The Public Nuisance Podcast

The Public Nuisance Podcast #082 “Why Every Man Needs a Hobby Outside Work” with Darragh Milligan

• Sean McComb • Season 1 • Episode 82

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Welcome to a new episode of The Public Nuisance Podcast with me, Sean McComb.


This week we welcome Darragh, Belfast Undercover Chef to the podcast.


We cover boxing, the Belfast Undercover Chef journey, TikTok and social media, content creation, anxiety, depression, counselling, medication, men's mental health, fatherhood, parenting teenagers, giving up alcohol, boxing discipline, finding purpose after sport, cooking, BBQs, family life, confidence, dealing with criticism, hobbies, retirement, staying active, restaurant culture, Belfast food, content creation as a hobby and much more.

New episodes every Tuesday.


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Sean McComb

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Killen Studios

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Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

00:02 - Parenting, patience & raising teenagers

02:26 - Is social media really an easy way to make money?

06:23 - Boxing, discipline & committing to your craft

08:02 - University vs learning a trade

12:00 - How cooking changed his life

14:18 - Living with anxiety & depression

17:40 - Giving up alcohol & taking control

19:49 - Confidence, criticism & social media

24:17 - Social anxiety & life after drinking

27:20 - The passion for cooking & feeding family

31:20 - Life after boxing & finding purpose

37:22 - Using social media to help people with mental health

39:32 - Medication, counselling & panic attacks

43:20 - Becoming the person your children deserve

46:29 - Belfast prepares for Fleadh Cheoil

48:28 - Favourite meals, BBQs & restaurant habits

57:34 - Working with brands without selling out

01:00:28 - Why content creation stays a hobby

01:02:15 - Where to find Belfast Undercover Chef

Welcome To The Studio

SPEAKER_00

Welcome to the Pony to Podcast. Right here in Tony Studios, we can get all your content. Forest church and podcasts, FedEo Editing, whatever you need, we've got it right here. She

Parenting Pressure And Losing Patience

SPEAKER_00

goes, It's not my fault. She goes, hi Commy, you might he'll go to Crash, he'll go to SummerScreen for me, so she actually ended up bringing him when I left. And I says, Well, if that's the case, you just bring him in future. Don't be asking me to bring him. Because that's me to bring him to school or to bring him to Crash or sorry, to bring him to summer scheme, and he'd fucking frustrated me. Because he won't put shoes on, he's gone not to. When do you have two? Huh? When do you have two? I know. That's when it's all gonna get real one. I have like I've I've bar.

SPEAKER_01

No, but see when you get older, like I was like, I see when I get older, like my pay like my son could do anything. And I'm like, do you know what it doesn't matter, mate? See, my first son, he was I I was strict with him. Like, and see now with my my wee son, I'm like, I'm like, do you know what? 'cause that's the last one I'm gonna have. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? It's like, do you know what, mate? I don't really care. See the reality. Like I love plants, and all I've got is the wee training, you know, on our table in our kitchen. And I've had it for years and just like spray it every so often. And it's Did you come in here? He's broke out. I said, doesn't matter. But say that was like 15 years ago, and I went absolutely out of wrecking place.

SPEAKER_00

I just um I don't know, it's sometimes I have it just depends. I think it's just I I can't even put a finger on exactly what it is, but I just feel like it's when I'm I'm always like I've somewhere to be, and he starts playing up and I've somewhere to be, and it's I'm starting to.

SPEAKER_01

Because you probably just want to be there on time. Same as me, like I I'm a planner, you know, so I'll plan everything meticulously. And if I'm you said to be here half twelve, I was here at half twelve. You know, and where my wife was like, sure. You know, I don't know, but what are you planning for? I'm like, but in my job you'd have to plan. Yeah, yeah. Do you know what I mean? Like so I I love to see writing out a plan, not writing out a plan in my head right now, I'm gonna be there X, Y, and Z. And especially my son, he's 16 and he works with me sometimes, you know. I bring him in over summertime, but he's gonna be a joiner, so I'm like, you need to be up and at this door. You need to be up at quarter past six or quarter to six for me to leave his house at half seven, and he's lucky enough to have a lovely set of hair, so he's brushing himself and uh and I'm like, or he's lying in bed. I'm like, I need to go to work, like see in September you go to do a joinery course. Yeah, you need to be on site for half seven. Like, and if you're still lying in your bed, scratch yourself.

SPEAKER_00

It's getting hotter than I for kids. Like the think money seems like it's very easy, right now, isn't it? I've heard of what it was back in the day.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, like people think looking at like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook's the way to make money, you know, or make a living.

SPEAKER_00

It's not but both know that. Obviously, you can do it if you really like, but I don't really know what what advice I'm gonna give myself going forward, like uh in life, because I don't fucking know what's gonna. Like it's it's fucked up out there a lot. Like, can't keep them tapping. It's like like there's successful like YouTubers. People call

TikTok Fame And Identity Labels

SPEAKER_00

like yesterday, right? I was in Iceland next door. Someone goes to me, I'm at the till with like a bottle of water, right? And uh packet of like square bars, and like there was two girls behind me who were sort of half talking to me. And then this fellon is mad, just checked all the stuff into the Iceland, so I'm waiting and he turns around and goes, Yeah, you you're you're a TikToker? He says, No, no. He says, You're you're on TikTok. He says, Are you on TikTok? He says, Aye. You're a TikToker? Like, look, let me think, I'm not a TikToker. He says, Hey there, man. He says, but you're you're on TikTok, and I mean, so he, I can't get it. I put videos up on TikTok, I'm not a TikToker. What is it? What is a TikToker? And he was like, Oh, but you everyone knows you off TikTok. I mean, it doesn't make me a TikToker. To me, so when I came in here and told it ads, they were like, Well, you're a TikToker. I was like, I'm not a TikToker, what the fuck's a TikToker? To me, some a TikToker, someone who tries to make a living off TikTok, like going live, doing all these replays, doing selling stuff on selling stuff. I don't do none of that. I just upload on TikTok what I don't think the podcast, the gem.

SPEAKER_01

You know, if you do if you take it so seriously, you don't take it by looking at your videos, you don't take it seriously. No, like you are reading the car and you tell a story, people laugh at that. You know, and you're not doing that for anything, but you're doing that because it's funny. Yeah, do you know what I mean? Like, so you're not it, you know, but then there's people out there who are so serious about it, like, and which is grant great, but I uh from what I think is like I don't take it seriously at all. Yeah, I just cook and I don't really do anything else. Like I find myself as the most boring person in the world, you know, like But you're passionate about it? Yeah, but I'm passionate about it. You know, but it helps me out with my mental health. That's the reason why I started off. But I'll upload a video, I'll do a recipe that I want to do, and that's it. I'll just forget about it, you know. And I don't really take it so and you know what's great if you get a few quid from it here and there, yeah. That's great. But you know, you've got your main job and you're earning them income from that. Yeah. If you earn a bit of money on the side to take out, it's not gonna take you out on holiday for or you know, buy a new motor like a big shout out to that praise guy helping plenty of people win plenty of praises, head on over to their page, see what's in store for you.

SPEAKER_00

Imagine you won. Imagine you won. You watch this episode and you thought, I'm gonna do the praise guy, you know what? I'm gonna do it now. And you won a big praise. All you have to do is buy me a pen. That's it. So head on over to their Instagram, calculate their link, see what praise are in store for you. Big show down to the Wingson alley on the Lisburn Road, the best chicken tanders this head of the Mississippi. I'm telling you, finger licking. Because that's not good. Do you hear me? Get yourself down in the Wings and Alley, trying to get their tanders, trying to get their burgers, trying all their sauces. Unreal.

Commitment Mindset From Boxing

SPEAKER_00

Because of what I've got to in my life now, boxing, I've been boxing for 26 years. I have my first fight in 2000. Uh August 2000, I was eight years old. Boxed my whole life, competed at the top level of both farm with your unprofessional, and people don't recognise me as a TikToker. I'm like, what's the point? No, I'm a boxer. I'm a boxer. I'm telling the chair, just you do whatever you want to do, just put whatever like whatever you're gonna do in life, do it with fucking full commitment and python.

SPEAKER_01

But I think that's like my son's 16, as I said, he plays Hurley, and you know, sometimes he doesn't get on because he hasn't turned up the training. Like, here's a prime example. We were away in Spain, we came back on the Friday and then matched on a Saturday, and he didn't get starting. And I'm like, Well what do you expect? Yeah, you weren't at the training for two weeks because you're in Spain, you can't be expected just to be on the starting panel. Yeah, you know, now he did get on in the second half for like 20 minutes, but he was pissed off about it. I'm like, I get it. Yeah, you know, if you don't if you're not there, someone else has to have the chance because they've been there, you know. So if you don't need it, if you want to do something, you need to put your heart and soul into doing that, you know. And regardless of, you know, like my son has no interest, he finna he gets achieved results here, no interest to going back to school. Like, would rather I would say go to prison than go to school, do you know what I mean? Like, and he wants to go and be a joiner, and I said, Do you know what it's not around? And people are going back, let's join right go to that. Like, you know what, you'll always need a joiner, you'll always need something, you know, to do something. And I I remember my nanny said to me before, do a trade, and I was like, not a chance I might get my hands dirty. And you know what, seeing them boys now and they were trying to run their flashy cars, all the holidays and everything else.

SPEAKER_00

It's my because you you you can go to like university, you can you're you're so so so very like persuaded to go and do like university, to work on an office job, and uh you're in debt before you start. You've heard that before you can get into university. So you you're like you're going to do a genre trade, you're never in debt. No, you're making money from day one.

SPEAKER_01

You know, you know, he they get he'd been on an apprenticeship, so the employer will pay him to go to tech and out on the site. And at 16-year-old he'll be earning it was telling me what he's getting. And I was like, wow, I'd earn a 175 collecting glasses at a 15-year-old.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, 100%. It's a difference.

SPEAKER_00

That's what I mean. In terms of like money, it seems like it's very, I wouldn't say very easy earn now, but it's a lot more easier earned than it was back in the days.

SPEAKER_01

And then you know, when I was younger, like if you got a pair of Nike, you were everyone that was the bit at the top of the range. Yeah. But then you go to him, I say to run here, would you wear them at not a chance. You know what I mean? Like, or O'Neill's, like he'll only wear O'Neal stuff if he's going to the hurley. Yeah. But see if he said to measure a pair of O'Neill tra uh goddies, like he'd be like, no. Like Nike air, whatever is £175. Oh, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_00

I like what?

SPEAKER_01

And he just spends it, it no bother. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

I know that's a hang of like it's whereas back in the day if it was it was very hard iron and it was like you you near enough saved your money because you knew if it was how hard earned it was, or not like if kids if you got a favour, not even fuck. If you got a favour with a McDonald's when you were a kid, for me as a kid, I was like, whoa, what the fuck? I was once a month job, like um happy days, but now kids are coming in love with them 20, 30 quid to go down those, and they're like 10, 12. Well, 20 for 20 for a haircut.

SPEAKER_01

I know it's just like, what are you doing? Because I didn't get a haircut and I was like, much is that 20 quid? What?

SPEAKER_00

Crazy, isn't it? You know, i I just when I was younger, my dad's cut a lot of her. I just cut my own for me. I've got the same razor for like four years. I cut a lot of herbs with razors just in it every week, and man cut your hair. My dad hasn't a fucking clue how to cut people's hairs. I had a barber one bit, but it was a two-over to keep a friend shit. We bumped up that's right. Kids can't be combs on them. I dream that I see the kids on the bus stop, whooping the sweet peep up so I was like, what the fuck's gonna? Like a ring must have been just sat there. So my ear, see like my lack, you should have a friend's here as well. I think French.

SPEAKER_01

We were beards.

Teen Culture And The Hair Obsession

SPEAKER_01

We were back from Spain there, right? And we were my son, the only thing he wanted to do was go jet skiing, right? Right. And the last couple of years from being the jet skiing, he's never been able to ride the jet ski, right? So this year I was like, Do you know what? Contact the people, they're like, as long as the 16-year-old, that's the limit. He can all have his own jet ski. So I never told him anything. I said, get on. I says, got to the place and I says, Here, that's you're on a jet ski. He says, What do you mean? I was like, you can you're old enough to ride it now, and he was like, get on. We're in the fucking middle of nowhere, right? Like in outside of Marbella, in the middle of the fucking ocean, right? And I wanted to get him a picture of him on the jet ski, right? Swear to fuck, right? Hey, I got a video of my phone, and he's in the middle of the ocean, he pulls up the top of the thing, gets his fucking comb out in the middle of the ocean and starts fucking combing himself. And I got this, I was like, What the heck? I mean that's gone. You know, that like I don't get it. You know, and they all walk around with that same flip. No, I may be jealous because I have no flip my head, but I mean they're all it's just that same, like that abitable final boss thing like space straight her name. Like it's just like flipping and crazy, like I don't know, I don't know, see in a couple of years' time or whatever, like when our kids are older, like I it's just gonna be an absolute shit show, I think.

SPEAKER_00

Does your kids have any obviously you do the cooking with the the barbecue

Anxiety, Depression And Asking For Help

SPEAKER_00

down there?

SPEAKER_01

So I do everything so I do all like I started this off because I got back just in the middle of COVID, like I had real I I I wasn't feeling great, like as mentally, like I knew there was something wrong, and I probably knew there was something wrong for years, you know, but I didn't really do anything about it. I just thought, do you know what? It's just I I just thought that was the way I am. So then I I done a hotel management degree, but then I'd done cooking at the same time just because I wanted to like understand everything about it, right? Yeah, and then worked in a hotel game for a while as a training manager down in Dublin for a big hotel, like and then it was just bonkers down there, like you know, I had no rent to pay because my dad owned a place down there, so I was getting like 12 grand a year or 12 punts a year back in, was mega bucks for an 18-year-old and out every night partying, drinking, you know, like going to bed, waking up the next day going into work, and it was just a bitter circuit. I'd done that for two years, and I was like, do you know what I need to fucking sort my life out here? Like, this is back. So I moved back home to my parents' house and then got a job in the Burndale, you know, Newcastle there. And I'd worked various different roles in there, so like done wait or you know, like collecting glasses, bar work. Then I'd done the chef in there for a long time, and then I quit it. I'd done it for years and years and years and acquit it. And then I just I I'd done all the cutting, I do all the cutting, you know.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And then in COVID, it was like, you know, it's probably having too one or too many beers. Like I wasn't like I I use drink to escape my demons as such, you know. And if someone looked at my life outdoor, like from outside, they'd be like, fuck me, man, you know, you know, you're on social media, you've got a good job, lovely wife, family, car, you know, the whole package. Yeah, you know, and then but it's not it's not as easy as that. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Like, so I w I phoned the doctor, and they were like, oh, tablets, tablets, tablets, and I was like, I laughed there because I'm like, fuck, I can't imagine. But you know, like it, like, you know, that's the only way that that's their answer to bring. Yeah, tablets.

