Hi everybody. Before we get to today's episode, we are so excited to introduce the Irish Passports first listener competition.

Yes, and we're really happy to do this because there's a lovely story behind it, which I think lots of our listeners might relate to.

So first of all, let's meet Brian.

Hi, my name is Brian Murray. I'm from County Fermanagh and I'm a carpenter by trade.

For a long time, Brian was living the dream in New York. He's a carpenter from Fermanagh and she was from Tipperary.

They met two Irish immigrants in the Big Apple and fell in love.

I met Lara in New York and then just hit it off and here we are 12 years later.

Brian and Lara got married and Brian decided to make a special gift for his new family using his skills as a carpenter.

He made a bespoke map of Ireland. Each county carved individually from wood,

32 pieces fitting together like a jigsaw.

The counties on this beautiful carved map were all in white wood except for two.

Brian and Laris home counties of Fermanagh and Tipperary, which stood out in a deep walnut.

It was the first one that was made and it was just ours and then it kind of snowballed from there.

His friends were so impressed with his work that they all started to ask Brian to make maps

just for them, once painted in the county colours or with the home counties of their grandparents

picked out in dark wood. And as you do, Brian started to realise that he was on to a business idea.

Brian and Lara now have two little girls and the family has moved home to Ireland,

where Brian is building his business making carved wooden maps of Ireland,

right on his home turf of County Formana.

Sometimes ash, sometimes oak, walnut and I use mahogany as well.

Those timbers, they're actually grown in Ireland, literally pieces of Ireland.

And it's actually my nimble fingers doing the work.

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