The Irish Made Awards event is proud to feature a special category honouring a champion of Irish Made
The Irish Made Awards are open to businesses producing and making products in Ireland, entries are now live and we’re looking for the next big thing across fashion, food, beauty and more. We launched the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and are delighted to celebrate a longstanding Irish-made advocate.
The winner of this award will be a producer, crafter or industry mover and shaker who has contributed to the strength of Irish made. Someone who champions the ethos of supporting what it means to create a product in Ireland. From ingredients and raw materials right through to working with other producers and suppliers, they will be someone who understands that Irish made is so much more than just products for sale, it’s selling a piece of this island’s culture and story. This special category was created to acknowledge them and the recipient will be honoured at the awards ceremony, taking place in October.
To sponsor this prestigious award, we are delighted to welcome back Weir & Sons to the Irish Made Awards 2025, in proud partnership with Circle Club. As a family-run business that has been a stalwart feature of Grafton Street and Ireland for over 150 years, there couldn’t be a more perfect supporter for this award. Founded in 1869 by Thomas Weir, the company has grown to become one of Dublin’s best recognised retailers. For decades, they have been the go-to destination for luxury and designer jewellery, watches and silverware.
Through their involvement in the Irish Made Awards, Weir & Sons demonstrates a steadfast commitment to celebrating and preserving Ireland’s rich heritage of craftsmanship and design excellence.
Speaking about their involvement in this year’s awards, Marketing Director, Lucinda Andrews said: “We are so delighted to be supporting the Irish Made Awards again this year, particularly the Weir & Sons Lifetime Achievement award. As a 150-year-old Irish brand ourselves, we recognise the importance of recognising such a contribution to Irish society. The entries are always of such a high calibre.”
For details on how to enter the Irish Made Awards, see the Awards page, and FAQs here. The deadline is 27 May 2025. Please note the Weir & Sons Lifetime Achievement Award is not for individual entry; the recipient will be decided on by our panel of expert judges and revealed at the awards ceremony in October.
Previous winners
The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 was the Inis Meáin Knitting Company, founded in 1976 by Tarlach DeBlácam and Áine Ní Chonghaile. The company’s designs are shown every year at the menswear trade shows in Florence – and have done for the last 30 years. Read more about their remarkable story here.
The 2023 winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award was Colette Twomey of Clonakilty Blackpudding. The story of this iconic Irish family brand goes back to the 1800s when Clonakilty Blackpudding was first made using a secret recipe, passed down through the generations in our family butcher shop Edward Twomey’s. Today the company continues to grow but one thing that will remain untouched is the Clonakilty secret recipe which, to this day, is only known to Colette.
The 2022 winner of this award was Cushendale Woollen Mill. Six generations of the Cushen family have devoted themselves to crafting superior quality textiles in the small town of Graiguenamanagh from the 18th century to the present day. Today Philip Cushen and his daughter Miriam carry the torch of this incredible Irish business.
