Down To Business

The canals of Ireland are more than just historic waterways running through the country, it has become a workplace, a destination and a business built around tourism, food, leisure and recreation.  Nut what is it like to run a business on and around the canal and what opportunities and challenges does it present? Joining Bobby are Mícheál Ó Cionna, proprietor of Canal Boat Restaurant in Dublin. Robert Crilly, proprietor of Midlands Cycle Hub in Longford.  Ger Loughlin, founder and skipper of BargeTrip.ie based in Sallins, Co. Kildare.  

Justin Pennington is the author of The Intrapreneur Leader, and he joined Bobby to discuss why we need to reframe what or who a leader actually is.  

Paul Gillespie, columnist with the Irish Times and UCD academic recently wrote about the town of Shannon and claimed it was a symptom of failure to decentralise the state. Paul joined Bobby this morning to share his thoughts.  

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Conor Maning, MD of Pipelife Ireland.

Joining Boby to go through the main business stories in Saturday’s papers is Gina London, communications consultant and author of Amplify You: How to Connect More Powerfully in an AI world, and Newstalk’s own Eamonn Toursney.  

Bobby was out and about again this week, where he stopped into Volume Records record shop in Dun Laoghaire.  

Doug Stephens is the Founder and CEO of Retail Prophet, and widely regarded as one of the world's foremost retail industry futurists. He joins Bobby to discuss the real world business implications of renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America.

Bobby was out and about again this week where he stopped into the fabulously trendy sandwich spot on Dublin’s Drury Street - Morso!

There's something about a classic car that goes beyond simply getting from A to B. Whether it’s nostalgia, an investment, a restoration project or just the pleasure of driving something with a bit of character, there’s a thriving business built around these cars. So today, we’re looking at the business of classic cars in Ireland - what’s driving demand, what makes a car valuable, and whether these old motors really are a good investment.Joining Bobby to discuss is:Simon Deane of Deane MotorsBernard Bradley, owner of Courtyard Classic CarsMichael Lyons from Lyons Garages in Clare

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Sarah Stone McDevitt, author of ‘The Round Table: How Relational Intelligence Will Become Your Human Advantage in the AI Age’ & Jon Ihle, Deputy Business Editor of the Sunday Times Ireland.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is John Kelly of Suir Engineering.

For a business, “giving back” can sometimes sound like a bit of a corporate cliché, but what does it actually mean when that support reaches the ground and makes a measurable difference to people’s lives? Tesco’s Community Fund has been doing that since 2014, distributing more than €10 million to some 27,000 community projects across Ireland. Joining Bobby to hear all about the initiative is:Louise Glennon, Head of Community at Tesco Ireland John Moylan from Blood Bike West Jacinta Walsh from ABACAS

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is employment law expert, Caroline Reidy & Lorcan Allen of Keating and Associates.

The Budget is only a few weeks away so pre-budget statements are arriving thick and fast. We also know investment in infrastructure will be key to ensuring the Irish economy can function in the years ahead. Andrew Brownlee, CEO of the Construction Industry Federation joins Emmet Oliver to discuss.

When you think about climate change and its effects on your business, how do you feel? Stressed at every new regulation? Or do you see it as a positive challenge that may well add value to your company if you get it right. Sandhya Sabapathy follows the second path and her new book offers a guide to achieving this - she joins Emmet Oliver to discuss.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Pam Stone, Chief Executive of Respa Beds.

From timeless pieces to one-of-a-kind finds, vintage clothes shops are reshaping the way we think about fashion, sustainability and style. But what does the business of vintage actually look like in Ireland? Where is demand coming from, what makes a vintage shop successful, and how is the industry changing? For this week’s Industry Review, we’re looking at the world of vintage clothing with three experts from the sector. Joining Emmet Oliver are: Eddie Shanahan, Retail Consultant Michael Mc Quade, Founder of Badlands Vintage Naomi Fitzgibbon, Vintage Finds You

In a story on the front page of this morning’s Irish Independent, the Government is considering slowing or delaying planned carbon-tax increases as it weighs the cost-of-living burden against Ireland’s climate commitments. The current path towards a €100-per-tonne carbon price would add significantly to petrol, diesel and home-heating costs by 2030, but ministers are examining alternatives, from differentiated rates to stronger supports for cleaner cars and home heating. For more on this Emmet is joined by Fionnan Sheahan, Ireland Editor of the Irish Independent.

