The Selection Box: Books Edition with Trish Hennessy

An Irishman Abroad

Jarlath Regan

Society & Culture, News, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture:personal Journals, Personal Journals, Politics

4.8 • 834 Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2021

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week the Selection Box stops in Greystones to meet Trish Hennessy, the dynamo behind one of the most unusual independent book shops in Ireland. Her story of how selling a few books as a hobby turned into a successful award winning business is an inspiration. Jarlath asks Trish about the remarkably novel ways in which she survived the pandemic. Her book subscription service has allowed relatives in other countries to use literature to keep in contact with the children they desperately want to see. We also get a few great book recommendations from perhaps the most qualified young people’s book expert in the country. For more information on (or to purchase) the books recommended by Trish in this episode, please click the links below: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy While We Can't Hug by Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 500 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad Supplementary research provided by John Meagher. The Irishman Abroad Liveline is now open. You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 0044 7543 122 330. Why not pose a running question to Irish Olympic Legend Sonia O'Sullivan or ask our America Correspondent Marion McKeone her thoughts on a current talking point Stateside? Of course, if you have an issue with traffic or elephants on the loose in your area, Jarlath can do his best to sort that out too. Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their mental health and the skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation. For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on [email protected]. Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're very welcome to another edition of the Selection Box from Irish Man Abroad podcast and another episode in our mini series about independent Irish booksellers.
0:11.3	So far, we've travelled the length and breadth of the country.
0:14.4	We've been to Luzberg for Books at One, Kevin Gildee's brilliant bookshop in Dunleary, Kenny's of course, the
0:21.8	granddaddy of them all in Galway, Woodbine Books in Kilcullen. And today we travel to Greystones
0:28.4	to meet Trish Hennessy from halfway up the stairs. A really unique bookstore, it's fair to say,
0:36.1	Trish. Where did the idea to do a children's bookshop
0:40.0	specifically come from? Well, I've always been really, really passionate about children's books.
0:48.2	And about 10, 11 years ago, I found myself with an opportunity to sort of start a little business from home.
0:56.5	I was at home with the kids and was looking for something to do.
0:59.8	And I started to sell us born children's books just from home, just thought if I could earn a few quid,
1:06.0	maybe give myself a little treat every now and then.
1:09.4	So it just started this little business from home and it took
1:12.5	off. And I'd say within about a year, I thought, do you know what? There's a real market for
1:18.8	children's books in Greystones. I mean, I think in Ireland generally, but definitely in Greystones.
1:24.7	So I started to think about it and I mulled over it and sort of nearly did it a few
1:29.8	times. But eventually I sort of felt I needed to get a little bit more experience in the trade.
1:35.2	So I went and worked in Easton's for a couple of years. And then about three and a half years ago,
1:41.5	I said, right, the time is right. I'm going to do it. And it took me about nine months to get the shop set up. And it's just been, it's worked out so amazingly.
1:51.5	Yeah, well, before we go anywhere there, that part of the journey, I don't want to skip over it because that leap of faith that you took there and obviously recognising yourself as having an
2:02.9	ability to do this and to sell books and the passion necessary to do it.
2:08.5	Across the two years with the essence, what did you learn there that made you go,
2:13.6	oh, I definitely have the other stuff, the more, I guess, the more academic side of it.
	...

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