Author: Mia Daly

  • Brewing a Following: What Does Social Media Bring to Café Tills?

    Brewing a Following: What Does Social Media Bring to Café Tills?

    Hyper Goat Coffee spends €2,000 a month on social media, with its owner crediting online promotion with boosting sales. But how can cafés determine whether likes and views translate into money in the till?

     

    The café’s owner, Jonathan Maye, points to a social media campaign promoting €5 açai bowls at its Swords branch as an example of how online attention can drive sales.

     

    Jonathan Maye outside Hyper Goat Coffee Swords.
    Photo credit: Hyper Goat Coffee

     

    “We went from 50 euro on a Sunday to 700 or 800 euro on a Sunday after we launched the açai at five euro,” he said.

     

    Maye estimates that sales at the Swords branch increased by 60 to 70 per cent after the business began promoting the shop on social media.

     

    “In my opinion, you can’t really survive without it,” he said.

     

    Maye said the business has hired two people to manage its social media presence, with its €2,000 monthly investment focused on content rather than paid advertising.

     

    However, Maye acknowledges that online attention does not always translate into higher sales.

     

    “The majority don’t translate. You get a few at once that will actually convert into sales, but the general posts people look at and move on, so it needs to be something that attracts people’s attention again. Something with a price on it.”

     

    Hyper Goat Coffee, Thomas Street, Dublin. 

    Photo credit: Hyper Goat Coffee

     

    Dr Niall Minto, a digital marketing lecturer at TU Dublin, said social media provides businesses with valuable data, but owners do not always make full use of it.

     

    “Small businesses often lack the time and money to analyse their marketing performance, particularly when owners are occupied with daily operations,” he said. “If you haven’t time to look at the data, you can’t really get the benefits of the data.”

     

    Minto suggests tracking promotions through the café’s till system. A discount code shared on social media and recorded when customers make a purchase can help owners identify which posts generate sales.

     

    He also suggested a loyalty app could help cafés understand purchasing habits and encourage repeat visits. Unlike paper stamp cards, an app can link purchases to individual customers and allow businesses to send offers directly to them.

     

    “With an app, you know who I am, and you know what I drink, and how often I drink it,” he said.

     

    However, collecting that information is only useful if owners have time to examine it; Mintos research suggests those less involved in day-to-day customer interactions are more likely to use data to inform business decisions.

     

    “The further you were from the customer, the more likely you are to use the data,” he said.

     

    That does not mean losing contact with customers. Minto also acknowledged the importance of spending time on the café floor, where owners can hear directly from customers and understand their needs.

     

    “Be on the floor some of the time because you need to know what’s going on.”

     

    For Maye, appearing in social media content is another way to connect with customers.

     

    “You need to put a face to the brand. So that’s why, unfortunately, I have to jump in a lot of videos,” he said.

     

    Jonathan Maye in a Hyper Goat Coffee Instagram reel.  

    Photo credit: Hyper Goat Coffee

     

    Maye said Hyper Goat monitors Instagram and TikTok analytics alongside sales and footfall to assess whether its social media activity is working.

     

    “You can see the difference in it,” he said.

     

    Minto said businesses need to choose their social media platforms according to the customers they want to reach.

     

    “If it’s Generation X, then it’s Facebook. If it’s Generation Z, then it’s Instagram or Snapchat or something.”

     

    He cautioned against assuming that someone’s age or familiarity with social media automatically equips them to manage a business’s marketing. Understanding the target audience is an important part of deciding where to invest time and money.

     

    “There’s this perception: you’re young, you’re on social media, of course you know what you’re doing, but if you’re not qualified, it’s not always the case.”

     

    Maye’s experience and Minto’s advice point to a practical lesson for cafés: win attention, then measure the return. Knowing what works helps owners decide where to spend next. After all, likes won’t keep the till ringing.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Students Turn to SVP To Bridge Gaps in Government College Funding

    Students Turn to SVP To Bridge Gaps in Government College Funding

    Students receiving Government grants are still turning to charitable assistance to meet the costs of university, with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) reporting that its education bursaries support over 2,000 students.

    SVP said its Education and Training bursary fund had provided over €3 million towards expenses including books, laptops, course fees, travel, and accommodation. Individual grants typically range from €500 to €3,000, depending on circumstances and local funding.

    Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) administers the State’s student grant scheme, providing eligible students with support towards fees and living costs. According to its website, SUSI has received over 100,000 applications so far this academic year and awarded funding to over 71,000 students.

    A Trinity College Dublin medical student who receives both SUSI and SVP support, speaking on condition of anonymity, said covering the upfront costs of starting college was difficult.

    “The initial upfront cost is a bit of a shocker; the main challenges I found were buying the education materials like laptops, lab coats, which I needed for the lab, and that wasn’t cheap, and purchasing clothes to wear, because in school you have the safety net of wearing the uniform, but I wouldn’t have had enough normal clothes to wear,” the student said.

    Although the student receives SUSI, they said the timing of payments made expenses particularly challenging. SVP assistance helped them cover these costs. “The SVP stepped in early in my education, but I know people have to drop out of college due to financial difficulties.”

    The student learned about SVP bursaries through their family, which had received assistance since the student was 12. SVP later helped pay for their HPAT preparation through MedEntry.

    HPAT is a standardised admissions exam required for entry into undergraduate medicine in Ireland and other select postgraduate healthcare courses.

    “From the age of 12, they gave us food vouchers regularly, and from that we were on their radar. They helped cover a portion of my MedEntry to help me get into medicine itself,” they said.

    The student described having to work full-time hours alongside their course, which affected their studies and opportunities to participate in college life.

    “I worked until fourth year, and had to leave placements early to go to work, and working every weekend has an impact on your social life and general wellbeing. If I were to keep working, it would undoubtedly negatively affect my grades. I worked more in the past, so I didn’t have to in final med.”

    Ann Cuffe Fitzgerald, who chairs the SVP Higher Education and Training Bursary Committee, said travel, equipment, and accommodation were recurring reasons students sought help. “Accommodation, travel, and tech are our three biggies,” she said.

    Fitzgerald emphasised how some courses bring substantial specialist expenses.

    “When they ask for assistance from us, a lot of it is equipment costs. We had a fellow doing third-year carpentry, and the list of tools he had to buy for his course was nearly 2,000 euros worth.”

    Food costs also remain a concern.

    “I do think food poverty is still an issue for our students. We have always felt you should at least be able to buy a roll and a cup of tea from the canteen with our bursaries,” she said.

    Fitzgerald explained that SVP considers applicants’ individual circumstances alongside their financial needs.

    “We react as quickly as we can. We listen very hard to the circumstances of the individual. The students seeking help from us are mainly those who don’t qualify for SUSI or need extra support beyond SUSI.”

    SVP assistance is organised through local volunteer groups, known as conferences, which can provide ongoing friendship and support to students and their families.

    The Trinity medical student said unexpected household expenses also stretched their college budget, with financial support, work and savings helping them manage.

    SUSI allows reassessment following changes in circumstances, including reduced household income. However, the student and Fitzgerald described financial pressures that persist despite grant support, particularly when course demands limit the capacity to do paid work.

    SUSI and TU Dublin Students’ Union did not respond to requests for comment.

    Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union was also unavailable for interview at this time.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • From TU Dublin to Amnesia Ibiza: The College Society That Transformed LIA’s Life

    From TU Dublin to Amnesia Ibiza: The College Society That Transformed LIA’s Life

    You’re a 20-year-old third-year film student who has decided to walk alone into a TU Dublin DJ Society event on a whim. You don’t know anyone there, and you don’t know what to expect. You hope you might make a friend or two, or that you’ll get some fun nights out of it.

    What you don’t know is that you have just made what you will describe later as one of the most important decisions of your life.

    Learning to DJ doesn’t come easy to you, and the technical side is difficult, but your love for music prevails, and you keep coming back. You learn from the people around you, practice, and when you don’t understand something, you go home and teach yourself on YouTube.

    Three years later, you’re playing in Amnesia Ibiza, one of the world’s most famous clubs.

    That student was Dublin native Leah O’Riordan, better known as LIA, whose unexpected hobby would change the course of her life.

    Now 23, the Irish DJ has spent the last three summers holding residencies in Ibiza, while her career has taken her far beyond the island. This summer alone brought her debuts in Portugal, Tenerife, Greece, and the UK, a reality her 20-year-old self could hardly have imagined.

