From Tipperary to the Airwaves: Philomena and Aisling Ryan

On Saturday 7 March 2026, Ryans Cleaning founder Philomena Ryan and CEO Aisling Ryan joined Richard Curran on The Business, broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it really takes to build a business from the ground up.

Across the interview, the mother and daughter spoke about their Tipperary roots, the early days of event cleaning, raising a family while running a company, and what it means to lead in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

You can listen back to the full episode here: LISTEN BACK HERE
Philomena and Aisling’s segment begins at the 23-minute mark.

A Family Business With Deep Roots

Philomena grew up in Mullinahone, a small village in Co. Tipperary, one of 14 children. Her upbringing was defined by hard work and a strong sense of responsibility, values that would later become the foundation of Ryans Cleaning.

After spending time on the Isle of Man and in Dublin, she returned to Tipperary with her husband Pat, and the two began building a business together.

The early contracts were local school cleaning jobs, practical, unglamorous work that paid the bills and built a reputation. But it was the arrival of Féile an Phobail, the Trip to Tipp, that opened a new chapter entirely.

“We didn’t do anything the first year because we didn’t really understand it. But by the time it came back the second year, we knew what it was about.”

That first Féile taught Philomena and Pat more than any contract brief could. They watched, learned, and came back prepared. It marked the beginning of a pattern that would define Ryans Cleaning for decades: show up, take note, and come back better.

Raising Seven Children and a Business at the Same Time

What makes Philomena’s story particularly remarkable is the context in which the business was built. She and Pat raised seven children while simultaneously growing Ryans Cleaning into one of the most experienced event and commercial cleaning contractors in Ireland.

The early days meant bringing the children along to sites, camping in caravans at Slane, and doing whatever it took to keep the operation moving.

At home, a practical philosophy kept the household and business running in sync. When tensions arose, as they inevitably do in any family business, Philomena had a simple approach:

“I used to say to them, if they were upset over something, count to 10. If that doesn’t work, count backwards. By the time you get to it, everything was OK.”

It is the kind of quiet wisdom that comes from experience, not a management manual.

Growing Up in the Business

For Aisling, joining the family business was less a deliberate decision and more a gradual realisation. As one of seven children, she was working alongside her parents from an early age, running ahead of cleaning crews at schools or handing out bags on festival sites.

In her teenage years, it felt like a burden. In her twenties, it began to look like an opportunity.

“The older I got, the more I realised there is a really good career to have within the business,”

Aisling said. She joined full time in her early twenties and has not looked back since.

Today, as CEO, she leads a company with over 200 employees, operating across Ireland and the UK, serving commercial clients, large-scale events, and everything in between.

Women Leading in a Male-Dominated Industry

One of the most compelling parts of the conversation was the candid discussion about leadership as women in the event cleaning industry.

Aisling spoke openly about the generational divide she encounters, with younger clients treating her as an equal while some from an older generation have been slower to adjust.

“I was on a client site, in a meeting with their CFO. I asked a question, but he looked at my colleague, a male colleague, and answered him instead of me. I kept asking questions until he would actually direct his answer towards me.”

It is a challenge Aisling handles with the same composure her mother demonstrated collecting cheques from reluctant clients years before. Philomena, for her part, was characteristically direct on the subject: she simply never left without being paid.

A Business Built to Last

Ryans Cleaning has been operating for over 40 years. It is ISO certified across quality, environmental, health and safety, and sustainable events management. The company employs staff from across the world, many of whom return year after year, and operates in all conditions, across all types of sites in Ireland and the UK.

But behind those facts is a story rooted in family, in Tipperary, and in the kind of determination that builds something that lasts.

Philomena Ryan is a mother of seven and a co-founder of a company that has stood the test of time. That is worth marking.

Listen back to the full interview on The Business with Richard Curran, RTÉ Radio 1. Skip to 23 minutes to hear Philomena and Aisling’s segment: LISTEN BACK HERE