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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for more information.