Welcome to Carlow Connects. I'm Paddy Carroll.
Carlow is a small county, but, what's happening here in terms of business is anything but small.
Every corner of this county, from the town to the townland, there are people doing really interesting things. Building businesses, creating jobs, making things happen quietly in the background without a whole lot of fuss.
I love is how connected it all is. One business feeds into another, one person knows someone who knows someone, and before you know it, you realise that Carlow has this incredible network just... humming away.
Every episode I sit down with someone whose business caught my eye, and we just have a proper & open chat, on how sports, politics, entertainment, sponsorship, coffee, connects us all in business, as well as how these business owners became what they are today.
What drives these people, Where they started, what drives them, and how they fit into the bigger picture of what's going on here.
It all connects.
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Carlow Connects, Episode 14 w/ Colm Whelan (Rockfield IT Services, AI Tech & Cyber Securitiy Expert)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 14
Have you ever been on the phone to an IT person and felt completely lost? You ask why the printer won't work, network is down, and suddenly you're hearing about VPNs, DNS, MFA, SaaS, and RAM.
I'll be honest with you, I nod along and say "ah yeah" but I haven't a notion what any of those mean. I'm fairly sure one of them is a sandwich, a BLT maybe?
Every type of business uses IT, construction, healthcare, fitness & wellbeing, cafes, restaurants, you name we all touched by it in our daily lives. So today let's get the jargon out of the way and bring in someone to talk to us in plain English.
He's the CEO of Rockfield IT, based in Carlow, Colm Whelan!
He's here to explain what's going on with technology in our businesses, how to beat the scammers, why your data is stored where it is, and why everyone's so nervous about that buzzword, AI.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @ carlowconnectspodcast
Big thanks to our show sponsors Coppenagh House Farm, Tullow, Co.Carlow.
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Carlow Connects | Ep. 13
My guest today used to work in beauty therapy. Where the biggest disaster was a dodgy brow. Then one day she looked at her career and thought, 'I need a change of surface'.
The Tarmacing Mammy, Shauna Doyle, swapped fake tan for real tar. Gel nails for gravel. Lash extensions for road extensions. She went from filling in brows to filling in potholes, and she's still doing full-face contouring, just on a much bigger scale.
She hopped into a truck, in an industry where people expected her to be lost, and she's been paving the way ever since. Her business may be small, but it's laying down big results. And she knows that, in business, it's not just the tar that holds things together, it's the connections. Fill your contact book right and every road leads to work.
She's a smooth operator, she's always on a roll, and she's proof that you don't need to be big to make a lasting impression.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @ carlowconnectspodcast
Big thanks to our show sponsors Coppenagh House Farm, Tullow, Co.Carlow.
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Carlow Connects | Ep. 12
My next guests are proof that some things only get better with age, reputations included. Established back in 1973, REA Sothern has been the name that Leinster families and land-owners trust when it's time to sell, buy, or figure out what on earth their property is actually worth.
Over five decades, this family-run business has built its name the old-fashioned way, through relationships, reputation, and knowing the area better than anyone else, while quietly plugging into a network of fifty sister offices around the country as a founding member of the Real Estate Alliance Group.
Joining me today is the man who started it all, Harry Sothern, and the man who, by his own admission, was 'brought in kicking and screaming' back in 2006, his son Keith. Two decades later, Keith's seen the best and worst the estate agency world has to offer, and he's still here. Father and son, please welcome Harry and Keith.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @ carlowconnectspodcast Big thanks to our show sponsors Coppenagh House Farm, Tullow, Co.Carlow.
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Carlow Connects | Ep. 11
Fáilte romhaibh ar ais go Carlow Connects. Now, this week's guest is a man whose guitar & lyrics has done a fair bit of travelling through the Irish charts, onto some of the biggest stages in the country far and wide, and alongside some serious musical royalty. Fiach Moriarty.
He is lead guitarist with the band Aldoc, and you'll also catch him stepping in for the occasional solo with the legendary Horslips. Three studio albums deep to his name, his band Aldoc have carved their own path through the Irish circuit.
He has collaborated with the likes of Damien Dempsey, brian kennedy, and Paul Brady, even supporting Damien live on stage. He's jammed with Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains, Finbar Wright, Fiachna Ó Braonáin of the Hothouse Flowers, Jack L, and Jim Lockhart of Horslips! A who's who of Irish music.
