Crushed velvet, faux silks, a pop of blue with the colour grey and the classical French pleat are some of Breda Leahy’s favourite things. “I came from a dairy and mixed farm in Croom, all our clothes were made at home by either my grandmother or my mother,” she tells us.

Breda is the owner of Curtains Direct, a company that specialises in custom-made curtains, Roman blinds and window dressings, located in Patrickswell, Limerick.

From a young age, Breda worked in the curtain department in Brown Thomas and developed an understanding and flair for making curtains.

“I always had a passion to own my own business and felt that the invaluable knowledge I had gained in Brown Thomas would make this happen,” Breda admits.

Breda took the leap and 30 years later she is still running her successful business, though she says there have been challenges.

“With the recession in the late 1980s, I had to go in search of other business opportunities. A lot of local entrepreneurs were doing very well in Moscow so I decided to take the plunge and get involved,” Breda confides.

Breda took advantage of direct flights from Shannon to Moscow and never looked back, travelling to the Russian capital to supply custom-made curtains, wallpapers and accessories to upmarket customers.

“This was a very big family commitment at the time for both William [her husband] and I – we had two small children at that time and a farm,” she confides.

Family is at the heart of everything that Breda does. She has continued support from her team around her as well as husband William and four children, including son Liam who is involved in the business.

She remarks on how her business is unique because it offers an in-home consultation which enables the team to showcase some of their fabrics which they have sourced from all over Europe.

Over the 30 years, in terms of unusual requests, there have been plenty.

“The most recent request was someone looking for curtains for their boat that had been rescued and restored from under the sea,” Breda exclaims.

More information can be found at www.curtainsdirect.ie and on the Curtains Direct Facebook page. You will also find Curtains Direct on their stand at this year’s Ploughing Championships, where they hope to meet many of their customers.