tags:** Provide a clear container for your text.**Article Content:**### FASHION & BEAUTY#### **Caoimhe Dowling**Caoimhe Dowling, a Limerick School of Art and Design graduate, is an established fashion designer based in Copenhagen. She is renowned for her emphasis on sustainability and ethical production. Dowling's first collection, "Turning Blue," featured woven textiles crafted in collaboration with Scottish artisans and Donegal Yarns. Her innovative designs, combining traditional tweeds with repurposed denim, have garnered widespread recognition.#### **Alice McGrath**Alice McGrath, a young Irish model, made her debut in January 2023, opening Dior's haute couture show at the Musée Rodin in Paris. Since then, she has collaborated with prestigious brands such as Dior, Chanel, and Miu Miu. McGrath's captivating presence and raw talent have earned her a global following, with covers for magazines like Harper's Bazaar Korea and Heroine.#### **Eimear Lynch**Lynch, a former Maynooth University graduate, is an accomplished photographer specializing in fashion and documentary imagery. Her reportage-based photo book, published in 2024, explored the complexities of female adolescence. She has worked with acclaimed photographer Tim Walker and has been actively involved in environmental campaigns through her photography. Lynch is currently based in Brighton, exploring the intersection of fashion and documentary storytelling.#### **Suzy Dunne**Suzy Dunne, co-founder of Hildun Beauty, has built a formidable presence in the Irish beauty industry. Hildun Beauty's affordable, high-performance products have gained widespread popularity. Dunne's unwavering commitment to innovation and accessibility has led to collaborations with renowned makeup artist Hannah Martin. Dunne's brand is poised for significant international success.#### **Peigín Crowley**Crowley, a respected beauty and wellness entrepreneur, is the founder of Ground Wellbeing. Her award-winning wellness brand offers carefully curated products designed to address health issues such as anxiety, sleep problems, and IBS. Crowley's empathetic approach and deep understanding of women's health have resonated with consumers, leading to the availability of her products in some of the world's leading spas.### ARTS#### **Ella Bertilsson**Bertilsson, a Swedish-born artist based in Ireland since 2003, explores the boundaries between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Her multidisciplinary work has included pop-up nail bars, cardboard cut-out landscapes, and live performances. Bertilsson has received several accolades, including a recent award from Temple Bar Gallery and Studios. She is optimistic about addressing the challenges facing artists in 2025, particularly in relation to studio space.#### **Keara Simonsen**Simonsen, a recent Ulster University graduate, is an artist exploring identity, family, diaspora, and urban decay through documentary-based work. Her thought-provoking creations have garnered recognition, including the RDS Members Art Fund Award. Simonsen draws parallels between her exploration of the Filipino Tagalog language and the contemporary context of the Irish language. Her work emphasizes the universal experience of disconnection from one's own heritage.#### **Garrett Carr**Carr's most recent novel, "The Rule of the Land," explores the Irish Border. This non-fiction portrait gained substantial attention following its publication in 2023. Carr is currently working on his debut novel, which focuses on the lives of fishermen in Killybegs, Co. Donegal. The novel's themes of ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances have attracted interest from multiple publishers, and it will be published by Picador in February 2025.#### **Catherine Airey**An accomplished Irish-British novelist, Airey's debut novel, "Confessions," has received widespread praise. Her writing has shades of Donna Tartt and Jeffrey Eugenides, but her captivating storytelling transports readers from New York to Ireland and back again. Airey's novel examines profound themes of loneliness and the immigrant experience. Ahead of her novel's release in late January, she has already garnered pre-emptive deals with major publishers.#### **Alessandra Azeviche**Hailing from Brazil, Azeviche is an accomplished dancer and capoeirista. She has collaborated with Irish and international choreographers and is actively involved in promoting social change through her art. Azeviche's debut solo show, "Terra," sold out at the Dublin Fringe in 2024, and she plans to tour it in 2025. Her work explores themes of counter-colonization, indigenous wisdom, and the interconnectedness of migration, the environment, and social justice.