My Story
I’m Orla, a 51-year-old wife and mum of two. I grew up in Dublin, but after marrying my husband, I made Galway my home, where we’ve raised our family.. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money.
Like many Irish families in the 1980s, every penny mattered. New clothes were a treat, holidays were usually spent visiting my Nana and Grandad, and if I wanted something, I learned early that I’d have to save for it, plan for it and appreciate it when I finally got it.
Looking back, I realise those years shaped the way I still think today. They taught me that value isn’t about buying the cheapest option. It’s about making good decisions, spending wisely and getting the most from the money you’ve worked hard to earn.
I started working at just 12 years old in a local toy shop. Later, I worked in restaurants while studying, and after college I eventually joined An Garda Síochána, where I proudly served for almost 20 years. Leaving that career because of ill health was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. It also forced me to slow down, rebuild my health and rethink what the next chapter of my life might look like.
That next chapter arrived completely unexpectedly. A phone call from my best friend changed everything. She suggested we start creating content together. At the time, I knew very little about Instagram, never mind becoming a content creator. She taught me the basics, we learned together and, over time, built a wonderful community.
When Clodagh decided to pursue her dream of launching her styling business, I continued creating content on my own. We still laugh about those early days and remain the best of friends.
As my community grew, so did my responsibility to them. I realised that every recommendation I made had the potential to influence how people spent their hard-earned money, and I never wanted to take that trust for granted.
I realised people weren’t following me because I could sell them things. They were following me because they trusted my judgement and knew I’d always be honest with them. That trust has become the foundation of everything I do. Today, whether I’m sharing a supermarket bargain, testing a new skincare product, recommending a travel experience or discovering an everyday household find, I still use the same approach I learned as a child. I ask one simple question: “Is it genuinely worth the money?” If I wouldn’t recommend it to my own family or closest friends, I won’t recommend it to you.
As my audience grew, opportunities to work with brands I genuinely believed in started to follow. In January 2025, I made the decision to turn content creation into a business and registered as a sole trader. Since then, I’ve continued to grow my audience while staying true to the values that mattered from the very beginning: honesty, authenticity and always putting my followers first.
Practical & Precious is the natural next chapter of that journey. It’s where I bring together everything I’ve learned over the years to help people spend with confidence, discover products genuinely worth buying, find value in everyday life and enjoy life’s little luxuries without feeling guilty or wasting money.
I’ve never believed life is about buying the cheapest option. It’s about making thoughtful choices, knowing when to save, knowing when something is worth investing in, and enjoying life’s little luxuries without wasting money. That’s the philosophy behind Practical & Precious, and it’s the way I’ve lived for as long as I can remember.
If that’s how you want to live too, you’re in the right place.
