The Irish Tech News Podcast

We speak with Debbie Stone in the reinforced polytunnels on Cape Clear which were once the island's fish farm. We learn about the importance of biodiversity, using native species and seeds, as well as pesticide free crop growing. This interview is also an excerpt from the Cape Clear radio show, and will be aired in an up coming edition after this sneak preview.

Interesting conversation with Brian Roe, from Servcentric, our hosting partner for Irish Tech News. We talk about cloud computing, colocation, and the future business opportunities that 5G can and will bring to Ireland. Brian has been working in this area for decades and really knows his stuff so it was great to get him to share his insights with us. Brian Roe is Commercial Director at Servecentric. A science graduate from UCD, he started his career abroad in a sales role with an IT hardware reseller before returning to Ireland where he worked in the IT managed services business for over 15 years. Brian moved to the Data Centre services sector when he joined Servecentric as Commercial Director in 2016. Servecentric is an Irish owned Data Centre services provider. The company provides its clients with colocation, Public Cloud and highly available connectivity services from its 10MW Data Centre facility in Blanchardstown. You can see more about their services here https://www.servecentric.com/

During the current one sector that has done really well is E-commerce, and one of the E-commerce success stories is Your Style Your Story an online clothing boutique. Ronan talks to Sharon Kearns the founder of Your Style Your Story and she explains how it all started, how getting her friends involved helped and how the COVID-19 pandemic has seen more people shop online. Sharon also talks about where her clients are from, her biggest selling clients, her style blog and her future plans for Your Style Your Story.

When a business is being sold on, why do some businesses not get sold and why do some business owners suddenly ask for money? Ronan talks to Denise Logan also known as the Seller Whisperer about this, why selling a business can be stressful, how she sees OMY One More Year a lot and her recent book.

Interesting interview with Mary Bermingham, Creative Director, Burren Nature Sanctuary, Kinvara, Co Galway, Ireland. We discuss sustainability, wildlife, nature, the impact of covid-19, and also the content of her new book which is called Nature Magic, and is already a best seller in several categories on Amazon. Nature Magic- How You Can Engage Everyone With Biodiversity- today for only €1.79 Already Number 1 New Release in Green Business You can follow here on Twitter here also https://twitter.com/MaryTBermingham

How to do a great podcast, 300 episodes and 4 years of insights with the Tec Dr are shared with us in this interesting podcast. We aim to chat with Ronan Leonard, aka the Tech Dr about his journey into podcasting, why he decided to do it, and to find out what tips he has to share with us from his journey so far. You can also learn more about his insights in this recent article he has written for Irish Tech News https://irishtechnews.ie/10-things-i-learnt-about-podcasting/ and you can follow him on Twitter here https://twitter.com/tecdr

How has technology helped Northern Ireland cope with COVID-19? Ronan talks to Big Motive design directors Rebecca Walsh and Stephen Shaw. Big Motive helped to design a COVID-19 response service app for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and their COVID-19 track and trace app with Nearform who developed our track and trace app. Rebecca and Stephen talk about what Big Motive do, the COVID-19 response service app they helped design, and the challenges they had to overcome. Rebecca and Stephen also talk about our contact tracing app and their partnership with Nearform to design and develop Northern Ireland’s contact tracing app for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland.

Interesting and informative conversation with Fiona MacLachlan who traveled from Cape Clear to Singapore, Australia and Vietnam for several decades before returning to West Cork to launch her farming business. Fiona describes her journey and the various business pivots she followed before finding the right area for her own activities. This interview is an excerpt from the newly launched West Cork islands radio show that is now broadcasting on FM every Thursday Sunday.

We go for a test drive in the new Nissan EV taxi on Cape Clear with Mairtin O'Mealoid, the first of its kind on any Irish Island. This episode will also air on the Cape Clear radio show too.

PwC released their Global consumer survey earlier this week and it revealed how the COVID-19 pandemic is changing urban consumer purchasing habits and behaviours and how global disruption has forced the acceleration of a more digital way of life. Ronan talks to Owen McFeely, Director, PwC Ireland Retail & Consumer Practice about how the survey came about, why during a noticeable digital shift physical stores will still exist, and the increase in online grocery shopping. Owen also talks about the four key trends that the survey noticed, other trends the survey noticed and the positives they noticed that have come out of the pandemic.