Rural Mayo entrepreneur set to benefit from vital cash injection

Mayo entrepreneur and founder of House of Achill, Anna Sutcliffe who specialises in handcrafted products inspired by the island and the Wild Atlantic Way has received a quick cash injection to invest in new technology thanks to the RISE community fund which is supported by National Broadband Ireland (NBI).

Established by NBI Chairman, David Mc Court, RISE has awarded over 140 cash grants across the country to rural organisations seeking to boost their digital ecosystems. The fund is also supported by corporate sponsors including KN Circet, KPMG, Test Triangle, DreamDev Technologies and TLI Group. 

With a passion for empowering island-based businesses and nurturing a vibrant network of artisans, Sutcliffe has spearheaded the creation of a groundbreaking Island Guild together with the Design & Crafts Council Island (DCCI), which is set to launch later this year to serve as a platform to elevate unique craftsmanship of Ireland’s islands. Receiving the cash grant from the RISE Community Fund, Sutcliffe is looking to expand her business online in anticipation of soon having access to word-class fibre broadband through NBI’s rollout of the Government’s National Broadband Plan.

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Anna Sutcliffe, founder of House of Achill, commented: "Like so many of Ireland’s amazing islands, Achill is home to an incredible number of talented and creative artisan producers. At House of Achill, we’ve successfully built our business by combining our passion for quality artisan products with being active in championing island communities. 

 "Knowing that NBI’s rollout across the island is underway, it’s exciting to plan for expanding our business by embracing opportunities to grow our reach online. We’re currently creating a new website with more sophisticated functionality that will not only increase our sales, but also support e-networking for other artisan producers. With this grant from RISE, we’re able to invest in taking our business to the next level."

With nearly 2,500 premises on Achill Island imminently able to connect to the NBI network, David McCourt, Chairman of NBI and founder of RISE, explained why he was keen to visit the area and give back to the community with these grants. 

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"At NBI we have the privilege of meeting so many incredible people who help make their rural communities thrive and Anna from House of Achill is a perfect example," said McCourt. 

"We’re delighted to support Anna with her goals to use technology to scale the impact of her business by awarding this grant from the RISE Community Fund, and we’re excited to soon welcome her, and other Achill residents, onto the NBI network in the coming weeks. With over 125,000 rural residents, farms, schools and businesses already connected by NBI, Anna is going to join those who are seeing the transformational benefits of high-speed fibre broadband thanks to the National Broadband Plan."

NBI is reminding Achill residents that, like Anna, they can also place their order for high-speed fibre broadband which is currently being rolled out across the island by visiting www.nbi.ie. 

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