Aileen Hanley originally from The Hill of Tara in Co. Meath where her grandparents were the last private owners, is no stranger to tourism and hospitality. Aileen & her husband have operated The Strand Cahore, the award-winning Gastro Pub specialising in fresh fish since January 2018. Having studied Accounting & Finance in Dublin Business School, Aileen said ‘accounting definitely wasn’t the career for me. My passion and drive are in hospitality and tourism, although having the experience of my studies helps in running your own business’. Aileen’s focus this year along with her husband Patrick Hanley, the newly elected President of Gorey Chamber of Commerce is in upskilling their team. ‘Often this industry is overlooked in relation to education and skills and can be unattractive for people to obtain a career in it, however, I believe with the right environment and education, this is a very rewarding and exciting industry to be part of. Irish Hospitality workers and their employers need meaningful change; they deserve smart policies and practical programs delivered by smart politicians, enabling them to achieve their goals and ensure that they are recognised as being part of the most competitive and economic sector in Ireland. Tourism and Hospitality employ between 150,000 – 250,000 people in Ireland annually, earning €5.6 billion in revenue and welcoming 10.6 billion people from abroad.’
Aileen is not only a mother of two young girls and business owner but is a Director on the Board of The Restaurants Association of Ireland. Aileen continues ‘While you may not always see me when you visit us in this beautiful part of the world overlooking the Atlantic Sea, I am very lucky to be working alongside 19 other Directors of the Association and the CEO Adrian Cummins to represent people within the industry. The Association is an important one especially in today’s climate where VAT rates and the cost of operating a business are at an all-time high. We want to continue to liaise with our politicians to drive the VAT rate back down to 9% and request that Home Economics becomes mandatory in all second-level
children’s education with immediate effect.’
‘Having moved from the tourism hub of Co. Kerry, running a business in the South East has been a very exciting and rewarding challenge and there has never been a better time to be a Woman in Business. With new initiatives to drive business in to the Region such as Invest Wexford, the South East is the biggest economic region after Dublin with 605,000 people within the 5 counties… it’s time to extract yourself from the rat race and move to the Sunny South East where you will gain a whopping 300 extra hours in sunshine… this was a no brainer for me!’
The Strand Cahore
Cahore Pier
Gorey
Co. Wexford
Y25 K063
00353 (0)53 94 27486
Restaurants Association of Ireland. Leinster Awards presentations, Killashee House Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare. March 2019.
