The purpose of Líonra is to help drive a conversation for business growth across Ireland and the North East of England and provide a new kind of networking experience to its members.
Who we are
Líonra is a professional business networking group, which also doubles as a vibrant social environment, for business professionals who have an interest in Ireland and the North East of England.
Líonra was the brainchild of Maurice Duffy, an Irish man himself and the CEO and founder of Blackswan – a global transformation consultancy based in the North East. He had a vision to create better business opportunities and better connections between Ireland and the North East of England involving leading local business people. The result was Líonra. We set the stage and we bring together the players for business networking events and social interaction.
Our aims
Professional networking: We provide opportunities to engage with people and business with links to either (or both) the North East of England and Ireland. It’s a simple formula: people join our network and start networking! We run events for our members to meet, eat and talk about business experiences and opportunities. They can learn about the difficulties faced by businesses in the region and find out how they are being solved.
Crucially, they can discover a world of professional wisdom from people who will take the time to share their experiences with you.
A lively EU referendum discussion has taken place on Tyneside today featuring a prominent Irish politician. Paschal Donohoe, minister for public expenditure and reform within the Irish Government, engaged with North East business communities ahead of the poll on June 23. He held a question and answer session at the Discovery Museum in Newcastle hosted… Read more »
Irish and British business network Lionra hosted the celebration of St Patrick’s Day at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead Hundreds of guests gather to celebrate St Patrick’s Day as part of the Shamrock Ball 2015. The ball raised money for the Sick Children’s Trust and the PSPA and was hosted by the North East-based Lionra, the… Read more »
THERE was music and merriment go leor in Newcastle this year as the city’s business and community groups came out in green to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint. This year’s Shamrock Ball, hosted by the business network Lionra, saw over 300 guests enjoy an evening of great food and entertainment at the Hilton Gatehead. Hosted by comedian… Read more »
A business group is organising a St Patrick’s Day ball to raise cash for a children’s charity. The Lionra Network, a non-profit organisation which promotes North East and Irish businesses, will be hosting the third annual Shamrock Ball on March 14 in aid of The Sick Children’s Trust. The charity provides free accommodation to hundreds… Read more »
Labour’s Ed Balls tells a business event in Newcastle the Conservatives’ approach to devolution has been ‘utter chaos’ Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has promised the North East the “biggest devolution programme ever” should Labour win the General Election in May. Speaking before an event in Newcastle, the senior Labour figure lambasted the Tories approach to… Read more »
Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, is to take part in a panel discussion focusing on business investment, at an event organised by North East British/Irish business network, Lionra. Mr Balls will be joined by Paul Woolston, Chair of North East Local Enterprise Partnership and Catherine Walker, Inward Investment Director of NewcastleGateshead Initiative at the event which… Read more »
With St Patrick’s Day just around the corner, The Lionra Network is hosting its third Shamrock Ball in style this year at The Hilton Hotel, Newcastle. Tables or individual tickets are now available for the hotly anticipated event which is due to take place on Saturday 14th March. The non-profit organisation which promotes North East/Irish… Read more »
Irish Ambassador for Britain Daniel Mulhall visited the North East yesterday to talk to businesses about growing commercial opportunities between Ireland and the region. Dozens of high profile business leaders and politicians turned out for the breakfast event at Gateshead’s Northern Design Centre, at which Mr Mulhall discussed everything from the influence of the European Union and… Read more »
A TEAM of North East business people have raised thousands of pounds for charity on a cycle challenge. The team of nine took part in a 150-mile coast-to-coast bike ride across the Pennines which raised £5,000 for two charities. The three-day challenge included overnight stops at Penrith and Eastgate before the group headed to Tynemouth…. Read more »
Lionra (which translates as ‘network’), has been founded by Maurice Duffy from County Mayo, who is CEO of Blackswan – a global business turnaround specialist based in Newcastle. Lionra is a non-profit organisation that sets out to build on the well established trading relationship that exists between the North East and Ireland. The chair of… Read more »
Líonra - Growing Business Together
Membership
No joining fees! No membership fees! Easy and simple to join!
Membership benefits:
Unique access to potential new business contacts in the region – both in Ireland and the North East of England
Support and advice of new business peers
Access to annual membership events – both social and business related
Opportunity to get involved in Lionra PR activity
The Líonra has two parts, become part of both.
Part 1: Face-to-face networking
First and foremost, Líonra is a face-to-face, events-based networking group.
We hold several events throughout the year to talk business in convivial surroundings.
To register, simply call +44 (0) 845 603 2815 and ask to speak to the Líonra Team.
Part 2: The online forum world
Líonra is not just a physical networking opportunity, it is also a LinkedIn Forum, which helps people stay in touch and carry the discussion long after the meeting is over. To join, simply send a request to join the “Líonra North East” group.
Complete the form below to apply for membership
A new kind of networking experience
Contact Us
For general enquiries call +44 (0) 845 603 2815 and ask to speak to the Lionra Team or use the contact form below
