REVEALED: Mayo Business Awards winners announced at gala event

The winners in the Mayo Business Awards for 2025 have been announced including a single winner for the once-off Impact Pitch competition. The awards were presented by Minister Alan Dillon at a gala lunch awards ceremony with over 200 attendees in McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris, this afternoon Friday, November 7. Winners were announced in no less than 11 categories as well as the Impact Pitch winner which is a special prize to celebrate the tenth year of the prestigious awards.

The Mayo Business Awards 2025 were hosted by Claremorris Chamber led by their president Andrea Kean. They are organised by LEO Mayo and the six Mayo Chambers.

The Neill O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by Orla O’Neill and Emma Joyce to Eugene Dalton representing Corrib Oil. The award is presented in memory of the late Managing Editor of The Mayo News, Neill O'Neill, who in his role as President of Westport Chamber of Commerce, was instrumental in setting up the Mayo Business Awards a decade ago. 

Claremorris Tidy Towns were proud recipients of the Mayo Chambers Award. These two special awards are decided by the judging panels and do not require entry.
The awards event culminated with a very special event celebrating ten years - the Mayo Emerging Business Pitch Competition which has an incredible prize fund of €30,000. The winner was a visibly elated Eoghan Gallagher of Jet Jack. The fledgling Swinford business is an engineering company specialising in the design, development, manufacture and delivery of bespoke automated solutions, specifically tailored to the aviation, energy and recycling sectors.

The Mayo Emerging Business Pitch Competition was specifically designed to spotlight and support an innovative business that is tackling real-world challenges. It was open to all sectors and involved stringent judging including an in person pitch. The seven finalists all took to the stage with John Magee, Head of Enterprise at LEO Mayo, explaining their businesses. The announcement of the overall winner was made at the end. The other six finalists were: Mark Birrane, WONDR Jellies; Brian and Emer Durcan, Western Front Studios; Darren Forde, Eco Powered Cabinets; Maggie O'Carroll, Enterprise Evolution; Donal Byrne, Is Féidir Linn and Brian Lavelle, SPINI VR.

The Mayo Business Awards reach businesses in every corner of County Mayo and are a showcase for the very best in Mayo business and entrepreneurship. The event has become an important date in the Mayo business calendar. The organisers, Mayo LEO and Mayo Chambers, wish to thank the sponsors of the awards, and media partners (Midwest Radio, The Connaught Telegraph, The Mayo News and The Western People) whose support is essential for the awards to run successfully.

Winners: Mayo Business Awards 2025

Best Small-Medium Business (Sponsored by CBE)

Hayes Mechanical and Engineering

Best Start-Up (Sponsored by PTSB)
WONDR Jellies

Digital Excellence + Experience Award (Sponsored by .ie)
Erris Coast Hotel

Excellence in Customer Experience Award (Sponsored by Abbvie)
Cold Call Refrigeration Ltd

Excellence in the Hospitality Sector (Sponsored by Mellett)
Dining Room

Green Game-Changer Award (Sponsored by AIB)
Breaffy House Resort

Inclusive Impact Award (Sponsored by DeCare)
Education DESTY

Innovation for Impact Award (Sponsored by The Grace, Westport Estate)
BRB Homes

Mayo Tourism Award (Sponsored by Fáilte Ireland)
Ballintubber Abbey Trust DAC

Mayo Chamber Award (sponsored by ATU/iHubs)
Claremorris Tidy Towns

The Neill O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award
Corrib Oil

The €30,000 Mayo Emerging Pitch Competition
Eoghan Gallagher, Jet Jack

A full list of this years awards nominee can be viewed here. 

READ MORE: Mayo Business Awards celebrate ten years