Built in Kilkenny

Charlie

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Business

Honest conversations with the founders and builders behind Kilkenny. Built in Kilkenny sits down with the people who started something in this city. The wins, the setbacks, and what it really takes to build something from nothing. No gurus. No overnight success stories. Just real people and real stories. New episodes regularly. A Charlie Cook Live series.

3d ago

Clive Barnes: The Reality of Making a Living as a Musician | Built in Kilkenny Ep. 11

Clive Barnes has spent his entire working life making music. He picked up the guitar at six, played his first gig at 12, and went on to build a career that has taken him across Europe, the UK and the US. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny, I sit down with Clive to talk about what a life in music actually looks like — from teaching himself guitar before YouTube and the internet, to becoming a session musician, touring internationally and making a living from the only thing he's ever wanted to do. We talk about the late Willie Meighan and the impact he had on Clive's career, working with musicians including Eric Bibb and Jim White, and the reality behind the part of being a musician that audiences don't see. We also get into grunge, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and why Clive doesn't really think grunge exists as a genre. Then there's the pandemic. With his career and much of his identity built around music, Clive suddenly found it all taken away. What started as something to focus on during that period eventually helped grow The Year Grunge Broke to nearly a million followers across Facebook and Instagram — and led to Clive becoming a published author. We finish with The Year Grunge Broke band, why Clive still feels like he's improving after a lifetime of playing guitar, and why there's still so much he wants to accomplish. — Find Clive / The Year Grunge Broke — Website: https://www.theyeargrungebroke.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theyeargrungebroke Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheYearGrungeBroke YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheYearGrungeBroke Book: https://www.awaywithmedia.com/buy-books/entertainment/grunge — Built in Kilkenny is a Charlie Cook Live series telling the stories of the people building, creating and doing interesting things in Kilkenny. New episodes weekly. Follow the journey: https://charliecooklive.com TikTok: @charliecooklive Instagram: @charliecooklive
Jul 27

Almost 30 Years Tattooing | Ian Flynn, High Society Tattoo

Ian Flynn is the owner of High Society Tattoo Studio in Kilkenny, with almost 30 years in the trade. He started with a tattoo machine that had a pencil in it, drawing on paper to get used to the weight, back when apprentices made their own ink from powders and their own needles with soldering irons on a Saturday morning. In this episode, Ian tells the story of getting into tattooing in the mid-90s when it was a small, closed, protective world, his apprenticeship and the 17 years he spent working alongside the late Joe Myler, opening his own place in Kilkenny, and building a team of six artists. We get into the stigma tattooing carried and how it shifted, why the craft is far more disciplined than its outlaw image suggests, people buying machines online and going it alone, and the problem with AI-generated tattoo designs. Find Ian / High Society Tattoo: Website: https://hisotat.square.site Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ian_flynn_tattoo Studio: https://www.instagram.com/highsocietytattoostudio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tattooireland TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hisotat Follow Built in Kilkenny: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CharlieCookLive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charliecooklive TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charliecooklive Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with people who've built something in Kilkenny and tell their story. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
Jul 24

She Created Golf Events Just for Women | Lucy Condon · VenueGolf | Built in Kilkenny Ep.9

Lucy Condon is the founder of VenueGolf, an overnight golf events company built exclusively for women. She spotted a gap at mixed golf events, where a handful of women would turn up, the prizes never ran, and there was no social side, and built the thing she wished existed: women travelling from all over Ireland to play, stay, and meet each other, with a €2,000 prize fund and a gala dinner. In this episode, Lucy tells the story of advertising her very first event with no idea if anyone would book, and filling all 80 places. We get into how she got the hotels on board, the morning an event was rained off, building the whole thing around a demanding full-time career, and why she made it women-only. She also raises thousands for animal rescue charities at every event. Find Lucy / VenueGolf: Website: https://www.venuegolf.ie Instagram: @venuegolf_for_women LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-c-28a84082/ Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with people who've built something in Kilkenny and tell their story. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
Jul 13

I Lived Life When Life Was Real | Alberto Kupper, Musician & Vocal Coach

Alberto Kupper is a musician, bass player and vocal coach from São Paulo, Brazil. He arrived in Ireland in September 2005 with a bass in one hand and a suitcase in the other, moved to Kilkenny on Christmas Day, and has built a life in music here for over 20 years. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny, Alberto tells the story of begging his father for a year for his first bass, an amplifier made from a car speaker in a wooden box, teaching himself entirely by ear, and the three years spent driving a top vocal coach to and from the airport — three years that accidentally transformed his voice and his life. We get into what a vocal coach actually does, why he says most of the vocal coaching market is a scam, coaching Stevie Mulrooney (last week's guest), and what a man who's spent 40 years on his craft makes of AI writing songs. He finishes on the bass, obviously. Looking for vocal coaching, or bass or guitar lessons in Kilkenny? Get in touch through Built in Kilkenny on social media and I'll pass you on to Alberto. Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with people who've built something in Kilkenny and tell their story. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
Jul 6

He Sang to 55,000 People at the Aviva | Stevie Mulrooney, Singer

Stevie Mulrooney is 10 years old, from Kilkenny, and he's already sung Ireland's Call to 55,000 people at the Aviva Stadium. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny, Stevie and his dad Seamus tell the story of the Late Late Toy Show, being surprised on stage by Peter O'Mahony and Bundee Aki, the phone call from Josh van der Flier that led to the Aviva, and everything since: touring with Phil Coulter, the Aldi ad with Kevin the Carrot, hosting his own radio show on KCLR, and recording at Steinway Hall in London with pianist Dominic Ferris. Seamus talks about watching his son walk out in front of 55,000 people, and how the family keeps life normal for a kid with a serious gift. And Stevie finishes with a song. Find Stevie: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@seamusmulrooney8600 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seamiemul/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@steviemul8 Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with people who've built something in Kilkenny and tell their story. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
Jun 29