SPEAKER_01

So I was like, you know what, I took tablets, I took one set of medication, and it just didn't agree with me, you know. As in like I just I kept feeling worse. But you have to trial it, you know, so you have to give it a go in your own. And you have to be willing to, you know, to accept it. Like, so then I went to see a counsellor, and it was a charity I went to see, and you know what, I couldn't felt them. They literally put like everything into perspective for me, like, you know, gave me such good cope mechanisms, and you know, and I never met the girl who counselled me, who'd done the counselling, so it was always on a phone call. Yeah, like every Thursday at 12 o'clock, I had a call with this girl, and do you know what? I was only supposed to be a 12-week course, and she ended up keeping me for a year, so I must have been on an absolute fucking biddle, you know. But I never I'll never forget it. So then I I'm on a third set of tablets now, which are semi-agreing with me, but I I personally think now there's no this is not a scientific thing at all, but I've been on for like three years, yeah, and I can feel my bouts of anxiety coming back, and they just come on like that. You know, there's no rhyme or reason for it. I could be I could be sitting in work one day and all of a sudden bang and you you'd be crippled, you know, crippled with it. Like so when I started up the page, I was just doing I was more doing it for something to focus on, you know. I was still working all the way through COVID and stuff, and then you know, I then I I didn't really tell anybody about the you know the depression anxiety, and then something just clicked in my brain, you know, and I owned up to it as in like I I owned it then, you know. So we're like, do you know what? Yes, I have anxiety, depression, but what am I gonna do about it? You know, there's no point in me what like I I'd spent I'd spent hours in bed, like just it's very hard.

SPEAKER_00

But the thing is, like, do you know what I always find? Like, how do people know they have depression? Do you know what I mean? It takes it in enough that like people don't know what depression is, people don't know how deep it needs to go if you go, fuck my depression here. Like people may just think they feel off, they may just feel like they feel down, or I feel down, but they're not act they don't actually know how deep the root goes for the beat oppression. I I agree because I think people so people are like a scar to put it like there's a stigma around depression. 100%. So they don't want to put a label on something. They could be just feeling anxious all the time and not not the pre not getting what I mean.

SPEAKER_01

If you know, there's feeling down is different, you know. If you know, if you went out there and someone cracked you in the nose, you're gonna feel down because someone got you. Do you know what I mean? Feeling down, feeling angry. You feel you know you know, and that's a it's it's angry, you know. So where uh there could be anything that I could just nothing like you know, you you know you could be having no worries at all, and just all of a sudden but the depression kicks in or the anxiety and it's the most of the crippled anxiety where it's it's really like comes out of your heart, if you get what I mean. It's like something I I just can't get an example, you know what it is. But I think what for me is once the see once I owned it and I was like, you know, I I own you know, I I agreed with what I had, you know, and I started to work on myself, right? Yeah. As in like there's no point lying in bed for hours at a time, just you know, while I'm self-petty. So do something about it, you know. So like I'd have been, you know, I'd have went, I'd have turned to dr to drink, you know, when I was um before I was diagnosed, like not an alcoholic, but I mean probably too much on a Friday night, and then I'll never drink again, and I come to Friday night, fucking hell, can't wait. Do you know what I mean? And then sat Saturday with suicide watch, do you know what I mean? Like, you know, yeah. So then I was like, do you know what? I'm not drinking again, I was like, bullshit. Because I love to drink, do you know what I mean? Like, and I was like, fuck, I'll prove her wrong here. Do you know what I mean? Because he's see if someone says I can't do it, I'll do it. Yeah, so I've been off a drink six near six years, you know. I haven't touched a drunk. Do you know what I mean? Like, and I do feel like my wife goes, See if you drop a drink, you all lose that belly ears. I fucking still got the belly. You know what I mean? Like you know, still got the cooking. Like for me, it's so like I we were very honest with my son about the whole thing, you know, and I said, like, you know, so he knows about it. So he knows, and I think it's great because see if something's bothering him, he knows to come and tell us. Which I you know, and I would say it to any you know, parent, you know, if that relationship is gonna be open with you. It like he's like our like he you would actually think he's the parent sometimes, you know, in our like as three parents. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Like, you know, because he talks to us like he's our best mate. You know, which is well, I I I love it. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Like, you know, so it's a bad relationship as well.

SPEAKER_01

You know, and it's a really good relationship. You know, he's he's 16, his sister's five, and his brothers two, and there was a big massive age gap. Because we had loads of like I think four or five miscarriages in a row, you know. So it was that was tough on us, like you know, but you know, he was well aware of that and everything else. But you know, I hope that you know, when I when you know when he has kids or whatever, you know, that he can speak to same way that you can't. Yeah, and I think beat me personally, like, I'm actually grateful for being diagnosed with anxiety and depression because it's actually made me a better person, I think. Like I genuinely I actually genuinely give a shit about people. Where before I'd be like, ah fuck you, like do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Like you know, it's probably like the first he I feel like I I do feel like it's mentally. Obviously, the the the the anxiety thing comes it has to come from somewhere like of met like a mental thing where it's like it sounds a signal. I personally think it's because I don't really know, I don't really suffer from much anxiety, which is a fucking which is a bad thing, I think, in a way because I've because I usually alcoholic. I love drinking.

SPEAKER_01

Really?

SPEAKER_00

And I don't like I haven't drank in weight, like I I can go off it very easily, like I haven't drank about 14 weeks now. Yeah, but coming to drink, I love it. I love it in Alcargo, but I don't get anxiety. I don't get I don't put it.

SPEAKER_01

See when you have a good drink, would you wake up the next morning going, Fuck me?

SPEAKER_00

Like I do bad things. I've done bad shit.

SPEAKER_01

Really? I don't care.

SPEAKER_00

I'm like I like it.

SPEAKER_01

But then the alcohol gives you that.

SPEAKER_00

It gives me an excuse to be like shows black, fucks you and I laugh at it, and my wife's like, Sean, that's not okay, like. I ain't laughing, I just like it's not funny. Fuck your way to I can't. But it gives you but you're confident anyway. So why don't I go right? Fuck your sweet mom and go get something to eat, and then I go and get another beer and all right. Start again. Go again. Calm the whole last year, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But do you think we see when you're drinking, wouldn't people come up to you and go, Here, want to crack to you?

SPEAKER_00

Nah, I've had a few, like, I've had a few, few times stuff like that happening, but like people come up to me and like uh I've said stuff and I always turn into a joke, like I always be like fuxy, because you could if you react to that, you'll assume. I just slag people, I just turn everything into slagging straight away. So songs up and goes me, fucksy.

SPEAKER_01

But in boxing you have to have that decision.

SPEAKER_00

I always be like fuxy, you can't have whatever you felt woke away. And I just start slagging, it turns into a joke a lot of times. Whereas like my brothers on the other hand be like, What they're reacting for away. They would be very reactive, they'd be like, What? Who the fuck are you talking to? I'm turning their feet right away, instantly like. But I'm just on the other hand, I just think fucked.

SPEAKER_01

But I think you know, because you're you know, peop everyone knows you around the west, you know, and who you are. You know, you're probably a prime would you get much trolls and all? We don't know.

SPEAKER_00

I would you I don't crave it out of here, I'm gonna go. See, I wouldn't.

SPEAKER_01

I would get a few, but more like you're cooking shit.

