‘I wouldn’t have gotten half of the opportunities if I was based in a city’

Gaoth Dobhair baking star Aoibhín Ní Dheagha says the latest TG4 series, on which she features, will shine a light on the realities of running a business in rural Ireland as a young entrepreneur.

The four-part series, Gliún Z, will follow Aoibhín and the lives of 11 other young people as they navigate student life, personal, career and business challenges to confront the challenges of climate change and the soaring cost of living. For 22-year-old Aoibhín, the series delves into how she manages to run her thriving businesses as a young person living in the Gaeltacht.

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“The series looks at how it is for me running a business in rural Ireland and how the support of my family and community helps me,” she tells DonegalLive. “I live at home in the Donegal Gaeltacht and the support that I have received from the locals has enabled me to grow and develop my business. I wouldn’t have gotten half of the opportunities if I was based in a city.”

Aoibhín founded her business, Cacaí Aoibhín, when she was just 14 years old. It started as a side business and hobby while she was at school and has now grown and flourished into her full-time job, with her services in high demand. Although Gliún Z focuses on the positives of running her business in Gaoth Dobhair, Aoibhín also touches on the difficulties there are during the current cost-of-living crisis.

“It is no surprise to anyone that the price of more premium ingredients such as chocolate and butter has increased. All the small businesses had to adapt,” Aoibhín adds. “Especially in my industry, we’ve all had to adapt to the rising costs.” Her success in her local area led to her being approached by Cúla4 to host a series for aspiring young people who wanted to master the art of baking.

That programme, ‘Cacaí Aille’ aired last year, and further cemented her growing profile as one of Ireland's rising stars in baking. Along with her recent stints on TV and running Cacaí Aoibhín, in April, Aoibhín launched another business called Tír Bakehouse. The aim of it is to enable coffee shops to do their own in-house baking so they would have fresher quality sweet treats. So far, the business is helping 30 outlets in Donegal and is hoping to expand outside the county very soon. 

Although the business has only recently been opened, Tír Bakehouse has already been chosen as a finalist for the Blas na hÉireann 2025 awards, with the award ceremony expected to take place on October 3 in Dingle.  Aoibhín is excited to focus on the future of her two businesses as they continue to grow and expand.  The show will air on TG4 from Thursday, September 11, 8pm.