Teaching Kids Across Ireland to Read Music | Ciara O'Connor, Ceoil Cliste

Ciara O'Connor is a secondary school music teacher who spotted a gap: kids arriving at school unable to read music, and teachers who didn't feel equipped to teach it. So she built Ceoil Cliste, a hands-on programme that travels to primary schools all over Ireland making music fun, and a set of resources to help other teachers do the same. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny, Ciara tells the story of growing up playing music from the age of five, busking and playing weddings as a kid, training as a teacher, and the moment in Australia that gave her the idea. We get into knocking on school doors when emails got nowhere, the TikTok that hit 500,000 views and sold out her whole year, burning herself out, and being nominated for business awards in her first year. Find Ciara / Ceoil Cliste: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oconnorsmusicschool/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ciara_oconnor_ Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with local founders and tell the story of how they built their business. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
Jun 22

I Walked Out the Back Door of School | Declan Buggy, The Irish School of DIY

Declan Buggy left school with no qualifications and taught himself trade skills in his parents' shed using his late granddad's old tools. Today he runs the Irish School of DIY, teaching people all over the country how to do it themselves. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny, Declan tells the story of teaching himself to build furniture as a kid by robbing motors out of broken washing machines, bunking off school to make and sell tables, his apprenticeship as a farrier cut short by injury, and the moment he realised he could build a business teaching people the simple skills tradesmen were charging a fortune for. We get into going from a one-man renovation business to camps and courses all over Ireland, women-only DIY classes, getting young people into trades, writing a book, and the honest reality behind the polished Instagram. Find Declan / The Irish School of DIY: Website: https://www.theirishschoolofdiy.ie/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_irish_school_of_diy/ Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with local founders and tell the story of how they built their business. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
Jun 15

From Hoof to Good Luck | Anne Healy, Biddy's Good Luck Horseshoes

Anne Healy turns genuine worn Irish horseshoes into good luck gifts sent all over the world. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny, Anne tells the story of leaving her job at AXA in 2019 to chase an idea people told her was mad, the 30-second COVID video that turned the business around, and what it's like being trusted with pieces that carry huge personal meaning. We get into the Irish tradition behind the lucky horseshoe, building a family business, winning Businesswoman of the Year three times, and her advice for anyone too scared to start. Find Anne / Biddy's Good Luck Horseshoes: Website: https://www.biddysgoodluckhorseshoes.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodluckhorsesshoe/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biddysgoodluckhorseshoes/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@biddysgoodluckhorseshoes Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with local founders and tell the story of how they built their business. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
Jun 8

What Most People Get Wrong in Interviews | Decky Casey, Ace That Interview | Built in Kilkenny Ep.3

Decky Casey has spent nearly two decades helping people through job interviews. A year ago he turned it into a business, Ace That Interview, while still working full-time in the HSE and raising his daughter. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny we get into his story, from bars and social care to senior healthcare roles in Ireland and Australia, to building a side business in the evenings. We also cover the biggest mistakes people make in interviews, why how you perform on the day beats your qualifications, the STAR method, cleaning up your social media, and what AI is doing to the job market. His mantra: preparation plus confidence equals results. Find Decky / Ace That Interview: Website: https://www.acethatinterview.eu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acethatinterviewirl/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/declan-casey-570879120/ Built in Kilkenny is a series where I sit down with local founders and tell the story of how they built their business. New episodes weekly. Charlie Cook Live, Kilkenny, Ireland
May 26

Ep 2: Odhrán, Second Self Life

Zero fillers in the product. Zero outside funding. Zero salary since September. In this episode of Built in Kilkenny, Charlie Cook sits down with Odhrán, co-founder of Second Self Life, a premium protein brand built from scratch in Kilkenny with his partner Amy-Leigh. They had enough money saved to go to Australia. They put it into a business instead. Manufacturers laughed them out of the room. Their Belgian partner told them their formula wasn't ambitious enough. They made three sales in January. And they kept going. The conversation covers how the idea started, leaving the 9 to 5, the Belgian manufacturer who pushed them harder, the Eton Mess flavour, the Wild Tales partnership, bootstrapping with no funding, working together as a couple, and what they'd say to anyone thinking of starting. Second Self Life: secondselflife.com Built in Kilkenny is a series of honest conversations with the founders and builders behind Kilkenny. A Charlie Cook Live series. charliecooklive.com TikTok: @charliecooklive
May 19

Dan Smithwick — The Man Who Brought Brewing Back to Kilkenny Ep.1

For more than two centuries, two brewing families called Kilkenny home. Then it all disappeared. In this first episode of Built in Kilkenny, Charlie Cook sits down with Dan Smithwick, descendant of one of Ireland's most famous brewing families, to talk about how he brought brewing back to a city that had lost it. The conversation covers the history of Sullivan's and Smithwick's, the horse bet in France that cost a family their brewery, the closure of the last brewery in Kilkenny in 2013, and the revival of Sullivan's into a beer now sold around the world. A Charlie Cook Live series.

11 Episodes

Honest conversations with the founders and builders behind Kilkenny. Built in Kilkenny sits down with the people who started something in this city. The wins, the setbacks, and what it really takes to build something from nothing. No gurus. No overnight success stories. Just real people and real stories. New episodes regularly. A Charlie Cook Live series.

Creator

Charlie
Years Active

2026
Episodes

11
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Charlie
Show Website

Built in Kilkenny