The annual Budget Breakfast hosted by Kinsale and District Lions Club drew a capacity crowd to the Kinsale Hotel and Spa last week, with more than 300 guests including members of the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, the Fire Service, Cork Chamber of Commerce, the Southern Law Association, and Chartered Accountants Ireland, as well as representatives from the SME sector, led by Neil McDonnell of ISME.

The breakfast was headlined by Minister Jack Chambers, while club president Cormac Fitzgerald set the tone with his opening address.

‘It is wonderful to see such a full house once again for this very special event. Each year, it continues to grow. Today really shows what can be achieved when all sectors of society come together with a common purpose’.

Singling out the role of SMEs as ‘the backbone of the Irish economy’, Mr Fitzgerald thanked local employers including Eli Lilly for their contribution to the Kinsale community. Special welcomes were extended to Stephen Keohane, chairman of Chartered Accountants Ireland Cork Society, Pamela McCreedy, president of Chartered Accountants Ireland, and Áine Collins on her international appointment to the board of IFAC. Thanks were also expressed to Ronan Fahy and his team at Kinsale Hotel and Spa for their ‘warm hospitality and professional support’.

Students from Kinsale Community School’s Business and Economics class spent some time engaged in lively discussion with Jim Power, who commended the ‘next generation of business and community leaders’.

The proceeds from the event will support CUH Charity’s paediatric cancer ward and a range of local community initiatives, and also celebrated local sporting talent including cycling champion Cormac O’Callaghan. Representatives from Cork University Hospital, Prof Conor Deasy Prof Andy Philips, Jennifer Meagher, and Prof Colin Hawkes spoke about the real-world impact of community support on families facing childhood illness at Cork University Hospital.

Founded in 1991, Kinsale & District Lions Club is part of Lions Clubs International, the world’s largest volunteer service organisation. With 52 active members, the club supports local families, healthcare initiatives and community development, and recently received a Club Excellence Award from Lions Clubs Ireland & International, ‘a recognition of outstanding service, leadership, and impact’.