SPEAKER_00

And I'm like, Go ahead. Great. Call up. Exactly. I just say call up, lad. Or you know, you can't.

SPEAKER_01

You can't cook for shit. I think you obviously don't care what anyone thinks of you, and I think that's what you need. I don't care what anyone thinks of me. I'm more I'm very content of my own skin. Do you know what I mean? I'm the same.

SPEAKER_00

I think that's probably a lot to do with like having a good mindset is like not really getting that anxio anxiety is because it's done cardic. Well yeah, I don't care when I say I don't really give a shit what people think of me.

SPEAKER_01

See as long as your family you're a good dad, husband, you know, and you're people who know you.

SPEAKER_00

Good morals and good morals, good respect. And as I say, I don't feel like I overstep the boundary too often once year. And there's no there's no hatred or malice in my body. If I insult someone, there's no malice behind it. Because even people who don't like me, I'm like, so what? Like I don't even dislike Arian Carr. But I think a lot of it give a shit.

SPEAKER_01

I do think a lot of it bows down to it's jealousy as well sometimes. You know, they look at you like oh fuck, he must be loaded, you know, he's boxing, he's got a podcast, he's got the gym, you know. I know. And he look, you know, people read it from the outside, you know, like fuck yeah. And I do think it's jealousy about you know, yeah. Jealousy is a massive probably.

SPEAKER_00

I think I just try and be just genuine with everybody is is as friendly as I can't. Everybody say hello to everybody, strangers and all. Like I always say, as I walk down that road, see Castle Street, everybody make I can't take with if I say hello. I don't care who you are, I say hello. Well, we smell. But that's something. And I'm like, hello, and he's a TikToker. TikToker. That was me yesterday, for fuck's sake, the TikToker. It's just one of them things, isn't it? You just you have to be just comfortable with who you are. I don't know how you ever how does that come about, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

But I think you have to love yourself. Not love yourself as in like, look at me, uh I've got fucking abs. Do you know what I mean? Like, but as in like, you know, you have to be comfortable in your own skin. Yeah. Like, and I, you know, we years ago, I like I was always a people pleaser doing stuff for people. So, like, obviously I don't drink now, so I don't have the confidence to go out to like I am as I said before, like, I am fucking more than happy to sit in the house and do nothing, or do something around the house, cooking ID recipes, whatever it is, playing with the kids, taking the kids to sport or whatever.

Sobriety And Social Anxiety Outings

SPEAKER_01

See, people can say to me, All right, dar, do you want to go out here? And I'm like, I'll always say yes, right? Yeah. And say about 20 minutes before it happens.

SPEAKER_00

I start getting second thoughts.

SPEAKER_01

You know, it and I I I am I am like renowned, like it's it gets up at like see the events and I don't even get bite of them anymore.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Because I'm just like nah.

SPEAKER_00

So you can get like social anxiety. I get bad social anxiety. My brother, for example, he's sober now about two years, but he went on holiday. He went on holiday in March and he loved it. Proper loved it. It was quiet, he had a fucking quality time. First holiday sober, like no drinking, no nothing, and loved it. He went again there just over the twelve and he phoned me. I phoned, I was talking to him yesterday and he says, Nightmare. Too many people. Too many people. Like, I've just he's like, I'm a weirdo. I mean, you're not a weirdo. I I just call it like I still drink, so I know what even and I go out a lot of times sober, I always have my whole life. And there's only a certain amount of fucking patience you have for people who are drinking, even if they're not drunk, yeah. The energy levels are just different. So if someone's sitting having a drink and you're not, they're talking about stuff you don't want to talk about, they're on a different energy way.

SPEAKER_01

But then you can you really see from when you don't drink, and you'll probably notice it when you're in camp and stuff, that you could it's like their voice changes within like two pints or two, and you're just like, get me fucking out of here.

SPEAKER_00

That's exactly how you're like, get me out of here to fuck.

SPEAKER_01

I always drive, I always drive. Like I any like my family, my my my wife's family, they're big family, and they'll celebrate everyone's birthday and they bring out a little out of parties, and I'm like, nah, I I genuinely couldn't think of anything worse.

SPEAKER_00

I know people just fucking stuck on one, like see if you can just tell there's a certain threshold, yeah. And it goes ding it's like two pence in it. Right. I'm I need to go here. It's weird because you do you know what do you know what? See when you're sober, it goes out to anybody who is sober sitting in people here drinking a uh company. You can be the ignorant per the most ignorant person in the world uh if you want, and they'll never give a fuck. People here drinking don't care. Exactly. See if you just go you're doing my heading, they'll not even put it in the back.

SPEAKER_01

Then you've got choice, you've got that choice to leave.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And that's why you know I would go I would go sometimes go somewhere and I know I can go any time. I I've got a party to go to next week, right? And I there's another person me and this other person are going, and we've already said I'm staying there 20 minutes and I'm out the door again. And I would only go because it's a good mate of mine, yeah, and I've no interest because they'll all be off their heads, blocked. Do you know what I mean? And I'm like, I I can barely do you when you're sober. Do you know what I mean? Like, so God knows what it's gonna be like when you're blocked. Do you know

Cooking As Therapy And Family Life

SPEAKER_01

what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Oh big time, and then so obviously the cooking keeps you like level headed, that's it. Yeah, so I like it. Do you know what?

SPEAKER_01

I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_00

It's not like you've got a focus on something, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01

Because I my granny always took my granny is from Twimbrook, you're right, and she taught me like I always was cooking with her, like so. Every Christmas you'd make your Christmas puddings, like a proper old school Irish dinners, bow bacon and cabbage, you know, the potatoes with a skin on, like you know, fucking pallet butter, you know, like anything like pasta was like foreign, rice was foreign, it was always spuds. Yeah, we could see brown fish on a Friday, you know, just the the good Irish traditional every day of the week. And then when then my mum then obviously got it was a good cook, so then I just got it from that, and then I was like, so my wife doesn't cook at all. I wouldn't cook if it were my husband. No, she doesn't cook at all, but she texts me. She just was supposed to have a match at a hurley match today, and I was like, you need to sort yourselves out for dinner tonight, you know, because I'll I've literally straight home to take them up to Hurley. And I text her, I said the match is council, what's for dinner? I'd like fucking decide. Decide yourself. Potato waffles, potato waffles and beans. There's a pie in the freezer, what are we gonna have that with? I was like, I don't know. You know what I mean? But I don't I you know it's I like cooking for them, so like you know, I'll do anything. Like, I know like I don't want to buy flipping fancy deer ingredients. Yeah, you know, so it's like see whatever goes. And I hate fucking wasting money. Yeah, like I'm the most miserable like everyone says, you dar, you're the most miserable bastard I know. Like, you know, like I will not like see if I see a yellow sticker, I'll get it. And even if I don't, like I'll get it.

SPEAKER_00

Get an orange in your pocket.

SPEAKER_01

Oh why? Or or you know, little are start little start doing these leaked boxes, right? And they're like $250 and you don't know what's in them, and I'm like, I'm gonna buy that, right? And I'm gonna see what I can make out of it, right? So there's all these, there was these fucking there was loads of like gone-off banana, so I made banana bread, I made all this other like I made a tomato sauce of all these tomatoes, and all like all these. I was like for two fifty I'll be able to feed my kids here, you know. You know, so it's it's you know, so for me it's like try like my son's now sixteen. He used to enjoy cooking, yeah, but he's too cool now. Yeah, do you know what I mean? Like hair's more important. Hair's more important, do you know what I mean? Like, so he doesn't he very, very and I say, what's for dinner? It's beat out your ball nice, don't like it. Well you liked it yesterday. Or you liked it last week. Uh what do you want? Steak. Roman, fuck me, like steak, fuck. You know, I mean he like any. But he would he he he's like living in a hotel. Do you know what I mean? Like where you know, my you know, my my daughter, she's a great eater. And my son, he'd eat anything, doesn't matter what you he'd eat it from the pan, off your plate, on the floor, he'll eat anything. And my wife, you know, so I'm just trying to like I love it, like you know, I love coming home, chilling out. We've got the outside kitchen there, so Oh it's classic.

