Waterford beekeeper is 2023 sustainability hero

Trish O’Neill from Dunhill in Waterford was named a Hidden Hearing Hero at this year’s national awards presentation in Dublin. A winner in the newly-created sustainability category, Trish was cited as a lover and protector of nature and the natural world.

A third-generation beekeeper, her love of bees and nature sees Trish support the ecosystem and natural environment in both her career choice and lifestyle.  She works with her bees and has developed ‘Trish’s Honey Products’ too, a labour of love and a case of necessity breeding invention, she says.

“I suffer from allergies and could not source a product that was gentle enough for my sensitive skin. So, I started making my own organic and natural skincare, and realised there was a gap in the marketplace for organic, wholesome unscented skincare that would care and not damage.”

Trish’s Honey Products includes a range of self-care products using beeswax and honey, blended with certified organic plant oils, to create luxurious skincare which is free from parabens, mineral oils, and synthetic colours or fragrances.

The environmentalist brings the product from the hive to the home, making a sustainable locally-available product that cares for the ecosystem and for customers, with an original organic option.

Celebrities from the world of TV and entertainment turned out to congratulate Trish O’Neill and eleven other winners of the 2023 HIDDEN HEARING’ HEROES AWARDS in Dublin.

Kin star, Yasmin Seky, singer Daniel O’Donnell, TV personality Mary Kennedy, actress and new mum, Jenny Dixon, and TV presenters Emer O’Neill, Nuala Carey, and Alan Hughes, were among guests at the gala ceremony to acknowledge Ireland’s everyday superheroes, who do extraordinary things. 

“Hidden heroes like Trish are proving that a ‘positive’ for the environment and climate change does not have to mean a negative for consumers.  She not only works to protects the bees and their ecosystem, but has also developed a sustainable livelihood too, from what she loves doing most” Stephen Leddy, Managing Director of Hidden Hearing, said at the awards presentation.