Irish tradition drives business idea

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This article was published 08/02/2021 (1879 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Jennifer Murray became pregnant with a “surprise” third baby in late 2018, she found herself missing an important piece of the puzzle.

She didn’t have a hospital bag, and had to “waddle” around Brandon putting one together herself.

Murray has since joined friend/business partner Patricia McGarvey in filling this gap in the marketplace by compiling hospital bags for other pregnant women.

Growing up in Ireland, Murray said it’s a tradition for the mothers or mothers-in-law of pregnant women to prepare hospital bags for them.

Filled with things like toiletries, sanitary pads, breast pads, disposable underwear, lip balm and other important items, the bags are a necessity.

“When you’re heavily pregnant, the last thing you want to do is waddle from shop to shop,” Murray said, adding this is exactly what she had to do, in the August heat.

“The sweat was dripping off me, it wasn’t particularly pleasant.”

McGarvey — also from Ireland originally — came upon a similar problem when pregnant with babies five through seven in Brandon.

Her latest came a year ago in the dead of winter, which added its own difficulties.

“In the wintertime, you don’t want to step outside here,” she said, the pain of a winter chill lingering in her voice.

The duo’s home-based online business, Eires Leanai — meaning Irish Babies — has the two prepare hospital bags for women so they don’t have to worry about this part of preparation.

Despite many businesses faltering during the COVID-19 pandemic due to health regulations and concerns, theirs has started out on a positive note. With pregnant women already suffering the effects of hormonal imbalance, McGarvey said they’re more likely to feel extra anxiety when it comes to the virus.

Having hospital bags ordered online at ultimatebabybags.ca and delivered to their doorstep nullifies the health concerns associated with visiting various stores.

Although the business’s online format broadens its scope, it remains very much a local effort, with both women based in Brandon and offering free delivery within city limits.

The two entrepreneurs’ path toward Eires Leanai (soon to be renamed Dottie and Grace after two of their daughters because few Canadians can pronounce their current name or know what it means) is full of coincidence.

They both emigrated from Ireland to Canada within the past few years — Murray seven years ago and McGarvey five — and chose Brandon as their home.

They grew up two hours from one another — Murray in Dublin and McGarvey in Cookstown, Northern Ireland — and married men named Mark Patrick.

“We have a joke that Mark is the father — we just don’t know which one,” Murray said with a laugh, the joke being McGarvey has come to believe her husband can get women pregnant by simply looking at them.

The two connected approximately three years ago when McGarvey phoned SellOffVacations in Brandon, where Murray is employed.

“I heard the accent, and no word of a lie we’ve been besties ever since,” Murray said. “You seek people from home because of similarity and all the rest, but it feels like I’ve known her for life, now.”

The two have expanded their business beyond basic hospital bags to include things like bags specifically for premature babies, which fathers can order online, have delivered or picked up and “take the credit for having his s— together,” McGarvey said.

Murray and McGarvey are the featured guests on this week’s episode of the “Worked Up Moms” podcast, which is coming out Wednesday on both Spotify and SoundCloud. The weekly podcast is hosted by local moms Trina Bandura, Mandy Wark and Anna Dumas.

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB