PHOTO Vicky Comerford
Solar Precision wins coveted Business of the Year at the 25th anniversary Kilkenny Business Awards
Watch the Video here!
Solar Precision was named the 25th Kilkenny Business of the Year at the prestigious Kilkenny Business Awards held at the Lyrath Estate Hotel last night, Saturday, November 22nd.
Once again hosted by popular broadcaster Marty Whelan, the event brought together almost 600 representatives of local enterprise, to celebrate 25 years of success, innovation, and excellence across the county.
The overall Business of the Year was presented to Solar Precision by President Anne Barber and Therese Bourke from main sponsor Vhi.
Solar Precision Ltd delivers high-quality solar PV solutions to residential, commercial, and public sector clients. Committed to innovation, customer service, and sustainability, the company specialises in precision-engineered solar pv systems, smart monitoring, and long-term support, helping clients reduce energy costs.
Kilkenny Business Awards were presented to 24 outstanding local businesses during the gala event, including the President’s Award which went to John Purcell in recognition of his outstanding work in and support of local broadcasting and the Lifetime Achievement Award which went to Mike Kelly, the founder of Young Irish Film Makers who has inspired so many young people to create and to develop in the arts in Ireland and internationally.
This year, a Special Recognition Award was presented to Michael Rossiter, who announced his retirement from his shoe repair business after 40 years serving Kilkenny city and county.
President of the Chamber, Anne Barber, said “Being able to honour people who have contributed so much to life in Kilkenny, whether in business or in the arts, is very rewarding for the Directors of Kilkenny Chamber.
It is a special privilege to be recognising the best of Kilkenny businesses, on this our 25th anniversary. All the shortlisted businesses should be proud of their tremendous achievements in getting through the rigorous judging process”.
Therese Bourke, Head of Customer Service at Vhi (main sponsor), commented ‘Vhi is proud to be the title sponsor of the Kilkenny Business Awards, celebrating 25 years of excellence and innovation in our local business community. This year Vhi also marks 25 years of Vhi’s presence in Kilkenny, and we’re delighted to celebrate this shared milestone with the Chamber and local businesses.
These awards showcase the vital role businesses play in strengthening Kilkenny’s economy, and we commend the Kilkenny Chamber’s leadership. Congratulations to all finalists on their achievements and wish all continued success.”
Kilkenny Chamber’s chosen charity for 2025 is the St. Vincent de Paul Society. CEO John Hurley paid tribute to the sponsors, who make the Awards possible, and thanked John Masterson, Fastlane Audio Visual, Mycrofilms, K. Hope Creative, and the Lyrath Estate Hotel, the Chamber’s partners in the presentation of the night.
| Category | Winners 2025 | Sponsor |
| Age Friendly Business
|
UPMC Aut Even Physiotherapy Department | Kilkenny Co Co |
| Café, Bar or Restaurant of the Year | Wild Tails Café | Merlyn |
| Culture Heritage & Tourism
|
Ceoltoiri at St Canice’s Cathedral | KCLR96fm |
| Customer Service
|
Rapid Fire & Safety | Bank of Ireland |
| Design & Craft
|
Kilgallen & Partners | Design & Crafts Council |
| eCommerce & Digital Business
|
Olive for Education | Kilkenny People |
| Employee of the Year
|
Rustiq Salon (Jane Fitzgerald) | T Butler Engineering |
| Employer of the Year
|
St Canice’s Credit Union | AIB |
| ESG Excellence
|
Goatsbridge Trout | Gaeltec Utilities |
| Family Business of the year Award | Solar Precision Ltd. | PwC
|
| Hotel & Accommodation Provider of the year | Killure Cottages | PRL Group |
| Innovation in Business
|
Fairstone Kilkenny | Connollys Red Mills |
| International Trade Award
|
ISE Forest & Garden | EY |
| Investment in Skills, Training & Development of Staff | Mint Medispa | Carlow Kilkenny Skillnet |
| Night Time Experience Award
|
Six After 6 | Kilkenny Co Co |
| Retailer of the Year
|
Valley of Roses | FBD |
| Salon of the year Award
|
Luke Parsons Hair Salon | Tirlan |
| Small Business Award
|
Yellow Deer Designs | Kilkenny Local Enterprise Office |
| Taste of Kilkenny Award
|
Kilkenny Pembroke Hotel | Kilkenny Leader |
| Volunteer Engagement Award
|
Linguan Valley Tourism Board | Kilkenny Volunteer Centre & PPN |
| President’s Award
|
John Purcell | Kilkenny Chamber |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Mike Kelly | Kilkenny Chamber
|
| Special Recognition Award
|
Michael Rossiter | Kilkenny Chamber |
| Overall Business of the Year Award | Solar Precision Ltd. | Kilkenny Chamber |
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Celebrate excellence at the Kilkenny Business Awards 2025! Join us for a dazzling night of networking, entertainment, and honouring the best in local business. Tickets are selling fast—secure yours now by emailing Róisín at admin@kilkennychamber.ie Don’t miss the event of the year on Saturday 22nd November at the Lyrath Estate Hotel!
The full list of Finalists and Category Sponsors can be found at KBA 2025 Finalists
We are grateful to all our sponsors for their support in making this such a special event. Thanks to Vhi our main sponsor, and MindaClient who supported our online nomination and application process and all our Category sponsors too.
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Kilkenny Business Awards 2025 shortlist announced
The shortlist for the 2025 Kilkenny Business Awards, sponsored by Vhi, has officially been announced by the Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the awards, making it a particularly significant celebration of business excellence across Kilkenny City and County.
Kilkenny Chamber received a large volume of nominations and despite the very high standard of applications, the Independent selection panel has put through 58 local businesses to complete across 20 award categories.
The Shortlisted applicants will attend interviews on Wednesday, 22nd October 2025. Hosted by the Kilkenny Pembroke Hotel and the Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel, and involving 21 judges drawn from the business community in Kilkenny who give freely of their time on the day.
We thank all those who applied for the Awards, particularly those who were unsuccessful in getting through.
The Gala Awards Evening will be hosted by Marty Whelan at the Lyrath Estate Hotel on Saturday, 22nd November 2025, where the winners will be revealed.
We are looking forward to the Gala Awards Night in the Lyrath Estate Hotel on 22nd November – tickets will be available next week, and you can book by contacting Róisín at admin@kilkennychamber.ie
The full list of Finalists and Category Sponsors can be found at KBA 2025 Finalists
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Open to all businesses operating in Kilkenny City and County, the nomination process was officially announced by Lisa Walsh, Corporate Account Manager at Vhi at an event hosted by Kilkenny Chamber at Statham’s in the Pembroke Hotel. Kilkenny Chamber is now calling upon individuals and enterprises across Kilkenny to nominate businesses for up to 3 of the 20 prestigious awards.
This year, we are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Kilkenny Business Awards which makes it a very special year. Our Gala Awards Evening, hosted by Marty Whelan, will take place at the Lyrath Estate Hotel on Saturday 22nd November, and all the winners will be announced then.
APPLICATIONS
If it’s your own business you can proceed directly to making your application by clicking on the link below. The deadline date for receipt of applications is Friday 3rd October.
NOTE: This deadline has been extended to Monday 6th October.
APPLY NOW!
There are two types of application – use the Volunteer Engagement application ONLY for the Volunteer Engagement Award, and use the General Application for all other Awards.
Successful shortlisted applicants MUST be available to attend for interview on Wednesday 22nd October 2025.
Terms and Conditions can be read here and the Category Definitions can be found here.
See Winners KBA 2024 for a list of last year’s winners.