Ireland’s favourite local business competition underway
Chance to win Love Tipperary Gift Card
Businesses across the county of Tipperary are in the spotlight as a national Ireland’s Favourite Local Business competition goes live, with €2,000 of Love Tipperary Gift Cards as a possible prize.
Backed by County Tipperary Chamber, people can nominate their favourite local business in the competition, free, by giving the name of the local business they think deserves to win and a reason.
Shops, restaurants, salons, hotels, attractions and services across Carrick-On-Suir, Clonmel, Cahir, Cashel, Tipperary Town, Thurles, Templemore, Nenagh and Roscrea are all eligible to be Ireland’s Favourite Local Business 2026.
Ireland’s Favourite Local Business will win a €1,000 Town & City Gift Card, such as the Love Tipperary Gift Card, with one person who nominated the winning business receiving a €1,000 Town & City Gift Card.
The county-wide Love Tipperary Gift Card launched in November 2024 as a joint initiative between County Tipperary Chamber and Tipperary County Council with €400,000 in cards sold to date. The card is commission free for Tipperary businesses to accept, and requires no additional equipment. Both physical and digital versions of the card are available.
Almost two years on from launch, almost 350 County Tipperary businesses now accept the Love Tipperary Gift Card including big brands like Aldi, Centra, Lidl, Tesco and SuperValu, alongside independent retail, hospitality, food and drink, leisure, accommodation and services businesses.
The competition to find Ireland’s Favourite Local Business launches as new research from Town & City Gift Cards shows soaring support for local businesses in Ireland. 99% of respondents to the 2026 Town & City Gift Cards survey said supporting local businesses/their community was important to them, with 73% saying it has become more important over the past 12 months.
Michelle Aylward, Chief Executive at County Tipperary Chamber said: “The Love Tipperary Gift Card continues to go from strength to strength, with €400,000 locked into the county through the card benefiting almost 350 businesses. People and organisations are making the move to the Love Tipperary Gift Card because of the choice and the ability to show support for local businesses.
We’re backing Ireland’s Favourite Local Business 2026 to showcase the strength, quality and diversity of our local businesses in Tipperary. Simply nominate your favourite business in the area and you could win a €1,000 Love Tipperary Gift Card for yourself and a €1,000 card for the business to win.”
The Love Tipperary Gift Card is part of the multi-award winning Town & City Gift Cards concept from fintech Miconex, active across Ireland. Over €17.4m in Town & City Gift Cards were sold in 2025.
Colin Munro, CEO of Miconex, said: “We’re proud to launch the search for Ireland’s Favourite Local Business in Tipperary. We know how many fantastic local businesses there are in the county as reflected through the Love Tipperary Gift Card.
Nominations for local businesses will be celebrated as they come in, so this is an opportunity to shine a light on a local coffee shop, restaurant, salon, hotel or another local business that you think deserves the crown as Ireland’s best.”
HOW TO ENTER COMPETITION
Enter Ireland’s Favourite Local Business competition free at: www.lovelocalwin.ie and watch the video. The competition closes on November 30.