Opportunity knocks with call-out to female entrepreneurs in rural start-ups

Applications for the latest round of the ACORNS programme are now live

Agriculture minister Martin Heydon with ACORNS Community members Clara Mulligan of HomeBot Ireland and Carina Roseingrave, Burren View Farm. Picture: Orla Murray/Coalesce

Agriculture minister Martin Heydon has opened a call for applications for a scheme which helps rural start-ups by female entrepreneurs.

ACORNS (Accelerating the Creation of Rural Nascent Start-ups)  is in its 12th year and is based on the belief that early-stage entrepreneurs learn best from their peers. Participants on the scheme interact with each other and will be facilitated by lead entrepreneurs.

To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must have set up a new business or be actively planning a new venture; or own or part-own a business and be living in a rural area  outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. They must also expect to become an employer within three years.

This year’s voluntary lead entrepreneurs are Alison Ritchie, Polar Ice; Geraldine Jones, Skin Formulas; Karen Kerrigan, Kerrigan’s Mushrooms; Larissa Feeney, Kinore; Mary B Walsh, Ire Wel Pallets; Orla Leahy, Irish Chauffer Travel; and Triona MacGiolla Rí, Aró Digital Strategies.

"Running a business can sometimes feel lonely, but ACORNS creates a supportive environment where women encourage one another, share experiences and realise they don't have to face challenges on their own," said Karen Kerrigan of Kerrigan's Mushrooms.

The deadline for this year's applications is midnight on Friday, September 18, 2026.

To date more than 600 women in rural Ireland have completed a cycle of the ACORNS programme.

"ACORNS has consistently provided the skills, and capability needs that female entrepreneurs require when embarking on their business journey. I am acutely aware of the difficulties that entrepreneurial women can come up against when attempting to start new businesses, especially in rural areas, and the ACORNS programme is a real, tangible, mechanism to mitigate and overcome these challenges," said Mr Heydon. 

Interested entrepreneurs should contact www.acorns.ie.