After 35 years in tech, ACORNS alumna Deirdre McCarthy observed significant gaps in financial knowledge amongst her friends and peers, particularly when dealing with unplanned life changes.
FLIT Financial Literacy founder Deirdre McCarthy spent over 35 years in technical IT project management, training employees and delivering business improvements. She navigated single parenting while juggling her professional career, an experience that sparked an interest in personal finance and an awareness of the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement.
She observed significant gaps in financial knowledge amongst her friends and peers, particularly when dealing with unplanned life changes. Through her work, she observed that women’s lives often fall into patterns that are not well understood by the financial services industry.
“ACORNS helped me to develop a strong network of female entrepreneurs and to build self-confidence”
McCarthy is a graduate of the ACORNS rural women entrepreneurship programme. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme, generating 60 jobs. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
Peer-supported learning
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is FLIT Financial Literacy? | FLIT Financial Literacy is an Irish organisation that provides personalised financial learning and education programmes for women with caring responsibilities. |
| Who founded FLIT Financial Literacy? | FLIT Financial Literacy was founded by Deirdre McCarthy, a former IT project management professional with more than 35 years of experience. |
| Why did Deirdre McCarthy start FLIT? | She observed significant gaps in financial knowledge among women, particularly when facing unplanned life changes. |
| What inspired the creation of FLIT? | Deirdre McCarthy’s experience of balancing a professional career with single parenting, combined with an interest in personal finance and the FIRE movement, inspired the business. |
| Who does FLIT support? | FLIT supports women with caring responsibilities, particularly women aged 35 and over who may not have access to formal financial advice or workplace learning opportunities. |
| What services does FLIT provide? | FLIT provides personalised financial education, peer-supported learning programmes and guidance on a range of personal finance topics. |
| What is AllSkills Education CLG? | AllSkills Education CLG is the parent organisation behind FLIT and operates as a social enterprise delivering financial literacy training to community groups. |
| What makes FLIT different? | FLIT uses a rights-based approach to personal finance and focuses on empowering women through peer-supported learning and practical action. |
| What is ACORNS? | ACORNS is a rural female entrepreneurship programme funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that supports women business owners through mentoring and peer learning. |
| How did ACORNS help Deirdre McCarthy? | ACORNS helped her build confidence, expand her professional network and support FLIT’s development during a key growth stage. |
| What impact has ACORNS had on participants? | The latest programme participants increased combined turnover from €4.1 million to almost €6 million, created 60 jobs and supported new exporters and start-ups. |
| How is FLIT using AI? | FLIT is developing personalised financial education systems that use AI as a tech-for-good tool to support learners. |
| What awards has FLIT received? | FLIT won TechFoundHer’s International Investor Breakthrough Award in 2026 and was runner-up in the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards. |
| What is FLIT’s long-term vision? | FLIT aims to make rights-based financial education a normal part of everyday life and improve financial inclusion for women. |
| Why is financial literacy important for women? | Financial literacy helps women make informed decisions, build financial independence and prepare for unexpected life events. |
FLIT Financial Literacy helps women with caring responsibilities manage their finances, providing personalised financial learning for women. Its parent company, AllSkills Education CLG is a social enterprise that delivers in-person FLIT training to community groups, reaching women aged 35 and over who may be outside formal workplaces and without access to a qualified financial advisor.
FLIT focuses on peer-supported learning and a rights-based approach to personal finance – empowering women to take action and ownership, with programmes covering a range of important financial topics.
This year, to coincide with Ireland’s EU presidency, AllSkills is hosting creative workshops to capture women’s personal money journey, reflecting Ireland’s local history in the last 100 years.
Deirdre has been shortlisted for AI and financial literacy work in six national categories. In 2026, FLIT was awarded TechFoundHer’s International Investor Breakthrough Award, and was runner-up in the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards (Gender Balance category).
“ACORNS was transformational for me and the business, coming at a time between early adoption and roll-out of FLIT. It helped me to develop a strong network of female entrepreneurs and to build self-confidence.”
Deirdre aims to continue to develop personalised financial education systems, using AI as a tech-for-good tool to help support her clients.
Long-term, she hopes to see rights-based financial education as part of everyday life.
Do you have what it takes to join ACORNS?
Applications have opened for ACORNS 12, the next phase of the programme for early-stage female business founders.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ACORNS supports women entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland through peer learning, mentoring and round table sessions led by experienced business owners.
The latest programme results show that the combined annual turnover of the 53 participants on ACORNS 11 increased from €4.1 million to almost €6 million during the six-month programme. Nine entrepreneurs began trading for the first time during their participation, while four businesses became exporters.
ACORNS 12 will run from October 2026 to April 2027 and is open to early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland who have generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023. Up to 50 places are available. Participation is free of charge, supported by funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the voluntary contribution of Lead Entrepreneurs from across rural Ireland.
This year’s Lead Entrepreneurs include Alison Ritchie of Polar Ice, Geraldine Jones of Skin Formulas, Karen Kerrigan of Kerrigan’s Mushrooms, Larissa Feeney of Kinore, Mary B Walsh of Ire Wel Pallets, Orla Leahy of Ireland Chauffeur Travel and Triona MacGiolla Rí of Aró Digital Strategies.
Applications for ACORNS 12 will remain open until midnight on September 18. To apply, click here
Eligibility Criteria for participation on ACORNS
To be considered for ACORNS, applicants must:
- Have set up a new business which has generated sales no earlier than the end of June 2023 or be actively planning a new venture and have made good progress towards getting the new venture off the ground. Indicators of actively planning a business would include organising the start-up team, sourcing equipment / facilities, money saved for the start-up, writing the business plan, etc.
- They must own or part-own the business and be living in a rural area, that is in an area outside the administrative city boundaries of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
- If selected, applicants must be available to attend the launch Forum and first round table session on October 19 and 20, 2026.
- They must expect to become an employer within three years.
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