For this week's industry review Bobby talks to a group of professionals from an industry we're all familiar with in some way; Dentists. Though they provide us all with a huge service, this often-overlooked healthcare branch has unique challenges even compared to other areas of the health industry.Joining Bobby to discuss all of this is:National Group Advisor to Portman Dentex Ireland and Adjunct Faculty at both the Royal College of Surgeons and University College Cork, Dr Paul O'DwyerOwner of Boyne Dental in Navan, David MurnaghanDentist in Truly Dental Bray and Cherrywood Eavan Deithrick

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Declan Ryan, CEO and Founder of Project Foundry.

Many of us over the years have attended various conferences and events for work, whether they’re in-house offsite events or larger gatherings of hundreds of businesses and industry professionals. But what separates a good conference from a bad one? What is the best way to organise one so that attendees get the most out of it? Joining Bobby to discuss is Professional Public and Motivational Speaker, Enda O’Doherty and Founder of Pendulum Summit, Frankie Sheahan.

We all know how much of a hassle travel can be, from delayed flights and packed airports to the moment you switch off airplane mode and wonder just how much your phone bill is about to cost. But that last part might be changing as an e-sim boom might spell the end of roaming fees. Joining Bobby to discuss is Ciara O’Brien, Irish Times business and technology journalist.

When you have created your own business, brought it to market, and seen it grow, the time to step back and allow others manage it on your behalf can be the hardest decision you will make. Dennis Kuipers has personal experience of this and his observations on how to break free from doing everything yourself forms the backbone to his new book, ‘Breaking Out of Founders' Prison: Make the Shift and Scale Your Business’ - he joins Bobby to discuss.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Joan Mulvihill, Digisation expert and artist & also by Stephen O’Leary the founder of Olytico.

This week Bobby was Out & About at OpenHive Honey.

From designing bridges to building software, engineers are behind much of the world we rely on every day.  But what does the business of civil engineering actually look like in Ireland? Where is demand coming from, what skills are most valuable, and how is the industry changing?  For this week’s Industry Review, we’re looking at the world of civil engineering with four experts from the sector.  Mark Cotter, Chair of Engineers Ireland Cork Region,Dr Mary Moloney, civil structural engineer and lecturer at MTU,Liam Gleeson, Director at GK Consultant Engineers in Lucan,and Eugene O’Brien, Civil Engineer, Adjunct Professor at UCD, and director at Research Driven Solutions

Killian Duffy began his working life as a Rally co-driver. This passion led him to start streaming the final stages of races both here and in the UK. In time, he became frustrated at companies like facebook either deleting his work too soon or not allowing him monetise the real value of the time and energy he put into his work. That has all changed now as On The Pace Note provides all sorts of sports the chance to both stream and monetise their events without being dependent on third parties.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers are Declan Ralph of BWG Foods & journalist and author, Valerie Cox.

Anthropic investors expect the AI stand-up to float at a valuation of $2 trillion in what would be the world's largest IPO.   A listing at that level could unlock billions of dollars in gains for the five-year-old company’s early investors.   Ronan Reid, the director of Cantor Fitzgerald, joins Bobby to discuss all things IPO. 

Joining Bobby in The Executive Chair this week is William McColgan of McColgan Quality Foods.

From wardrobe makeovers to confidence boosts, personal styling has become a growing industry, helping people decide not just what to wear, but how they want to be seen.  But what does the business of personal styling actually look like in Ireland? Who is paying for these services, and how has the industry evolved? For this week’s Industry Review, we’re looking at the world of personal stylists with three experts from the sector. Joining Bobby are: Conor Levey, Personal Shopper at Brown Thomas Heather Shelley Fitzpatrick, Personal StylistEider Leite, Personal Shopper and co-founder of New Chapter,  

Now, running a business can be all-consuming, and without the right systems in place it's easy to become trapped in the day-to-day.  In his new book, Build, Scale, Sell, entrepreneur Paul Flavin uses the fictional story of a business owner to explore the four pillars of building a successful company: marketing, sales, operations and finance.  Paul joins Bobby to discuss.

