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The JoeIrish and Sherin Podcast

The JoeIrish and Sherin Podcast

Written by: Joe Dowlin & Sherin Hughes
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Joeirish and Sherin chat with comedians on the circuit, internet influencers and what they considers working class heroes.© 2026 Joe Dowlin & Sherin Hughes
Episodes
  • Episode 39 | Coach Ken

    Episode 39 | Coach Ken
    Sep 16 2026
    In Episode 39 of the Joe Irish & Shirin Podcast, Joe and Shirin welcome back one of their most popular guests - the one and only Coach Ken - for a proper catch-up on just how much his life has changed. 🎙️😂From leaving his career and taking a leap into the world of AI, websites, marketing and automation, to travelling solo across Europe and Asia while working remotely, Ken opens up about taking risks, overcoming fear and finally backing himself to go after the life he actually wants.There’s plenty of chat about AI, the future of work, social media, starting a business, learning new skills and why people may need to adapt as technology continues to change everything around us.They also get into Ken’s travels through Croatia, Naples, Pompeii, Athens, Dubai, Bali and Thailand, the freedom of solo travel, manifestation, mindset, spirituality, DMT, meditation and some very questionable plans for future podcast retreats. 😂Underneath all the madness, there’s a brilliant conversation about fear, failure, reinvention, trusting yourself and taking the opportunity when it appears.A proper catch-up with Coach Ken - with AI, travel, spirituality and absolute chaos thrown in along the way. 🎙️😂[00:00] — Welcome to Episode 39 of the Joe Irish & Shirin Podcast[00:25] — Coach Ken returns as one of the podcast’s most popular guests[01:18] — Ken’s new camera glasses and recording life hands-free[02:23] — Live translation, music, calls and what the glasses can actually do[03:51] — Looking back at some of Ken’s legendary old podcast clips[04:38] — How does it feel seeing how far he has come?[05:18] — Overcoming adversity and always wanting something more[06:27] — Manifestation, excitement and believing in where you’re going[06:46] — The fear that was holding Ken back[07:05] — Taking a career break and stepping away from his old life[07:54] — Leaving the running club in good hands[08:26] — What’s the worst that can happen if you take the risk?[09:09] — Did Ken already know what he wanted to do next?[09:23] — Studying AI and becoming completely obsessed with it[09:56] — From CRM systems to websites, apps and social media[10:23] — Selling things before he had even figured out how to build them 😂[11:13] — What AI automation can actually do for businesses[11:34] — Automated customer responses and Google reviews[12:24] — Websites and social media become Ken’s main business[13:08] — Why businesses need to stay in people’s heads online[13:25] — Hooks, memorable content and getting attention on social media[14:19] — Ken’s AI assistants and chatbots[15:47] — Is Ken slowly turning his house into Minority Report? 😂[16:17] — AI Solutions Dublin and consultancy for businesses[17:15] — Could AI completely change the travel industry?[18:15] — Building instant quotation systems for customers[18:52] — Using AI for everyday problems[19:36] — Are robots going to take everyone’s jobs?[20:13] — Why people need to learn how AI fits into their current careers[21:12] — AI videos, robots and knowing what’s real online[22:29] — Ken’s plans for AI-generated content[23:05] — Helping ordinary people understand the opportunities in AI[24:16] — Selling online and the changing world of work[24:57] — Why adapting to AI is like adapting from horses to cars[25:36] — Europe, America, China and the race to develop AI[26:11] — How Ken’s college course started the entire journey[27:05] — Marketing, targeting customers and generating leads[27:55] — Everyone seems to be starting a new business 😂[28:25] — Joe’s latest venture into seamless resin flooring[29:51] — Joe offers free floors to build up experience[31:08] — Relearning, retraining and refusing to stay stuck[31:47] — The washing-machine disaster that inspired the new flooring idea[33:03] — Moving on to Ken’s travels[33:26] — Working remotely while travelling the world[34:11] — Croatia and meeting family along the way[34:47] — Naples, Italian history and falling in love with the city[35:05] — Capri — beautiful, but absolutely not cheap 😂[35:31] — Visiting Pompeii[36:24] — Athens and the history of the first marathon[37:17] — Why meeting his daughter became the main goal of the trip[37:56] — Forgetting he needed a visa for India 😂[38:32] — Dubai and why Ken wasn’t completely sold on it[38:49] — Heading from Dubai to Bali[39:10] — Thailand and discovering Fitness Street[40:05] — Why Bali ended up being Ken’s favourite destination[41:05] — Solo travel and meeting people along the way[42:02] — Could Ken ever go back to his old career?[42:33] — Wanting to get as much out of every day as possible[42:53] — Future travel plans and how quickly the new business is growing[43:12] — Why Ken has stopped letting fear make his decisions[43:30] — Taking the leap instead of wondering “what if?”[44:10] — Energy, manifestation and...
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Episode 38 | Ozzy

