Latest news with #TomDonnellan
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Roscommon to benefit from €350,000 fund for outdoor recreational trails
This funding will help keep the trails in good condition and ensure they remain accessible to walkers and cyclists. The trails are part of a larger network being developed across the midlands under the EU's Just Transition Fund. Follow Independent Roscommon on Facebook The funding will also support a number of trails within the Lough Boora Discovery Park in County Offaly. Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TD, said, 'We're excited to partner with BnM to support the maintenance of these new trails. This investment will help protect the trails and ensure they remain enjoyable for future generations.' BnM CEO Tom Donnellan added: 'We're committed to creating long-term social and environmental value for communities in the Midlands. This partnership with the Department will help us deliver on that commitment." The EU Just Transition Fund partly funds the Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme for Ireland's Midlands 2023-2026. One of the programmes funded through this scheme is the Trail Network Development Scheme. Under this scheme, BnM have been approved for €30 million of funding to support the development of 51kilometres of a midland trail network of universally accessible walking and cycling trails across BnM lands in Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary and Westmeath. The scheme includes trail development on suitable BnM lands, predominantly on former rail beds and bog headlands that were previously used for peat extraction.
Business Post
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Post
Climate-focused Green Grow 2026 open for applications
Tom Donnellan, Chief Executive of BnM, said the programme has consistently delivered since its inception in guiding and supporting businesses in the areas of green technology and renewal energy sectors. 'Accelerate Green is a cornerstone of our commitment to carbon reduction and green technology solutions in Ireland. We are proud to support innovators who are not only building successful businesses but are also making real contributions to the Irish economy'' he said. 'AGG 2026 is an invaluable opportunity for business founders looking to grow and scale in the green technology and renewable energy sectors and I encourage them to apply. I look forward to meeting the newest cohort of 'Grow' participants and to learning more about their unique innovations.' The programme, which begins in January 2026, offers another cohort of scaling green technology innovators the opportunity to accelerate their climate impact. Applicants have until Friday 7th November to apply for the programme, which designed specifically for established SMEs and STEM entrepreneurs who are either scaling or pivoting their businesses to align with the climate change economy. Areas of innovation include renewable energy, AI, sustainability software, circular economy, biodiversity, healthcare, food tech, and other green technology sectors. Delivered in partnership with Resolve Partners, the programme combines eight intensive modules of strategic business workshops, mentoring, and industry engagement. Participants will benefit from business strategy and scale-up mentorship, support in investor readiness and articulating their climate impact, connections with policymakers, funders, and enterprise agencies, opportunities to pilot solutions within BnM, and a platform to present their innovations at the programme's capstone conference, attended by over 300 stakeholders. We are proud to support innovators who are not only building successful businesses but are also making real contributions to the Irish economy BnM also provides unparalleled support throughout the programme, including access to senior leadership expertise, facilities in Boora, Co. Offaly, and the opportunity for direct collaboration on innovation projects. Each participating company is also introduced to a wide ecosystem of industry experts, research networks, and potential investors —positioning them for rapid growth and global scalability. The seventh iteration of the AGG programme concluded last month, and featured nine pioneering businesses from across the island of Ireland. These companies brought forward cutting-edge green technologies spanning renewable energy, energy efficiency, ecology, biodiversity, and the circular economy. This year's standout achievements include a recertification status for Dundalk-based company, Easydry, which now holds a B Corporation trademark, signifying high standards of social and environmental performance. Operating in 25 countries, Easydry supports organisations in reducing water consumption, cutting waste, and streamlining operations through single-use, fully compostable products. Armagh-based Plaswire also made significant strides with its RX Polymer – a transparent, scalable solution for managing waste polymers from production and interior sources. This material is transformed