A proud Gaeilgeoir with a real passion for our native language, Fiach even wrote a song for his better half, Clara Hutchison, a Carlow native herself, to win the Pan Celtic 2026 singer song writing competition.
It's a career built almost entirely on connection. Who you know, who you play with, who takes a chance on you. And that's exactly what we're digging into today.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @ carlowconnectspodcast
Big thanks to our show sponsors Coppenagh House Farm, Tullow, Co.Carlow.
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10 Sept 2026
Carlow Connects, Episode 10 w/ Sean Swan (Swans Electrical, The Lions Club, Éire Óg GAA)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 10
My next guest has been providing & helping people with their electrical appliances in Carlow & beyond the borders for many a decade. Sean Swan.
This year, he and his business are celebrating a major milestone, of 60 years in business. A family run business that has grown into a trusted household name amongst us carlovians, for home appliances, and an incredible retail service the minute you walk in their door in the strawhall industrial estate.
If you walk around & through Carlow town on any given day, you’ll be sure to see an eire og top, or jersey, with Swans Electrical stitched across it. And by his own admission, that jersey has broken my heart on a football field more times than he'd like to count.
He's currently President of Éire Óg GAA, a champion of Carlow Camogie, a proud Lions Club man, and last year walked into what he thought was a normal work event... and walked out with a Lifetime Achievement Award and a standing ovation he never saw coming.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @carlowconnectspodcast
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3 Sept 2026
Carlow Connects, Episode 9 w/ Nathalie Lennon (Shake The Ground Podcast, Health & Wellness Coach)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 09
My guest today, is one of Ireland's most recognisable faces and voices, A qualified Personal Trainer, Nutritionalist and health & wellness coach, and one of the best known content creators in Ireland. She's a brand ambassador for a number of household names both here and internationally. She is a fellow podcaster, like myself, with her very own podcast, Shake the Ground. Which is making serious waves through the podcast world.
Represented by the wonderful Jules Fallon & Demeter Wollen at First Management in Dublin, and she's a regular voice on the radio talking fitness, sport, and lifestyle and an MC.
It's the connections built up over the years that brought Nathalie Lennon in to us today, but I'll admit, I'm nosy about the whole "influencing" & content creation aspect of online business & personality building. What it's actually like being front and centre every single day, working with brands, living your life slightly more publicly than the rest of us. If you want to know how the world of content creation works this is must for you.
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27 Aug 2026
Carlow Connects, Episode 8 w/ Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Minister of State, Department of Health)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 08
Today we’re joined by Minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor. Someone who’s been part of public life in Carlow and Kilkenny for nearly three decades. She’s served as a councillor, a Senator, a TD, and now Minister of State at the Department of Health. But beyond all the titles, Jennifer is known for being deeply rooted in her community, always present, and always approachable.
We’re chatting about her journey into politics, what life looks like outside the Dáil, the juggle of family and public service, and the experiences that shaped her along the way. It’s a chance to get to know the person behind the role.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @carlowconnectspodcast
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20 Aug 2026
Carlow Connects, Episode 7 w/ John Paul Payne (International Makeup Artist, Business Owner, Stylist)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 07
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Carlow Connects. The podcast discussing how everything connects through business.
My next guest has spent nearly twenty years making other people look camera-ready while staying completely behind the scenes himself... these days he's also stepped out from behind the brush and in front of the camera, working on major TV programmes in the US and Canada, not just backstage but on-screen too. He runs his own shop, and he's also the man behind his own academy, teaching the next generation everything from essential techniques and HD-ready, on-camera looks, right through to the unglamorous stuff that actually keeps the lights on: pricing; branding; social media; and how to survive as a sole trader.
As if that wasn't enough, he's editor of OutMag, a long-time LGBT+ advocate in Ireland and beyond, and one of the people we can thank for Carlow Pride existing at all, having helped get it off the ground back in 2019. So basically, from a small studio on Dublin Street in Carlow to London Fashion Week and beyond, this man has quietly built himself into one of the busiest people in the country, and today, for once, it's his turn to sit in the chair instead of standing behind it. Please welcome the man, the myth, the man with the brush, John Paul Payne!
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @carlowconnectspodcast
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13 Aug 2026
Carlow Connects, Episode 6 w/ Eimear Ní Bhraonáin (Journalist, Radio Presenter, Best-Selling Author)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 06
My next guest spent twenty years as a journalist, asking other people the hard questions, then decided the real challenge was answering to nobody but herself. For over a decade she was the voice of morning radio on KCLR, covering Carlow and Kilkenny. If the voice doesn't give her away, the face might, you'll have spotted her on Virgin Media's Ireland AM, as one of the country's go-to media commentators. She's also writing bestseller books, and does business through our beautiful Irish language.