SPEAKER_00

You know what?

SPEAKER_01

It's class. Like I've got like so I wanted it like as an extra, not just you're gonna use in the summertime.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you wind it all year round.

SPEAKER_01

And I want I don't want it just for me, you know what I mean? Like I want it for anybody else. So I got it. There's hot and cold water in it, hot and cold running water into it. There's a big barbecue in it, there's a dart board running has plays darts on it. I've got a big fucking 65-inch TV in it, hooked into the internet, you know, so he can go out and watch his football, his mates can come over, and the kids will go out and watch YouTube, Pepper Peg and it. You know, so we would we would use it quite a lot, and then but the only downside is everyone wants to come to our house for dinner. Man, I'm fucking sick of it.

SPEAKER_00

I start charging people.

SPEAKER_01

You know, like the cooking, like it is like, do you know what? Like, I've been doing it, I've been doing that social media now for six years or something, and it is like, you know, I've met some great people, you know, from it. Like, you know, like like opportunities like this, you know, that I want to be like make myself vulner vulnerable a bit. Like I as I said before, I shot myself coming down, but you got me just like I would never really swear my father's probably have never heard me swear ever, like, because I'm very like first forever hanging. First forever hanging.

SPEAKER_00

I always just shop the madness out of people.

SPEAKER_01

But it is like they do, you know, I think I think for me it's like find something that you want to do. Like you like, you know, if you were to give up boxing, you know, you like you look at what do you call them Tyson Fury, they're give up the IO boxing, yeah, turn the drugs, turn the, you know. Ah, it's easy done. And then that's easy.

SPEAKER_00

Like when when there's like dopamine involved, taking what you do in life, getting adrenaline from stuff, you're relying on it, like you at you at half boxing. Um I feel like a lot of people, especially in high-end sport or high profile sports, aren't aware of that dopamine and everyone's educated or everyone hears about it, but they're not educated on it. Like it's not like 'cause it can just happen to you. It doesn't it no one plans to go off rails again with drugs and drink, but they do like without realising they're doing it.

SPEAKER_01

I I look at him as like a success story as well. Like I I I think he's great, you know. He went through that rough time and he's built himself up back to being unbelievable. I mean that's an absolute credit.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I mean we all know I I don't know like because I've ever been there, but I've I've seen family members and seen people close to me going, like, I've given like me personally, I've given up on something like I've had I've no chance and they've fucking pulled it back and I'm no fucking.

SPEAKER_01

But you I think you have what you have to want to do.

SPEAKER_00

Uh you need to want to do yourself.

SPEAKER_01

Like I see people like, you know, like I'm down depressed, but what are you doing about it? And I'm you know I I can say that because I've been in that position.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, I could sit there and self-wallet with my own petty, but it doesn't do, you know, it doesn't do you anything.

Why Staying Busy Beats Retirement

SPEAKER_00

I say this before, like I'm very I say this on an old podcast, like I'm very, very grateful that I've never ever suffered any depression or any like mental health issues and I put down solely the training, like I've trained for the five years. Right through I'm 26, I've never talked a year, I've never talked longer than the two-week break from training ever.

SPEAKER_01

And I don't think I've I think that's why these boxers then or sportsmen like they swap and then they some of them actually just retire.

SPEAKER_00

Gambling, drinking, drinking, gambling needs something to get that we don't mean that we better. And when people say retirement, oh I need to retire, I can't wait to retire. People think no seal off in the sunset. No one seals off in the sunset, they seal down a black hole. Like the the goal should be to never retire. The goal should be to do what you do for as long as you can possibly do it. Tell you 80-year-old and 80-year-old.

SPEAKER_01

That happened to my dad. My dad, my dad's 76, he retired, but he was he's like a financial director, and he was always like using his brain flat out, you know. Yeah, not really a big sportsman, but just really like smart, you know. He's an accountant, you know. So he was always using his brain. He retired, and I could and I I I said to my wife, I was like, that fella's going downhill, like and then he was like, and then he was like, he like he doesn't do any, like he no, he doesn't do DIY, gardening, fuck all. Do you know what I mean? No, he can't even make any food. Like he literally, like, nah. Yeah. And then he done that for about I think about six or seven months, and then he was like, I'm back to work, and he's still working. And he's 77, he's like, do you know what? And it's even he he went from there and he's like a he's he's like a new lease of life.

SPEAKER_00

Like me personally, I I wanted to sustain life on this level. But I think if you're back on between the gym, between coaching, between being mobile, being active, being accountable. Busy. Busy, you need that. No one. I remember my coach, my old coach, Mickey Hutten's, my amateur boxing club, coached me from I was a child, right up. Like and he's always been like, he's been very successful in business. Could like could have retired fucking 25, 30 years ago if he wanted. He's still working, he's in the 70s. Has property, has it, whatever. And I'm like, I used to say, Why don't you just go away and just live in one of your properties abroad? And he was like, Wanted, I love it at it. I was like, You get up every morning at 6 a.m. I love it. I couldn't understand it when I was like 15, 16. Like, he has it. Susan, he he is he's rich. He has it, you know. He is rich, he does it. It's not the money.

SPEAKER_01

You know, I like like I work for I'm not an influencer or anything full-time, you know. I hate that word, but I'm not a cook full-time, right? But I work and I actually love my job. Do you know what I mean? Like, so I don't mind I I enjoy going into work in the morning and coming home, and then I'm coming home to cook, spend time with the kids.

SPEAKER_00

You know, it's a hobby, you've got a hobby, and it's something you enjoy doing your price. And I'm busy.

SPEAKER_01

I'm always busy doing it. Like my wife goes, me, you can't.

SPEAKER_00

If you start doing that, you would start to go.

SPEAKER_01

Like it's I love, you know, like another thing I love, like I love washing my car, right? Like my wife goes, how the fuck can you stop? It takes three it takes three hours to wash my hand. I was like, how the fuck can you take three three to four hours to wash your car? Because I love seeing the end product, you know, and it's good getting out. I enjoy doing it. Yes, and I agree. I get into her car, and I'm like, I can't even set foot in that thing. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Because it's it it transfers well into what people do in life. Like if you've got a lot of people are running marathons, people are going into this like lifestyle of like having fitness. But it just goes to show you that there's other ways out there that you can really occupy your mind. And realistically, when you're in a dark place, that's all you need to do to grow down is occupy your mind from then. Let's say, for example, you're you're an addictive fucking cocaine. Let's say you're a co-cate rate and you're sniffing coke flat out and it's very hard to go down, what you need to do is fill that void with something. Just adding. It could be adding. And it doesn't have to be fitness. People always go, well, I don't like training. People may just hate something that you enjoy and fucking start cleaning cars, yeah. And enjoying it, then go fuck.