into sustainable construction products, enabling a fully circular process that replaces high-carbon materials such as precast concrete, scarce timber, and virgin plastics. Founder Andrew Billingsley has showcased RX Polymer on the global stage, including at the 55th Paris Airshow and the European Wind Blade Recycling Summit in Berlin. The AGG programme continues to catalyse growth and collaboration beyond each cohort. Some of the key alumni developments include a collaboration between Cork company, Hibra Design (AGG 2023) and BnM's Land and Habitats team has led to the Boglands Electric Tractor Re-engineering (BETR) programme, a pilot initiative to electrify the BnM tractor fleet launching this month. Another significant development is the joint venture between Monaghan company Acel Energy and Galway's Conneely Builders, both AGG alumni. This venture has secured a contract to deliver a 1.2MW solar farm at Shannon Airport, expected to meet up to 20% of the airport's electricity needs. Online business, KnowCarbon, from the 2022 cohort, now operates in 20 countries with its Digital Carbon Twin technology. Using AI, the company enables granular carbon footprint analysis of products, allowing organisations to make data-informed decisions that drive down lifecycle emissions. Participants of AGG over the previous three years said the programme had helped steer their organisations towards green technology and climate-focused initiatives. 'Taking part in BnM Accelerate Green Grow with Resolve Partners has been invaluable for our business,' said Fiona Nulty, co-founder of Biosense, and participant in the Accelerate Green 2025 cohort. 'The expert guidance, mentoring, and peer network helped us to sharpen our strategy, build confidence in our direction, and grow our ambition. It is a well-structured, programme that gives real time and support to companies working on complex environmental challenges.' BnM is supporting Ireland's journey to net zero by providing secure, renewable energy solutions to businesses nationwide. The company is leveraging its landbank, collaborating with strategic partners, and engaging with local communities to develop a 5GW pipeline of renewable energy projects. This includes onshore and offshore wind, solar, biomass, and battery energy storage systems (BESS), all aimed at enabling industrial growth while contributing to a more sustainable future. BnM has been serving communities across Ireland for over 90 years, and today we continue to support business and local communities not only by safeguarding renewable energy supply, but also through our dedicated programme of community initiatives ranging from community benefit funds and our business accelerator Accelerate Green, to our Pathways to the Future educational supports.
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Australian Sheffield United fans travel 10,000 miles to Championship play-off final
Three generations of one Sheffield United family have flown 10,000 miles from Australia to watch their team's Championship play-off Donnellan, along with his dad Tom and son Jack, touched down at Heathrow on Thursday, ahead of the Blades' match against Sunderland at Wembley on Saturday. Tom emigrated from South Yorkshire to Perth in 1982 when Tony was aged just eight. But the family always kept in touch with their roots and remained Sheffield United supporters down under. While 76-year-old Tom managed to get to a game at Bramall Lane two years ago, Tony has not been back to the UK for 43 years. Jack, who is 23, is visiting his dad's native country for the first time. Tony, 51, said: "I'm just buzzing. It's unbelievable to be here and we can't wait for the game. "We always said if we made it to a final at Wembley we'd come back for it. My old man thought he'd missed the boat, but when we got to the final I said to him, "get packing"."The first pub we got into in London was full of Sunderland fans so we had to bail out of that one pretty quickly! It was all red-and-white, but the wrong sort of red-and-white!" Tom, who was a welder by trade, took his family to Australia as industry in Sheffield hit hard times in the early 1980s. Tony then followed his dad into welding and even ended up becoming his father's boss. Although following their team's results was hard in the early years after they emigrated, the internet and technological advances made it easier more recently. "When we first went to Australia we obviously couldn't watch any of the games, but now we can get SUTV (Sheffield United's in house TV channel) over there," Tony added."I've started to follow the (Sheffield United-supporting) Blades Ramble podcast in the last couple of years and you feel a bit more engaged with it now, because you're part of a community rather than just watching games by yourself at three o'clock in the morning. "My old man lives in a part of Perth called Little England and he goes drinking with some of the Pommie couples who live around there, so we still feel connected to England." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
