Harp Media win top prize at Longford Enterprise Awards
Firms from Ballymahon, Granard and Edgeworthstown are among the winners at the 2024 County Longford Enterprise Awards.
Granard-based film production company, Harp Media, were awarded the top prize at a ceremony on Thursday 7 March, during Local Enterprise Week.
Harp Media were founded in 2018 by award-winning duo Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney. They specialise in short and feature-length films, factual TV programming, corporate videos and filmmaking training initiatives.
Their debut feature film, ‘Lakelands’, gained worldwide acclaim, and was shown in Santa Barbara, California, across the UK, Europe and the USA, before finishing with a tour of five cities in Australia.
The film was nominated for four IFTA awards.
Harp Media now go on to represent Longford at the National Enterprise Awards in the Mansion House in Dublin on May 23 2024.
Other winners at County Longford Enterprise Awards include:
• Wilder & Gold: Established in 2018 by Marie O’Dowd, Wilder & Gold in Ballymahon is an independent lifestyle store and deli offering a diverse range of homewares, gift items and locally sourced deli products.
• Hugh Quinn: Winner of the ‘Spirit of Longford’ award. The Quinn family have operated Quinn Supply Stores in Edgeworthstown for five generations, and Hugh Quinn is now running it. Hugh has also played a pivotal role in the community development of Edgeworthstown over the years; he has as a director of Edgeworthstown District Development Association and Edgeworthstown Traders Association.
• Thermwall: Founded in 2023 by brothers Guram and Bisek Baisonashvili, Thermwall Ireland specialises in manufacturing customised insulation solutions from upcycled polystyrene Styrofoam beads.
• Fabiani: Founded by Louise Brennan a decade ago, Fabiani is a renowned women’s designer clothing and footwear store, offering curated fashion from top global brands and featuring a coffee shop and beauty studio.
• Larkin Windows: Established in 1992 by Brendan Larkin, Larkin Windows is a leading supplier of premium aluminium and uPVC doors, windows and more located at Ballinamuck, .
Harp Media now competed against 30 other finalists from every other local authority for a share of the €35,000 prize fund. National judging is in April.
In addition to eight regional awards, national categories include ‘Best Export Business,’ ‘Best Start-Up’, ‘Innovation’, ‘One to Watch’ and the ‘Sustainability’ award.
Among the guests at the County Longford Enterprise Awards were Longford County Council leas-cathaoirleach Cllr Garry Murtagh, Longford Municipal District cathaoirleach Cllr Martin Monaghan, Ballymahon Municipal District cathaoirleach Cllr Paul Ross, and Senator Micheál Carrigy.
Cllr Murtagh congratulated the winners, particularly Harp Media, “a great creative local business that is putting Longford on the map globally”.
“I wish them every success when they represent County Longford at the national finals in Dublin in May.”
Mr Mahon said that the quality of entries in the Enterprise Awards is a demonstration of the vibrant economy in County Longford, and offered his “congratulations to all.”
Longford County Council head of Enterprise Michael Nevin said: “Local Enterprise Office, Longford has been delighted to support Harp Media from their days as a start-up film production company. Longford has a strong record of supporting creative businesses and we’re now looking forward to seeing those businesses continue to shine at national and indeed international level.”
Local Enterprise Week is organised by Local Enterprise Offices, and supported by Enterprise Ireland, local authorities, including Longford County Council and the Government of Ireland.
For further information, check out LocalEnterprise.ie/Longford or follow Local Enterprise Office, Longford on social media.