SPEAKER_01

And I think that, you know, people do, you know, yes, the fitness stuff, and I've and I I al I always preach it, not preaching my page, but I always make I'm very open on my page as in like, you know, because I've got that platform now and it reaches, you know, people. Yeah. I'm like, why don't I share, you know, my experiences with other people? Because you know what, I'm in a great place at the moment. Like, I mean I'm it's reliable, or it's very relatable. Fair, very relatable. You know, you're probably related to you who'll be invested in what you do more. See the amount of people I like I love when people say to me, Dar, do you know why I just love your recipes? Or do you know what? What see what you've shared with me? My husband has gone through that, you know. Um this is not about I do it because I want to do it, and it's not about oh fuck I've done it for extra likes or and a brand deal with X words. It's not to do it. I work full-time, I you know, I get a good wage. Do you know what I mean? Like, you know, so I do it because do you know what? See when someone says to me, Dara, you know, you know, I've just read your post there or whatever, and I don't bombard people with mental health because my page is cooking. Do you know what I mean? Like, you know, but if I have the opportunity to say about it, yeah, I'll say about it. Do you know what I mean? Like, you know, because I think you know, even like I think the older generation, if you say to people, uh fucking depression.

SPEAKER_00

They don't know what it is.

SPEAKER_01

Like I think my dad, like my my dad, they just never have support. He doesn't get it.

SPEAKER_00

So they they they didn't know what it was, so they never really like they never got it. In terms of like, you would never know if anyone had depression in the older generation, because they would just go on about their daily business feeling down and thinking, and then go to a bar. Like they would just go and sit and drink a bar.

SPEAKER_01

But I can tell there's no I can tell now, like, you know, see by having like I can spot it in people, like it's weird. Like, you know, I you know, I can sit, I can look at something. I'd be depressed if I had a car and I got a dirty book. I had cars hanging on, hang on, Shreve, that it blows you up. But you know, you know, now it you know, I think but then on the other hand, I think people use it just for the sake of use, not fucking depressed. But you you know it's it's it's too easy now. Like, you know, like you know, when there's people like you know, and I I read up a lot about it, like you know, when I read, you know, I'm not a big reader like, but I'll watch it on TikTok. Do you know what I mean? Like, you know, or YouTube, whatever. But I mean, and I think more you understand it, and one of the things my counselor said to me was like, you know, it's like a there's nothing wrong with you. You've just gotten a chemical imbalance in your brain, and the tablets are there to s you to to make to ease it. You know, and I I've stopped, like I I would have my last show I'd have been flying back and so forth to England all the time, you know.

Panic Triggers And The Airport Story

SPEAKER_01

And a religiously I'd uh you know routine I'll have uh we have an island in the kitchen, so I'll put my work phone on it, my car keys and my tablets, right? Yeah. Every morning. My wife knows I've taken my tablets because I'll leave the fucking glass on the side rather than putting a dishwasher, right? And um I left, I forgot my tablets when I went down there one time, and like you could because I'm on quite a high dose, yeah. And I realized that when I was like, where the fuck's my tablets? I'd see the anxiety. Like I see flaming. Like I remember going to the airport one day, so there's no bullshit, right? Driving up to the airport, it was in and around the summertime a couple of years ago, into Belfast International Airport, and I got up to the airport and it was packed, you know, people holymakers, fucking shorts and t-shirt on, I'm wearing a pair of chinos and a shirt, and it was bum showing, right? And I was like, I can't do this. It's the worst possible place you could have been in a guy. And I remember going, I spoke to someone, I said, Listen, how do you get out of here? And he goes, What do you mean? And I was like, I said, I need to go. And uh he was like, You'll need to check, you need a we'll need someone need a security guard, need to take you out. I said I went about 20, and this place was round. And it's first thing they wanted, I was like, I was sweating, I was like, I literally you thought I'd piss myself, right? And eventually got, they were like, Do you did you buy a GD free? And I'm like, no, no, I just need to get out of here, right? And I was, you know, hyperventilating, I was like sweating, like about an hour later. I come home where I was like, You're not supposed to be in England. I was like, I couldn't. I can go. Like I couldn't go. Like that that's probably been the worst of a year. And every time I'm at the airport now, like, I can't wait to get on that plane. Oh, I can't wait. Do you know what I mean? Like, you know, but that but I you know, and I I've learned a lot from that. Do you know what I mean? Like I've learnt a lot from it, like, you know, but it is like I I'm in a good spot, like, you know, I can't like I've got a good I wouldn't say I've got loads and loads of friends. I did have loads of friends when I was uh out on a fucking Friday night. Being a fucking party knobbing, yeah, being on the podcast. And then now I've got a select close friends that I know. See if I photo right now and say fucking Shaw McCoy's beating the ballocks out of me. Ah, they'll fly down. They fly down, you know what I mean? Like, or I broke down somewhere and that do you know what? That's it. They'll help you, or you know, they'll you know, they'll do this listen to your bullshit. You know, and you know, my wife's like, fuck, you're gonna end up lowly if I die. And I'm like, I'm fucking more than happy. I I you know, not happy if you die, like I mean, you know, I'll go by I'm comfortable in my own company. Yeah, you know, I'm I'm more than comfortable. Well, years ago I'd hate to be in my own. Yeah. Like I'd have hated it. Like, even if I got to Washington Heart, I wouldn't even put music on. I'd be like, I don't like I'm more than happy.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, being on your own mind. Being in your own mind space.

SPEAKER_01

Being my own mind.

SPEAKER_00

And I that was the problem probably before you you you didn't like being in your own hair. Because in too much time I know you're gonna be in your own hair. Yeah. Whereas now you're in a good mind place, you're in a good mindset, you've got you're in a good space industry, you know what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01

You know, you know, if you it's like you, if you don't go to the gym, you're not gonna build your bus your muscles, yeah, you know, to go on box. Yeah. And if I, you know, at the same if I don't build my own, you know, self-esteem and be comfortable with my skin, then I'm just gonna go downhill. So you know, I can only see myself getting better. You know, I you know I'm well aware that I'll have anxiety and depression for the rest of my life, but how do I manage it? And at this point, I'm managing it really well. Like, do you know what I actually am proud of myself? Like, you know, the in the last couple of years I'm proud of what I've done. You know, my where Ronan would have seen me maybe pissed up on a Saturday n Friday night. My two kids will never see me drunk, you know. Yeah, 100%. Where my wife would be like, see when you were drinking you used to fucking give me your credit card and all you're gonna buy. Do you wanna go with that? Do you want to do that again for one night? You know, and I'm like, no, you've just from you've turned into a miserable bastard. But I think you know you just get you just get you get you just get fucking wiser.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, don't see not waking up with those things.

SPEAKER_00

Right and what's it, you see, that's it.

SPEAKER_01

And everyone's done stupid, you know, like you wake up and be like, geez fucking Christ. Do you know what I mean? Like, and like, you know, when you hear well, like I lot like see when other people are like, fuck, did you hear what I had on the all night? I'm like, Well, tell me. And I'm like, Thank fuck. That's not me. Do you know what I mean? Like, that is just not me. Like, you know, where you're like, or I'd have done, you know, and I most of my mates now, who've always been my mates, don't drink.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And they've you know, because they're, you know, they don't they know what it's like. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

And I have nothing against people drinking, I couldn't give two shits. Like, yeah, no, that's it.

SPEAKER_00

I'm a seemate. I love it, like, but I like it.

SPEAKER_01

I don't But you know when to stop drinking.

