Deanna O’Connor

Ireland

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Freelance Editor at Irish Times

Freelance Editor at Ashville Media Group

Diagonal thinker | Freelance Editor @IrishTimes Content Studio | Director @DingleLit 📚book festival

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Articles

Unlock the hidden space in your home with clever design hacks and super storage

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

Whether it’s a growing family, working from home, or an online shopping habit bursting from the wardrobes, space is at a premium for many, and in the current housing market, moving may not be an option. Maybe you don’t have the space for an extension, or the funds. Whatever the reason, if you need more space, there are plenty of ways to unlock it, using what you have and some clever design hacks. Of course, it would be remiss to continue without mentioning the obvious: declutter.
Boom boom bathrooms: revel in the aesthetic of excess in your smallest room

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

Believe it or not, bathrooms are one of the most exciting areas of interior design right now. It’s a room where you can incorporate cutting-edge trends in wellness, sustainability and even technology; from spa-inspired bathrooms with steam showers and saunas, to eco-conscious water-saving fixtures to smart mirrors and app-controlled showers. If you’re looking at a bathroom renovation, let your imagination run wild, because there truly never has been more choice.
Level up: expert advice to bring your home’s BER up to scratch

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

The Government’s Climate Action Plan has a target of 500,000 homes to be retrofitted to a minimum B2 energy rating by 2030. But what does B2 mean for your home in real terms? Sean McNeill, of Concave Energy, an SEAI-registered BER assessor in Kerry, explains that it’s a decent standard to achieve for a retro-fitted house. “There are many routes into it.
A supported solution: grants and incentives are supporting the renovation revolution

2 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

Renovate, retrofit, restore, remodel, refurbish. And rejoice when it’s all over. The process can be anything from stressful to seamless, depending on time and budgetary pressures. As a nation we are obsessed, from those who prefer to sit back in comfort and watch shows like Room to Improve and Great House Revival, to the brave souls who want to get their hands dirty and sign up for a DIY course at The Common Knowledge Centre in Co Clare, buy a derelict wreck and dive in.
Residential retrofits: how do the sums stack up for homeowners?

3 weeks ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

Residential retrofitting is a key element of the Government’s Climate Action Plan, with a target of 500,000 homes to be retrofitted to a minimum B2 building energy rating (BER) by 2030. The benefits in terms of warmer homes and cheaper energy bills are obvious but the main barrier appears to be the high upfront cost. How do the sums stack up for householders?
Flexible working still ranks highly for employees when it comes to choosing a job

1 month ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

“I don’t want a free croissant – I want to work from home on a Monday.” So says Michelle (who doesn’t want her full name used), a disgruntled marketing executive who wasn’t overly impressed with her company’s back-to-office mandate and subsequent lacklustre efforts to make it a more inviting prospect for staff. Complementary pastries weren’t enough of an incentive to make her stay, and last year she joined many others who moved on in their droves from the multinational she had worked at.
From a small seed ... Simple ways to start investing responsibly

2 months ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

“There has been a notable surge in interest in responsible investing among clients in recent years,” says Adrian Godwin, co-founder and managing director of Oaktree Financial Services. “This trend stems from a heightened awareness of environmental, social and governance issues, alongside a growing desire to align investment strategies with personal values.
Valuing a business is part art and part science

2 months ago | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

“Rarely will two valuers arrive at the same value for a business,” says Stephen O’Flaherty, corporate finance partner with BDO. This subjectivity can have its roots in various reasons, from attitudes to risk to the weighting given to intangible factors. “At the most basic level, future earnings are the dominant metric used by most buyers when assessing the worth or value of a business,” says O’Flaherty.
Whiskey investing: Is there money to be made on the hard stuff?

Dec 4, 2024 | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

According to GM Insights the global whiskey market is worth close to $70 billion (€66 billion) and forecast to hit $125 billion by 2032. The sector in Ireland has been growing in double-digit figures over the past decade. There’s cash in them thar casks ... but is whiskey really the liquid gold some would have you believe, or is it simply an expensive hobby that, if practised with care, might pay for itself?
Decarbonising the building sector supply chain is complex but not impossible

Oct 30, 2024 | irishtimes.com | Deanna O’Connor

According to the World Economic Forum, the green transition of the building-sector value chain could unlock about $1.8 trillion in market opportunities. However, construction’s value chain is currently responsible for 37 per cent of carbon emissions globally. Reducing Scope 3 emissions – emissions that occur in the supply chain of an organisation – presents a complex challenge, given that such emissions emanate from activities beyond that organisation’s direct control.