Young Entrepreneur of the Year delight for Annagry's Mia Nic Daibhéid

Mia Nic Daibhéid from Annagry has been named as the Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the ‘Gradamin Gnó na hÉireann' for 2023 at Croke Park.

Special recognition was given to two young individuals who showed a flair for entrepreneurship and a passion for the Irish language with Mia Nic Daibhéid winning the 18-21 category and Ruairí Ó hÓgáin from Dingle Co Kerry, coming out on top in the 12-18 years section. Mia, a student at Marino Institute in Dublin, runs the highly successful ice cream parlour in McDevitt’s shop in Annagry.

Of the 146 businesses, 26 achieved a gold award in all three areas, and 74 others obtained at least one gold award.  The Donegal gold winners are both from Gortahork, Teach Bhillie and  Kombucha Na Dálaigh.

Among the recipients were Tesco Ireland, JD Wetherspoon, and Trócaire. The awards were presented by television presenter Mary Kennedy, with Sinéad Ní Uallacháin serving as the host.

This is the second year of the national recognition scheme Gradaim Gnó na hÉireann, managed by Glór na nGael. Awards are granted to businesses for achieving a certain standard in the use of the Irish language across three major areas - Signage, Branding and Marketing, and Service in Irish.

Frainc Mac Cionnaith, the scheme manager at Glór na nGael, explained that the Gradaim plaques inform the public about the type of Irish language service and signage they can expect from the participating businesses.

"It's a comprehensive, independent and national assessment process providing accurate, certified and up-to-date information to the public about the type of Irish language service and signage they can expect from the participating businesses," he said. 

"The national recognition awarded to the businesses today, both small and large, is well deserved. I congratulate them all, commend them highly for their dedication and commitment, and of course, I thank the representatives from community committees and the language planning officers around the country who are supporting the promotion of the scheme."