SPEAKER_00

I'd be I'd be delayed to see people no, I don't know when to stop drinking Foxy and Fox. No, but maybe when you're in camp or whatever, you know. I do it when I have to, like, but I have a very good understanding of when like I I I would say I'm an alcoholic. I don't care, I don't mean saying that. I'd say I I would say I have alcoholism in in my family. Um me personally, I'd say I'm an alcoholic, I don't mean saying that, fuck me, it's an overseas, but um It's like but I can stop very easily.

SPEAKER_01

So see after your fight here, right?

SPEAKER_00

Would you then know because I'm I'm well aware of I haven't drank in like 14 weeks now, so like one pint you'll be sniffing. I'm very aware that m my wife's due here and and I'm I'm not gonna go out and drink. I'll have a drink with her, which is always controlled. Yeah. Because she's there and she has that wee bit of like account she keeps me accountable, plus there's that wee bit of responsibility. Now if it starts to get too fucking much drink, sh like I can very easily just like carry on and be like fuck like it would turn into a fate, but you don't want it to. So I'm gonna I'm gonna keep myself accountable by just limiting it, like like really limiting it, like having one or two maybe, and then like let's go. I don't want to be like strict on myself to be like let's go so it doesn't get to that stage. Or like the flash on in the city centre, I'll maybe have one walk around for an hour or two, and if it's like the atmosphere screen enjoy the atmosphere with just one beer me, and then maybe my walking other. Fucking bags down, big red hole. Sleeping the money.

City Centre Crowds And Side Hustles

SPEAKER_00

That's gonna be mental flat, like. Oh, be crazy. I'm looking forward to it, like, because that's next week. Yeah, it starts on the second.

SPEAKER_01

Uh next Sunday.

SPEAKER_00

Um it'll be pretty good.

SPEAKER_01

They've got it for two, they've got it for two years, like.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I've seen it's seen a few interviews, like, from mixed mixed reports like about like um like business owners saying the city council don't really have a grip on it, it's gonna be like a bit of a fucking like shitshoely.

SPEAKER_01

I because we are.

SPEAKER_00

Like me personally as a pedestrian and and as a bit I don't know how we're we're the very start of town, so it might not affect us as much. We won't be amongst it. Although this street's being pedestrianised, we won't be in amongst it, I don't think.

SPEAKER_01

Well, we're we're where I work at city centre, like, and it that's all closed closed off. So any like for there'll be no cars or no cars from here from a street.

SPEAKER_00

We have the map. The map is delivered in here, so it's literally from this road right here.

SPEAKER_01

They're expected like a million, a million visitors. And I was reading there like sixty million sixty million pounds they're expected to bring in.

SPEAKER_00

That's some dough like doors and start selling tons of harp.

SPEAKER_01

Or tens. You said old harp, and I'll come down and do a couple of barbecues.

SPEAKER_00

Three tens of harpy lots in there and then a load of falcon hot dogs. Load of hot dogs.

SPEAKER_01

But you know what, like, because it there's load the you're I think you're allowed they're putting like food stalls outside and all they're doing that, yeah. St George's Markets on for like a week.

SPEAKER_00

You would need a license, but what do you use? You you need to need a food license. Ah, you would have insurance and fucking ads.

SPEAKER_01

Make sure you're not poison anybody. Ah, fucking.

SPEAKER_00

You just don't need to cook and I think just those things are fans all over the fucking. Burnt hot dogs or sale here, half breads. Put them in there. So you're half cut, you'd eat anything. You wouldn't give a fuck.

SPEAKER_01

I know. I'd be actually not it'd be good, it'd be good to say it, like, you know, so be

Favourite Meals And No-Waste Cooking

SPEAKER_01

something different.

SPEAKER_00

Do you have like a do you have a favorite food do you like to cook? What's your most like what what do you think? What do you take pla like what your best pleasure in cooking? Like, what do you go, you know what? I'm good at that. I'm really fucking good at that.

SPEAKER_01

I would say as a couple, like, so our family just loves roast dinners.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Like the lot like my daughter could have roast dinner every single night. That would be it. My son's saying plenty of gravy, you know, roasties, mash, everything homemade. And I roast dinner for me is like two meats, it can't be one meat. Like it has to be your beef or your or your roast chicken or your roast pork or whatever. And I'll like my wife was like, I said, on holiday, I fuck, I messed my roast dinners, and he was like, What was some dinners and I roast dinner? I'm like, I take like and I love it. Because I've cooked them that many times, it's not a big deal. You know, for me, you know, so that there, and but I love see steaks, you know. I just like I love them. Like I love like simple food, you know. So I love my like my older front Ronan, he just loves steak and he'll eat a steak medium rare. So if it's overcooked, I'll be like, what the heck's up there? Yeah, I if it's well done, it'd be like, get that away from me. Do you know what I mean? Like, and then, but then also like, see, like quick and simple things. You like, I love just going to the fridge. As I said, I hate wasting food, going in and saying, Do you know what? Like, I had there was one chicken breast I had, right? And then a wee ring of that treat so, right? Yeah, a couple of tomatoes, and some other like covered like pepper and something. And I was like, I made a fucking this pasta, half a tub of Philadelphia cheese, right? Yeah. So I roasted all the tomatoes and the peppers and stuff in the in the oven, right? Then put them into the pan with the chicken and treat so, cooked them down, and I put it some the Philadelphia in it and then the pasta, and then loaded cheese. And do you know what? I was like, some people would have threw that out. You know, and I made it, and then we my son what he woke, so wee dog up in our in our development, like you know, for this old woman, so and she like God lovers, she's got nobody else. So we any food that we have left over, we throw then he throws up to her. So it was like two portions left over, she he threw it up to her. So I got I I'll always try to cook something enough for me to bring it into work the next day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I'm not bad. Now, the old time I'll have a wee cheeky Mickey Days or something like that. But you know, majority of the time I'll try to have something left over for me. Yeah, because I hate sandwiches. Like sandwiches are dead on, but see me just having it like with the microwave from the work, just bump it in, walk away, and it's done. Rather than just I I I just don't want to do it in the morning, I just want to get and get out.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, getting out.

SPEAKER_01

So, yeah, I like I roast dinner is definitely like up there, like you know, everything homemade like has to be crispy roast potatoes. Like, like you can literally like my wife won't she won't eat them if they're she'll tell me then roasted potatoes weren't as good as last week.

SPEAKER_00

Roasty's we roasty, see the crispy, we crispy. Ah, she loves them.

SPEAKER_01

You know, and then gravy. Like I have to make like my I see. I already put the gravy on the meat. Yeah, my son over everywhere like their swimmers. Like they're swimming in it, and I'm like, I can't do that. She was like, any more gravy left? Fucking she's like, just give me it. Do you know what I mean? Like with the whole shebang, like and it'll be literally it'll be gone.

SPEAKER_00

Like that's they they know what they're at, they're messing it. But Westies are 100%. Do you so see if you go to like a restaurant?

Eating Out When You Can Cook

SPEAKER_00

Is it hard are you hard hard to be pleased? Are you hard to please?

SPEAKER_01

Like in a like No, I do know what I love. See, I never get invited out or mates out. Like, see our friends, no, I'm no one cooks for me.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I'm like, I actually don't care what you cook. I'm just thankful that someone else is cooking for me. I'm not cooking it. Like I don't care.

SPEAKER_00

Can we give a break?