### ENTREPRENEURSHIP & TECH#### **Cormac Chisholm, Patrick Guiney-Fox and Darren Britton**DevAlly, a company co-founded by Chisholm and Guiney-Fox, seeks to address accessibility issues in the tech industry. They have developed a compliance management platform that helps businesses incorporate accessibility into their product development processes. DevAlly has gained international recognition and was recently named one of the finalists at Helsinki's Slush pitch event.#### **Akhil Voorakkara, Colm O'Brien, Jamie Wedderburn and Will O'Brien**Ulysses Ecosystem Engineering, established in 2023, develops drones that can be used to automate ocean habitat restoration. Their drones collect seeds from healthy donor meadows and replant them in areas where seagrass has been lost. This technology significantly reduces the cost of restoration projects and allows for larger-scale and faster implementations. The company has recently raised funds to further develop their machinery.#### **Olivia Humphreys**Humphreys, an inventor with a personal connection to cancer treatment, developed Athena, a portable scalp cooling device. This device makes scalp-cooling therapy more mobile, cheaper, and more flexible for patients. Humphreys' invention won the James Dyson Awards, making her the first Irish inventor to achieve this prestigious honor since the awards began in 2006.#### **Dipeche Sharma and James Kelly**Agilepitch is an AI platform co-founded by Sharma and Kelly that automates repetitive tasks in software sales processes. By utilizing AI, the platform helps companies centralize sales-related documentation, integrate with existing technologies, and identify new business opportunities. The company targets B2B enterprise software sales and has plans for a future seed round.#### **Aisling and Mark Kirwan**Positive Carbon, founded by the Kirwan couple, aims to tackle food waste at the source: commercial kitchens. Their system uses sensors to track, trace, and eliminate food waste. The company has secured funding and expanded into the UK market.### ENVIRONMENT#### **Kevin Wallace**Wallace, a micro farmer in Co. Limerick, employs Korean Natural Farming techniques to enhance the microbiome of the land and grow nutrient-dense produce without the use of harmful chemicals. He emphasizes minimal soil disturbance to boost soil fertility and prevent nutrient depletion. Wallace believes that farmers have a responsibility to produce food ethically and sustainably, challenging the industrial-scale approaches that have degraded natural ecosystems.#### **Mary Fleming**Disturbed by the dark side of fast fashion, Fleming founded ChangeClothes.org to provide a positive solution to the problem of clothing waste. Her Dublin-based studio offers a community-based clothing swap, allowing shoppers to exchange gently used clothing for tokens they can use to acquire "new to them" items. Fleming also organizes free repair cafes, corporate workshops, and community events. ChangeClothes.org empowers local communities to reduce clothing waste while promoting sustainability.#### **Dr Eleanor Mullen**Dr. Mullen's childhood near Killarney National Park ignited her passion for environmental protection. She studied physics and pursued a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, where she also founded the Trinity Urban Garden. Mullen's research focuses on the complex relationship between humanity's demand for materials and its environmental impact. She emphasizes the importance of integrating sustainable practices, particularly green chemistry principles, into the design process to minimize resource consumption and mitigate environmental harm.#### **Dr Ola Lökken Nordrum**As an anaesthesiology trainee, Dr. Nordrum was shocked by the lack of emphasis on climate and environmental health in his medical training. He believes that healthcare systems must transform to reduce their environmental footprint and promote health. Through Irish Doctors for the Environment, Nordrum and other medical professionals advocate for climate action, emphasizing the inextricable link between human health and the natural world. He calls for long-term funding, dedicated healthcare staff, and policy changes to ensure that the healthcare system operates in a more sustainable manner.#### **Sumaya Mohammed**Mohammed, a climate and human rights activist, believes that Cop29 is a critical forum to address the climate crisis. As part of the University College Cork delegation to Baku, Azerbaijan, she emphasized the transformational power of education. Mohammed's advocacy has included organizing climate protests in Cork, representing Ireland at Cop27, and establishing Somalis for Sustainability. She remains steadfast in her commitment to raise awareness and fight for climate justice.### FOOD & WINE#### **Áine