Caroline Bocquel, Chief Executive Officer, Fáilte Ireland joins Bobby in this week's Executive Chair.

Irish food businesses are facing higher costs on almost every front, but many are still planning to invest. Bobby travels to Wilton Terrace in Dublin, to ask Mark Moriarty why this is.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Robert Whelan, Managing Director of Rockwell, and Louisa Meehan, of Woodview HRM.

How is the Irish food sector doing? With external threats like fuel and fertilizer costs and domestic costs going up around labour, is it a good time to be a producer? Bobby was joined by Conor Kilduff, CEO of Love Irish Food and Lucy Ryan, Head of Food & Beverage at Bank of Ireland to discuss.

How much time should you give yourself for meals when you're working from home? What kind of food should you eat? How can food impact your performance? Adam Kingl joins bobby to discuss his new book on the subject, 'Executive Eats'.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Bob Hoffman, managing partner at Vista Executive Search, and Sarah Stone McDevitt, author of 'The Round Table - How Relational Intelligence Will Become Your Human Advantage in the AI Age.

Bobby popped out to County Clare, to meet a 9-year-old businessman going viral for his honesty box. Bobby meets Paudie Murray, founder of Ubh by Paudie.

The Irish economy is in a strange position - we have strong employment and rising wages, yet many people feel under increasing pressure from housing costs and the tax system.House prices continue to rise despite widespread agreement that they are unaffordable for many buyers, while the debate over whether middle-income workers are carrying too much of the tax burden is intensifying ahead of the Budget.To look at the pressures facing households and the choices facing policymakers, Bobby's joined by Cliff Taylor, columnist with The Irish Times.

It’s an industry that every one of us will encounter at some point in our lives, but one that we don’t often talk about from a business perspective.  Funeral directors provide an essential service, but behind the scenes they are also running complex businesses facing changing customer expectations, rising costs and evolving traditions.  For today’s Industry Review, Bobby's looking at the business of being a funeral director - the challenges, the opportunities and how the sector is adapting in modern Ireland.  Joining is:  Niall Mulligan of Heffernan Funeral Directors in Trim, Former IAFD President  Gus Nichols, Director of Fanagans and 30 year veteran of the business, Former IAFD President  And Jane Clarke, Public Relations Officer for the Irish Association of Funeral Directors and General Manager of Lakeside Memorial Park Cemetery in Portmarnock

Bojana Djordjevic, CEO and Director at Silver Stream Healthcare Group joins Bobby for this week's Executive Chair.

It’s a technophobe’s worst nightmare. A piece of technology seems to have more powers than its inventors thought, and, in modern parlance, it goes rogue. In the age of AI, the fear becomes more real. Earlier this month, a test by OpenAI seems to have done just that. It went beyond the parameters set for itself and launched a cyber attack on what it was testing. The scion of science here in Newstalk joins Bobby to calm our nerves. Jonathan mccrea, presenter of Futureproof

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Ronan Reid of Cantor, and Linda Daly, business reporter for the Sunday Times Ireland.

With the summer economic statement this week, Bobby is joined by economist Austin Hughes to make sense of Ireland's economy in the context of domestic and international matters.

This week’s Industry Review, we’ll be hearing all about the medical professionals who keep us eating well, Dietitians.  We’ll ask how to tune out social media fads, what the differences are between dietitians and nutritionists, and much more. Joining Bobby are three CORU registered Dietitians: Sarah Keogh, Gabriella Cruz, and lecturer in nutrition at SETU WaterfordAoife Hearne

Bobby is joined by the UK's speaker of the year 2026, Robin Kermode, to discuss the value of effective communication in business.

Bobby goes on the road this week to visit the husband and wife team behind Two Pups Cafe in the Liberties.

Liam Kearney, CEO and co-founder of environmental engineering company The Revive Group joins Bobby in this week's Executive Chair.

10 years ago Bobby interviewed a man called Emmet Savage, who was building a subscription service for stock recommendations. After a decade, and a few brand transformations, the company, now called MyWallSt, has finally taken off. Emmet joins Bobby to discuss.