The Bookworm, Health Haven, Stakelums Home & Hardware, A Sportsman’s Dream and The Honey Pot.
The MMC (Marion Murphy Cooney) store, located on Friar Street, has three levels offering “bespoke pieces, made to measure and ready to wear.”
Pieces are handmade in their studio and the business also has its own in-store stylist.
Ms Cooney, who has received multiple awards including Creative Professional of the Year, and was a finalist for the Guaranteed Irish Fashion & Accessories award, said: “I wanted to be a designer from 7 years of age.
“At 12, I got my first sewing machine and it all started from there. I’ve dressed many Irish celebrities who won ‘best dressed’ at the VIP style awards. The entrepreneurial thing was always there for me and having my own store was a dream.
“I opened my Nenagh store in 2013. Clients want a personal experience, and the chance to look at the clothes, and feel the fabric.
“Every woman has a different shape and that makes our made to measure service popular. During the hour’s appointment, we look at style, silhouette, fabric and colours. The process covers design, fitting and the final Marion Murphy Cooney piece. My goal is for each client to leave the store feeling elated.
“Sustainability, uniqueness and supporting other Irish designers is key for me at the store. I purchase deadstock material to ensure pieces are going to have the same fabric seen everywhere else and opt for smaller quantities. We stock Enchant earrings, Corona Silver and Messy Brunette Earrings, all talented Irish designers.
“I think sustainable shopping can require a rejigging of the brain. Everyone can be a victim of buying on the cheaper websites. But through education, we can show that by buying correctly in the first place, you can buy less but buy well. Clients are always impressed with the advice we offer on how to restyle their MMC pieces making it a lot more wearable not just for the ‘good’ occasions but for every day wear.”
Marion Murphy Cooney’s Nenagh store is the latest business to join the county-wide Love Tipperary Gift Card, which launched in November 2024, and she’s a huge backer of the initiative.
Marion adds: “Nenagh is full of fantastic, hard-working businesses working together. The Love Tipperary Gift Card encourages people to buy local and to discover new businesses, which is exactly what we try and do as owners.
“I’ll often recommend a client to the gorgeous shoe store in Nenagh to find the perfect shoes to match their new piece. If we win Ireland’s Favourite Local Business 2026, we’ll use the Love Tipperary Gift Card to thank our customers with a lovely in-house event.”
Shops, restaurants, salons, hotels, attractions and services across Carrick-On-Suir, Clonmel, Cahir, Cashel, Tipperary Town, Thurles, Templemore, Nenagh and Roscrea are all eligible to be Ireland’s Favourite Local Business 2026.
Ireland’s Favourite Local Business will win a €1,000 Town & City Gift Card, such as the Love Tipperary Gift Card, with one person who nominated the winning business receiving a €1,000 Town & City Gift Card.
Michelle Aylward, Chief Executive at County Tipperary Chamber said: “We’re thrilled to see a County Tipperary business recognised as one of Ireland’s Favourite Local Businesses 2026, and so many businesses nominated across the county.
“Businesses like Marion Murphy Cooney’s Nenagh boutique bring something unique and special to our County Tipperary towns and truly deserve to be celebrated for their hard work, dedication and vision.”