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22 Oct 2025

John Hurley: Chamber celebrates people and occasions that put Kilkenny on map

KILKENNY

Chamber President Brian Keyes, Jim Brennan, Cathaoirleach Michael Doyle, and Chamber CEO John Hurley. Picture: Vicky Comerford

As it celebrates a successful Kilkenny Business Awards 2023, Kilkenny Chamber can look back on a year of positives, while encouraging people to shop local again this Christmas.

Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce is a supportive and representative body for businesses in the city and county of Kilkenny. It does all those important things that many businesses struggle to find time to do. Like organising opportunities to network, facilitating the training and development of staff, lobbying and influencing key decision makers for much needed improvements and participating in debates and discussions on critical issues for Kilkenny businesses into the future.

It is crucial that issues impacting on business are considered in these decision making processes and unfortunately most businesses simply haven’t the time to engage – so the Chamber does it for them.

Networking is a fundamental part of modern business. The monthly Chamber Chats are fantastic opportunities for members and their guests to network and share ideas and information about what’s happening across multiple sectors. 

People like doing business with people they know and having met and chatted with someone at one of these events, it is so much easier to contact them again and ultimately do business with them. That’s what networking is all about.

A diverse range of venues and speakers featured in the Chamber Chats during 2023 including The Set Theatre, Cartoon Saloon Studio, the new Barrel Yard at the Smithwick’s Experience and WeDo Work Spaces in Abbey Street.

Attendees learned about how to tell the core story of their business, how to introduce wellness into their workplaces, how to build an international brand and what’s involved in a business journey from start to scale to sale!

Kilkenny Chamber is strongly focused on supporting local businesses and consistently encourages everyone to shop local and support local businesses. 

They created the Kilkenny Gift Voucher scheme to achieve exactly that and since its introduction, that scheme has ringfenced over €1 million that has to be spent in Kilkenny businesses. And with over 150 redeeming outlets, the Kilkenny Gift Vouchers offer unrivalled choice and make the perfect gift for any occasion!

Indeed the scheme has been so successful that the Chamber launched an app this year, the Xplore Kilkenny app, with a view to introducing a digital version of the Gift Vouchers early in 2024. 

Meanwhile the app is a point of information for anybody planning a trip to Kilkenny, be it for business or pleasure. 

The app can be downloaded free from wherever you get your apps. Just search for ‘Xplore Local’ and choose Kilkenny  and you will find information on where to stay, drink or stay in Kilkenny and including a range of Hikes, Trails and self guided tours. All part of the service of Kilkenny Chamber!

Always busy and driving new and established initiatives, the Chamber’s biggest event of the year is the Kilkenny Business Awards which has the enviable reputation of being the most prestigious networking event on the business calendar! 

With over 500 guests gathered at the fantastic Lyrath Estate Hotel, this black tie event celebrates success and achievement  by some of the best businesses in the country. It is people and occasions like this that really put Kilkenny on the map!

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