This lady is a PR Consultant, Media Trainer, Radio Presenter, TV Commentator, Author, and an ambassador for us Carlovians and Scallianators all over Ireland and beyond. A Carlow woman through and through; Eimear Ní Bhraonáin, thank you so much for coming in to us here at Carlow Connects and Ampifi Studios.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @carlowconnectspodcast
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Carlow Connects | Ep. 05
Today I'm joined by someone who embodies the heart of Carlow Rugby Club. Muireann O'Toole Brennan. She’s the club’s PRO and Communications Officer, Club Welfare Officer, Director of Women’s Rugby, Manager of the All‑Inclusive Team, and a Past President. Muireann’s commitment to community has only deepened since her husband, Padraig Brennan, was diagnosed with cancer, and the club has rallied around them in an incredible way.
With a major fundraiser and raffle happening in the second week of August, I wanted to shine a light on the people behind the club, the strength of community, and the highs and lows of supporting rugby both on and off the field. Muireann’s story is one of resilience, leadership, and love, and I am delighted to have her with us today.
Make sure to keep up to date on the lates episodes & news across my socials: @carlowconnectspodcast
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Carlow Connects | Ep. 04
Today's guest is a man who spent over a decade working in insurance, banking, and financial services. After years of working for the big lads, he decided that he'd had quite enough of that craic, and in 2025, he set up Slaney Financial Solutions, in County Carlow.
He's got more letters after his name than most people have in their full name: QFA, CIP, RPA, and while I won't pretend I can tell you what all of those stand for off the top of my head, what they basically mean is: this man has sat a LOT of exams, so that you don't have to think too hard, about your pension.
Shane has built this business on three things: trust, transparency, and personal service.
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Carlow Connects | Ep. 03
Now, if you've ever driven through the rolling hills of County Carlow, and spotted a beautiful native hedge, or a perfectly placed Mature Mountain Ash Tree, there's a decent chance it came from a little place in Hacketstown called Cullen Nurseries.
This is a family business rooted, quite literally, in generations of green fingers. It started with a father and son, a love of the land, and a Saturday spent in a local nursery. Today it's 19 acres, a DAFM-approved operation, and plants travelling the length and breadth of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Joining me this morning is the woman who keeps the whole show growing!
From the admin, to the marketing, to, I'd imagine, a fair bit of mud on the boots, I am delighted to welcome Catriona Cullen into studio for this weeks episode.
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16 Jul 2026
Carlow Connects, Episode 2 w/ Ciara Stanley (Coppenagh House Farm, Ardattin Embroidery & more)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 02
My next guest is a woman who clearly missed the memo that said 'pick one thing and stick to it. Ciara Stanley runs not one, not two, but THREE businesses out of Carlow.
She's dressing you with Ballybar Ireland, feeding you through Coppenagh House Farm Shop, and now embroidering you with Ardattin Embroidery.
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9 Jul 2026
Carlow Connects, Episode 1 w/ Norah Ryan (Owner/Managing Director of Barrow Consultancy & Training)
Carlow Connects | Ep. 01
My guest today is Norah Ryan from Barrow Consultancy & Training.
Now if you've ever wondered how businesses get their act together... their compliance, their training, their standards... Norah is the woman behind a lot of that work here in Carlow and right across Ireland.
From healthcare to childcare, health and safety, to ISO certification, Barrow Consultancy covers it all. But what I find really interesting is the impact that has on real people and real organisations.
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6 Jul 2026
Carlow Connects w/ Paddy Carroll - Introduction
Welcome to Carlow Connects. I'm Paddy Carroll.
Carlow is a small county, but, what's happening here in terms of business is anything but small. Every corner of this county, from the town to the townland, there are people doing really interesting things. Building businesses, creating jobs, making things happen quietly in the background without a whole lot of fuss.
I love is how connected it all is. One business feeds into another, one person knows someone who knows someone, and before you know it, you realise that Carlow has this incredible network just... humming away.
Every episode I sit down with someone whose business caught my eye, and we just have a proper & open chat, on how sports, politics, entertainment, sponsorship, coffee, connects us all in business, as well as how these business owners became what they are today.
What drives these people, Where they started, what drives them, and how they fit into the bigger picture of what's going on here.
It all connects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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