    Pictured: Leah O’Riordan playing in Amnesia Ibiza.

    Just a year after she began DJing, O’Riordan was living in Ibiza for a working holiday when she and fellow DJ Society member Viki Dos Santos were offered the chance to play a B2B (back-to-back) set at Eden.

    Pictured: Emmie Finnegan (left), Leah O’Riordan (centre), Viki Dos Santos (right), at TUD DJ Society.

    “I really couldn’t believe my luck,” she said. Still relatively new to DJing, the pair practiced relentlessly, determined to make the most out of an unexpected opportunity, and it paid off. “We practiced and practiced our set so it would be perfect and we would make a good impression, and afterwards we got offered several more gigs at the club.”

    Not long after, Leah was given a residency at Itaca Ibiza, where her skills strengthened considerably.

    “It feels like the place I truly learned how to DJ,” she said. Playing for over five hours multiple times a week gave her the experience and confidence she needed. “It was that winter that things snowballed for me back at home in Ireland.”

    Pictured: Leah O’Riordan playing in Limelight, Belfast.

    Snowball they did. O’Riordan soon found herself playing opening and support slots for major artists such as Kettama before reaching another milestone this summer, when she closed the Smirnoff Stage alongside Viki Dos Santos at Electric Picnic, Ireland’s largest music festival.

    Pictured: Viki Dos Santos (left) & Leah O’Riordan (right) playing at the Smirnoff Stage at Electric Picnic.

    This was particularly poignant for Leah; the pair who began their journey together at TU Dublin were now sharing one of the biggest stages of their careers. “Being trusted to close a massive stage at a festival that big is a whole different ball game and felt like an incredible honour,” she said.

    As her notoriety grows, O’Riordan has become increasingly aware of the different experience that comes with being a young female DJ.

    Leah feels she receives different treatment in the booth due to her gender. “Sometimes in the form of a guy that’s playing after you trying to hop on five minutes early, or in more intimate settings where the dancers are up closer to you, men just coming up too close to me or nearly knock off the music,” she said.

    O’Riordan has also faced suggestions that her success has less to do with her ability and more to do with her being a woman.

    “I have experienced people trying to insinuate that the opportunities I’m receiving are because I’m a woman, and in a way where they didn’t even think that was an outrageous thing to say at all,” she said.

    Leah’s experiences have left her with mixed feelings about being labelled a “female DJ” rather than simply a “DJ”.

    “I understand that historically it has been a male-dominated industry,” she said. “But then I also think, why? Is it a subtle jab of some sort, or is it trying to draw some sort of novelty or spectacle out of the fact that it’s a woman DJing and not a man? I can’t help but feel sometimes it is.”

    Away from the booth, however, the person behind LIA is somewhat quieter.

    “When I am Leah and not LIA, I am a bit more reserved and quiet than I might come across online or playing gigs,” said O’Riordan. “But when I’m comfortable with you, I’m fun, loud and adventurous.”

    Before DJing became her full-time career, Leah already had a passion for creating. O’Riordan holds a first-class honours degree in filmmaking and has written and directed four short films, including award-nominated Water Weight.

    Despite her success, Leah admits that it has not come without pressures.

    “I think the hardest part that people don’t always see is the self-doubt and comparison,” she said. “I really try hard not to compare myself to others because we are all on our own journeys, but it can be tough at times, truthfully.”

    With new music to find, production to learn, sets to prepare, and an online presence to maintain, Leah struggles to switch off. “It can be tough to let yourself rest as it feels like you can always be doing something to better your career.”

    “The goal post is always moving,” she said. “I don’t always get the time to appreciate how far I’ve come because I’m always looking forward.”

    Although much has changed for Leah, she has not forgotten where it all began: TU Dublin’s DJ Society, where she credits the community of friends who pushed her to improve.

    “The community within the DJ society drove me to want to get better every week, and seeing the people around me play inspired me,” she said.

    Pictured: Leah O’Riordan playing in Café Mambo, Ibiza.

    Three years on, the 20-year-old who walked into that first session alone is almost unrecognisable from the DJ now touring Europe and playing some of the world’s most renowned clubs.

    When asked what she would say to her younger self if she could return to that day, she said, “I would tell myself that this moment is ultimately going to change your life.”

     

    All photo credits go to Leah O’Riordan.