Latest news with #Enniscorthy-based
Irish Independent
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Wexford skincare company sweeps 14 accolades in global beauty awards
The Green Beauty Awards exist to spotlight the products, people, and brands setting new standards in sustainable beauty. Their goal isn't just to reward what's popular, but to highlight what's truly progressive. From packaging that reduces waste to ingredients backed by science and integrity, winning entries reflect the direction the beauty industry is heading—thoughtful, transparent, and accountable. The awards are judged by a dedicated panel of independent experts from across the beauty industry. This includes professionals with backgrounds in formulation, beauty journalism, skincare education, and sustainability. A representative explained what the judges are looking for: 'judging is based on more than just first impressions. We look at the quality and efficacy of each product, as well as how well the brand aligns with the green values of the category they've entered. This includes factors like ingredient sourcing, packaging choices, ethical manufacturing, and overall environmental impact.' "This is our sixth 'green' awards and it has been truly quite astonishing. We had an incredible 700 plus product entries of a variety of green, clean and eco beauty products. The awards celebrates the beauty industry's move towards making their products, packaging and sourcing more kind to the planet and indeed to our skin,' they added. As such, they have seen a huge shift in brands looking at their packaging and what they house the products in. Many have revisited their approach to plastic - some are looking at plastic neutral, others at recycled plastic, bio plastic, plastic that can be recycled after use, and others looking at refills for their containers. Holos was very successful in the 2025 competition, taking home 14 awards overall for a range of popular products. They took home the award for Best Vegan Face Oil, Best Vegan Hand Product, Best Aluminium Packaging, Best Vegan Beauty Product, Best 100 per cent Plant Based Beauty Product, Best Argan Product, and Best Shea Butter Product among many more. The Enniscorthy-based brand was founded in 2013, arising from Niamh Hogan's passion for botanical skincare, and her work as an holistic therapist. Just ten years since the first Holos collection, the business is achieving annual global sales of over €1M. Speaking on the win, Niamh said: 'It means the world to see our products recognised with these incredible awards. A massive thank you to our amazing community.'
Irish Independent
06-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Hope Centre Summer Solstice Walk cancelled after 14 years due to health and safety concerns – ‘It's was a very difficult decision'
While it may seem a simple event – a walk along one of Wexford's finest beaches, some meditation and a candlelight ceremony – the Hope Cancer Support Centre have been forced to cancel their annual Summer Solstice Walk and Ceremony of Light and Healing owing to health and safety concerns and additional requirements placed on them to obtain the required event insurance. The Enniscorthy-based cancer support charity has been running the event since 2011 and it's become an incredibly popular and important event, affording participants the opportunity to reflect on their own cancer battles or those of a loved one, remember those who've gone before and to just talk to people who've had similar experiences. This year, however, the event will sadly not go ahead, with some regular participants stating that it's another beloved event 'ruined by red tape'. "The difficult decision was taken following a health and safety risk assessment and a thorough review of the event,' Administration Manager at the Hope Cancer Support Centre Denise McDonald said. "It was a huge decision and we deliberated on it for a while. Unfortunately, there were additional health and safety requirements with the event being on the beach and it was just beyond our capacity. "We know people will be upset about it and that's why we're going to try and do some alternative events including a meditative video on our social media platforms and website and we're going to put a 'Tree of Hope' outside the centre here where people can place their own symbols and messages.' Details of these alternative events will be announced in due course, while a return of the Solstice Walk has not entirely been ruled out. "Well you'll note the wording that it's just cancelled for this year,' Denise says. 'It may go ahead again in the future, we just don't know. Unfortunately, we just don't have the capacity to do it this year and that's a decision we arrived at after much consideration.'
Irish Independent
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Chadwicks Wexford Park hosting Wicklow versus Waterford Tailteann Cup clash
And while it would be stretching it to apply that adjective to events about to unfold in Chadwicks Wexford Park, the novelty value is at least worthy of note. I'm referring to the national GAA fixture list for next Saturday, and the fact that our main county ground will play host to a neutral game after a gap of almost 20 years. Eyebrows were raised – albeit in a positive way – when the games were perused and it emerged that Wicklow will be meeting Waterford in their Group 2 game in the Tailteann Cup in Chadwicks Wexford Park at 6 p.m., with Dublin's Barry Tiernan the man in the middle for this third round encounter. While it's the perfect location in a geographical sense for once, the opportunities to stage such matches don't come around often in this part of the world. Being stuck in the south-east corner of the country comes with its disadvantages, unlike midlands towns such as Portlaoise and Tullamore that routinely serve as the venue for neutral encounters. By way of comparison, the last such match to take place in Wexford Park was on May 21, 2006, when Carlow defeated Wicklow by 4-9 to 0-12 in the first round of the Leinster Senior football championship. There was a time when the venue was used regularly for meetings between Kilkenny and Dublin in the Leinster Senior hurling championship, but we are rapidly approaching the 50th anniversary of the last such occurrence – on June 29, 1975 when the Cats triumphed in a semi-final by 3-16 to 1-7. The legendary Eddie Keher led the scoring stakes for the winners with 1-8, while Mick 'Cloney' Brennan and the late Liam 'Chunky' O'Brien added goals in a game refereed by Noel Matthews, the Meath-born and Enniscorthy-based Garda who has also passed to his eternal reward. An interesting name on the Dublin team at midfield was another long-time Enniscorthy resident and former St. Peter's College principal Pat Quigley, a native of Tipperary who was their joint top scorer with 0-4 along with former All Star Mick Bermingham (1-1). The curtain-raiser that day saw the Wexford Minors lose a Leinster semi-final to Dublin by 3-11 to 3-9, with the team including John 'Stella' Walker in goal, Jimmy Holohan at right half-back, John Conran at right half-forward, and Ger Flood at right corner-forward. Moving forward to that football game in 2006, the outcome prompted Wicklow manager Hugh Kenny to announce his resignation in the dressing-room afterwards. 'I told the lads that whatever match they play in the future, I'll be there to support them but the time is right to make way,' he said. 'I had made up my mind a long time ago that I'd go if we didn't beat Carlow in the championship, and I'm sticking to that.' Shane Scanlon, reporting for the 'Irish Independent' noted that: 'Wexford Park soaked up an avalanche of overnight rain, but you'd scarcely think so such was the pristine state of the sod.' Former Meath midfielder Liam Hayes was managing the Carlow side, and they were powered to victory with goals from man of the match Thomas Walsh, Alan Kelly, Simon Rea and Brian Carbery. Saturday's game is likely to attract a few curious neutral observers from Wexford, and I'm hoping that the venue will also be considered for an even bigger hurling game that may or may not happen in the coming weeks. With Kilkenny already through to the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor hurling championship semi-final, their opposition will be provided by Waterford if the Déise lads first overcome Limerick in Thurles on Sunday. Should that pairing arise, then Chadwicks Wexford Park would be the most suitable venue. While county HQ hasn't been used much for neutral matches in recent times, a fair share of schools, colleges, LGFA and camogie games have taken place in the likes of Gorey, Bellefield, St. Patrick's Park and New Ross. One of the most unusual saw Páirc Uí Shíocháin host Slaughtneil of Derry's victory over Sarsfields from Galway in the AIB All-Ireland Senior Club camogie semi-final three years ago. Geographically it was a bizarre choice, but it was borne out of necessity due to bad weather that had ruled out all potential locations in the northern half of the country.
