Port of Waterford teams up with Irish Rail and XPO

At Port of Waterford recently, Iarnród Eireann and XPO Logistics launched a new rail freight service in each direction between Ballina, Co Mayo and Waterford.

The new rail service has begun weekly operations, building to twice-weekly within eight weeks.

It will offer Irish industry a greener and more efficient mode of transporting freight.

I attended the official launch at Belview. You can listen back to that report on this podcast. You can also watch a video here showcasing what this new collaboration means:

The Hot Desk covers wins for Waterford at the Blas na hÉireann awards

Ten local companies won across various categories at the recent Blas na hÉireann awards, which celebrate the best of Irish food and drinks producers.

You'll find the full list of winners here.

I spoke to chairperson of Blas na hÉireann, Artie Clifford, about the ceremony itself. He also discussed the high standard of the winning Waterford companies.

Urban Aran teams up with a Waterford boutique, Mary hears more on The Hot Desk

I was joined in studio by Christine Murphy, founder of Urban Aran. She explained to me how she left a career in hospitality to pursue her love of fashion design.

A knitwear collection from Urban Aran is now being housed at local boutique Muse.

Christine spoke to me about that collaboration.