    Episode 38 | Ozzy
    Sep 10 2026
    In Episode 48 of the Joe Irish & Shirin Podcast, Joe and Shirin are joined by Joe’s old boss, mentor and longtime friend — the one and only Ozzy - for a proper trip down memory lane. 😂From growing up in the flats before moving to Tallaght in the late 70s, street fights, community games and the absolute madness of childhood in the 70s and 80s, Ozzy shares stories from a completely different Ireland.There’s plenty of nostalgia, plenty of slagging and some brilliant stories about apprenticeships, site banter, old-school drinking culture, gambling, pranks, builders, broken skylights and why construction sites simply aren’t the same anymore.Underneath all the madness, there’s also a great conversation about friendship, community, learning a trade, how working life has changed and the relationships you build with people along the way.A proper old-school episode packed with stories, memories and absolute chaos. 🎙️😂[00:00] — Welcome to Episode 48 of the Joe Irish & Shirin Podcast[00:47] — Introducing Joe’s old boss and longtime friend Ozzy[01:09] — Ozzy on growing up in Dolphin’s Barn[02:12] — Life in the flats during the 70s and the arrival of heroin[03:05] — Moving to Tallaght in 1979[03:53] — Growing up in a brand-new Tallaght and finding your place[05:15] — Moving from the flats into a house and suddenly having your own room[06:17] — Ozzy’s family joining the Mormon Church[07:20] — Did Ozzy ever become a Mormon himself?[08:20] — Vincent de Paul, childhood memories and growing up with very little[09:12] — The milkman, coal man, vegetable man and everyone calling to the door[10:10] — One unforgettable story involving a Jewish salesman and Ozzy’s mother 😂[11:49] — The kind of parenting you definitely wouldn’t get away with today[12:30] — Ozzy’s mother terrifying the kids through the letterbox[14:32] — Car theft, messing around and teenage trouble in the 80s[15:31] — Why community felt completely different back then[16:14] — Street parties, community games and rival roads[17:21] — When the entire street would come out for a fight[19:30] — The characters everyone in Tallaght knew to avoid[20:39] — How families, neighbours and communities all became connected[21:25] — Kids moving away, coming home and how family life changes[23:18] — How Ozzy got into plastering[23:57] — Leaving Ireland at 18 and heading to Liverpool[24:16] — Meeting at Southampton station with no mobile phones[24:32] — The 11-hour boat journey to Jersey[25:07] — Learning the plastering trade on the Channel Islands[26:32] — Coming back to Ireland and meeting Joe on the job[27:31] — Joe’s early days working alongside Ozzy[28:10] — One of the first construction-site pranks gets completely out of hand[29:51] — Finishing work early and heading straight to the pub[30:25] — Construction sites in the old days versus health and safety today[31:06] — The rabbit-catching prank begins[32:20] — Setting up the snare and planning the perfect joke[32:56] — The dead rabbit… with a cigarette hanging out of its mouth 😂[34:07] — The job that should have taken two weeks but somehow lasted months[34:49] — How one lunch-break bet stopped Joe gambling for life[35:39] — Why gambling can become one of the hardest addictions to escape[36:02] — Gambling, gaming and how kids are exposed to it today[37:15] — Joe’s first pint on a building site at 15[38:33] — The legendary hoover prank[40:15] — Getting your workmate out of bed and onto the site[41:32] — Racing to work before the boss catches you doing nothing[42:32] — Joe’s first proper drinking session with the older tradesmen[44:06] — Starting work at 14 and how different apprenticeships are today[44:28] — Why nobody wants to become a plasterer anymore[46:39] — Years of working together and the stories that came with it[46:55] — The £16,000 skylight disaster[48:07] — Realising the skylight has cracked… and waiting for the builder to notice[49:45] — Why construction banter made the hardest jobs enjoyable[50:42] — The recession forces Ozzy into a completely different career[51:03] — Starting care work with no experience or qualifications[51:39] — Looking after one particularly unforgettable resident[53:31] — Ozzy reads a handwritten note and makes a catastrophic mistake[53:43] — Completely misunderstanding what the cream is actually for 😭[54:15] — “I have your cream there…”[55:28] — The moment Ozzy realises he has completely misunderstood the instructions[56:23] — Ringing the supervisor and expecting to lose his job[57:28] — Somehow, Ozzy survives the incident[58:16] — The relationships built through years of care work[58:38] — Wrapping up an hour of memories, construction stories and absolute madness
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    1 hr
  • Episode 37 | El Paco

