Norah Casey facts for kids

Norah Casey (born 28 May 1960) is a well-known Irish businesswoman. She is also a magazine publisher, a television personality, and a broadcaster from Dublin, Ireland.

Early Life and Career Start

Norah Casey grew up in a lodge in Phoenix Park in Dublin. Her father and grandfather both worked as park rangers there.

When she was younger, Norah worked in the quarantine area of Dublin Zoo. She helped to raise gorillas. This early experience made her love animals even more. Today, Norah works with many animal protection charities around the world. She also helps the ISPCA to encourage people to adopt pets.

At 17, Norah moved from Dublin to Scotland to study nursing. After five years as a nurse, she decided to try something new. At 23, she studied journalism and TV production. She then worked for big broadcasters like the BBC and Sky. She also wrote for newspapers like The Irish Post. Later, she moved back to Ireland. In 2004, she bought several companies from Smurfit Kappa.

Business Success

Norah Casey is very skilled in business. She has bought and started many companies. She has also invested in smaller businesses in Ireland and other countries. She studied how to manage businesses for many years.

Norah started her own publishing career when she was 26. She founded an award-winning company called Harmonia. This Irish publishing house creates popular magazines. Some of these include FOOD&WINE Magazine, Irish Tatler, and Woman's Way.

In 2017, Norah sold six of Harmonia's magazines to an American company called Irish Studio. Norah still stayed involved with these magazines. She continued to be a part of their leadership team.

Today, Norah still publishes Woman's Way. This is Ireland's best-selling magazine for women. She also works on other magazines.

Media Appearances

Norah Casey has appeared on many popular TV and radio shows.

Dragon's Den

In 2011, Norah joined the panel of Dragons' Den (Irish TV series). This show features business people who listen to new ideas. They decide if they want to invest their own money in these ideas. Norah was on the show for two seasons.

Today

Norah also hosted the Friday show of Today with Maura and Daithi. She worked alongside Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh. She hosted this show for one season.

The Takeover

Norah took part in a show called The Takeover by RTÉ.

Norah's Traveller Academy

Norah’s Traveller Academy was a special show on RTÉ2. In this show, Norah helped young, ambitious Irish Traveller women. These women wanted to start different careers. Norah guided them on their path to finding and keeping jobs. This was important because Irish Traveller women often face challenges in finding work.

Newstalk

In September 2012, Norah started presenting the breakfast radio show on Newstalk. She left the station the next summer. She wanted to spend more time with her son.

Home of the Year

In 2016, Norah took part in a special celebrity episode of Home of the Year on RTÉ. Her home was chosen as the winner of that episode. She won a €5,000 prize, which she gave to a charity she chose.

Dancing with the Stars

On 8 December 2017, Norah announced she would be on Dancing with the Stars (Irish series 2). This is a popular dance competition show. She was partnered with professional dancer, Curtis Pritchard. They were the first couple to leave the competition.

Personal Life and Advocacy

Norah Casey married broadcaster Richard Hannaford on New Year's Eve in 1996. They had a son named Dara in 1998. Richard sadly passed away in 2011 after a short illness.

Norah has spoken about difficult experiences in her past. She now works closely with charities that help people affected by domestic violence. One of these is Women's Aid. She has been a strong supporter of their campaign called #TooIntoYou.