    Episode 37 | El Paco
    Sep 2 2026
    Guest: El PacoIn this episode of the Joe Irish & Shirin Podcast, the guys are joined by the one and only El Paco for a proper rollercoaster of a conversation - packed with laughs, madness, brutally honest stories and some seriously powerful moments.From growing up in Darndale and experiencing violence and discrimination from a young age, to finding boxing, discovering his passion for media and entertainment, and ultimately deciding to chase something bigger - El Paco opens up about the experiences that shaped him.The lads get into Traveller culture, community, discrimination, family, grief and the importance of standing together - including the heartbreaking story of El Paco losing his mother and how that loss became the fuel behind his determination to achieve greatness.And then there's Finesse Game Promotions - why El Paco decided to walk away from a comfortable job, follow his passion and create a promotion where the fighters come first.There's serious emotion, plenty of devilment, some very dark humour and a whole lot of honesty.This is one you won't want to miss.[00:00] — Welcome to the Joe Irish & Shirin Podcast! Introducing special guest El Paco[01:30] — How Joe first met El Paco and the story behind their friendship[02:00] — Traveller banter, comedy and why El Paco encouraged Joe to go all in with the jokes[05:00] — El Paco opens up about his childhood and growing up in Darndale[06:00] — His earliest memories of violence and gunfire around the community[08:30] — Growing up around danger, getting older and how those experiences became normal[09:30] — Boxing, bullying and discrimination at school[11:30] — Why people from disadvantaged backgrounds can become products of their environment[12:30] — Traveller history, survival and the lack of support from wider society[13:00] — Discrimination against Travellers and memories of being blocked from communities[14:00] — Family, community and the people who helped each other survive[15:30] — The story of El Paco's great-grandfather Patty Ward and a shocking chapter of family history[17:00] — Traveller culture, family names and why there are "bad apples" in every community[18:00] — A hilarious Traveller story involving a pub, a hatchet and one very specific threat 😂[20:00] — The origins of the name "El Paco" and how the nickname came about[22:00] — Cinco de Mayo, social media and creating a name that would stand out[23:30] — Where El Paco's drive for greatness really comes from[24:30] — Violence, survival, family and the experiences that shaped him[25:30] — El Paco talks about his mother and the incredible woman she was[26:00] — Caring for his mother through her illness and putting his own life on hold for her[27:00] — The heartbreaking reality of watching his mother battle cancer[28:30] — Her final days, faith and the strength she showed throughout her illness[29:00] — Losing his mother and the six months that followed[29:30] — Turning grief into motivation: "I've got to be great"[30:30] — Joe opens up about grief, pain and the importance of finding passion[31:00] — Dark humour, family and finding laughter during the hardest moments[36:00] — Finesse Game Promotions: how the idea came about[37:00] — Why El Paco believes fighters deserve to be treated better[38:00] — "The fighters come first" — the philosophy behind Finesse Game Promotions[39:30] — Where the name "Finesse the Game" came from[40:00] — The upcoming boxing event and bringing the team together[42:00] — Double Trouble join the Finesse Game team 🎤🥊[43:30] — The future of Finesse Game Promotions and the plans for upcoming shows[45:00] — Why El Paco walked away from a good-paying job to follow his passion[46:00] — Financial sacrifice, believing in yourself and taking a chance on your dreams[47:00] — Why following your passion can mean giving up security[48:30] — Family support, his wife Megan and the people behind his journey[50:00] — The importance of having someone who believes in you[51:00] — Acting, ambition and the story of El Paco's brother John[52:30] — John Connor's incredible drive and determination[53:00] — What it takes to keep chasing your dream when nobody else sees it yet
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    57 mins
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