SPEAKER_01

I I'm more than happy to go to any house and have some food because I'm not cooking it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But restaurant, see where the kids know it's like you know yourself, it's it's a fucking nightmare where the kids are like the cheesy. It has to be shootable to everybody. I I I very rarely go for steak at a restaurant because I'm not being big header, but I I I I can cook a steak, you know. Yeah, better. Like I don't, you know, I've done it for that long. I you know, I unless it's something on the menu I like, but I'll go for something different that I maybe wouldn't do myself.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, but I would never moan about it either.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, just enjoy it. Because I don't want you know, I don't want to seem unthankful or like I'm grateful at journalization.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and I don't want to think, oh look, he he just looking at that, you know.

SPEAKER_00

You're looking at like he's not as good as me. I you know, so no, I don't, you know. But some people just enjoy like my man dad don't eat out. Like they don't eat out. I love eating out, like they don't eat out ever. Ever. Ever. And they will not. So just they just prefer their own cooking. They're just like, I I know what I like and I know what I'm cooking and I know how I like it. And they eat what they like. Yeah. And they save like they go somewhere else for dinner, like no.

SPEAKER_01

Well, they get Chinese or no takeaways. No.

SPEAKER_00

No. Nope. We portion noodles, just that's it. Or black bean, noodles and black bean, maybe. But they do not eat it. They will not go for dinner. And it's just like, what's the point? I know what I like.

SPEAKER_01

See, I I like see I can cook well, I've got the pizza of it at the house as well, so I can make like I'll I'll have a plan in my mind, right? Friday I'll do pizza, so I'll make the dough on Wednesday, stick it in the fridge, come home, make the pizzas. And we would bought we we love pizzas, yeah. And I would have bought pizzas from different places, like but I've stopped that now. Because my wife is like, your pizzas are as good as anybody else's. Yes, what's do you know what I mean? You know, and then I like cooking what I've I know what eating what I've cooked, you know. So I understand. I probably don't eat out as much as everyone thinks I do. I don't. Yeah. Like, we were in holidays there in Spain and for two weeks, and we I think we ate out three times. And 'cause we have a big barbecue, you know, ours and we I was just barbecuing the meat, barbecuing the fish, the salads, you know.

SPEAKER_00

So have you got a favorite restaurant in Belfast?

SPEAKER_01

Edo's good.

SPEAKER_00

Edo is that like small, small plates?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, small plates. But then small plates of you can have more.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I like I like small plates like a like Marty, for example. He he loves steaks. He's a steak man, he orders a burst that everywhere he goes, and he loves it. He does take some pregnant like I like giving you his two pants of a steak. I like small plates, he wouldn't even he's like that. I can't believe you're paying that money for it.

SPEAKER_01

But I think it's good because you can try something loads more.

SPEAKER_00

Try everything.

SPEAKER_01

You know, you get I love trying different things, like I'll eat anything once. Do you know what I mean? Like it doesn't matter. You know, there's very limited things. We we I'm one of six, and see when I was growing up, see if you didn't like what was on the table, that was it. You starve.

SPEAKER_00

I starved tonight.

SPEAKER_01

You know, it was either you eat what's on the table or see when they're where your brother or sister finished theirs, they were eating yours. So you let like I hated beans for years, yeah. But I knew I had to eat them, so I used to get them and just swallow them. Yeah, you know, and now I'll eat them, you know. Like, you know, and I think that's my palate, I like anything, like genuinely like I love any fish, any vet like my fat, we're not big my wife and kids aren't real big vegetable lovers. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I I eat any vegetables. I love vegetables, you know, salads.

SPEAKER_00

I would have like I would have just had me, but the vegetables be seen. I fucking know. I know. I say if I got a roast and no vegetables on when I was a kid, I had been deleted. Say if I got a roast in them with no vegetables on and I lose a plant. I would lose the fucking

Growing Your Own Veg At Home

SPEAKER_00

plant.

SPEAKER_01

I'm growing my own, I'm growing my own tomatoes at the minute, with my own cucumbers, lettuce, chilies. You know, and I have a farm at the back of it. Oh fuck, it's not big enough for our farm yet, like. I actually wanted chickens when Mrs. No.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. We had chickens, I had chickens, they're messy pots. I smell but they're messy, they'd make a mess of everything.

SPEAKER_01

Nah.

SPEAKER_00

I like it clean and tidy. They're dirty, they're claws, like.

SPEAKER_01

But it's nice to get like I I can grow them up from we season. I don't grow much. Like, so when you get the tomatoes, like you'd think you're in they taste completely different than you'd get out of any shop. Yeah. Because there's no pesticides on them, there's like organic as such.

SPEAKER_00

And like they're juicy.

SPEAKER_01

Juicy, like you've been on Spain, and you can eat them like an apple, like you know, and everything just tastes. So this year I've done that, and I said to my wife, next year I'm gonna get like raised beds up the second bit of the garden and start growing your own carrots and potatoes now. Yeah. Save vitamin, you see.

SPEAKER_00

And for a penny, and for a pound on the main lad, you'd be selling them next time here and a flat here. Potato sandwich, fun sandwiches, potato waffles and a sandwich. Who made waffles? Uh homemade potatoes. Tell me, you can't bear

Brand Deals And The Dream Cookbook

SPEAKER_00

it. Uh so if you have any hang any ambition, like well, like if you have any ambition, I know we're talking earlier, but you're saying you're just doing it for enjoyment, and that's all it is. But do you have any ambition on work to take you or what you may want to do with it?

SPEAKER_01

Like what so like I just take everything out. I'm I'm I'm quite fortunate to have like an an agent, you know. Yeah. Um, you know, I've been working with my agent now for three years, maybe. And they're they're a big agency, like they're based down down south. And I'm one of the I think I'm the only creator up in the north, right? And uh they've got a few ideas, and I I've got to work with brands that I've never worked with, you know, that I never even thought possible, you know. Um and for me it's good. I deal with the one girl in the agency, and it's more like a like she knows what I will not do, so I will not promote any alcohol because I don't drink. I won't do something just for the money. You know I can think anything. So but anything like they'll know what I what I'll you know, so no alcohol, you know, and they know what I'll do and I won't do, you know, so they'll already, before they even come anywhere near me, they'll they'll know yeah, they've known me that long now, you know. Like my goal, I my goal is I do want to get a book. Yeah, that is my overall overall ambition.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And my agency knows that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Do you know what I mean? And there are you know, there's there's things happening in the background and stuff, like, but it's so hard. Like, if I I personally I think if I was to take it more serious.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But like you say, you enjoy your job.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's your life.

SPEAKER_01

And I've got you know, yeah, I've got a family.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. You know, so spending time with them, yeah. Like you say, bring them kids to hurling, bring kids to other sports. You know, life life. You know, when it's not like a full-time thing you're all in on, plus you've got your own job, it's it's still a big thing.

SPEAKER_01

Eight hours a day you're in work, you're coming home. Like, I'm not home to about half six, yeah, you know. So but see what time you set up cameras, like you know, lights, you get the kids to be quiet, which you know is never happening. Impossible. Impossible. And then once you get the kids sorted out, the fucking dog goes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You know, so and then he comes down for a pack of crisps, and you're just like, do you know what? Fuck this, I'm out of here. You know, or Basing toast, fucking challenges. But you know what I mean. If I I I I think if I was to put more time into it, it's not about the effort, because I anything I do, I put 100% effort into it. It's just the timing. But I don't I generally don't have the time. Like at this point in my life, I don't have the time, you know, I don't have spare time. You know, every Saturday my son goes up training, so I'm away, or he's got a match, a couple of trainings during the week and a match, you know, so that them nights are taken away from you, you know.

SPEAKER_00

And and right now at this point, I mean you're in change of the world to position. No, I'm you know because you're getting that you're you're getting the opportunity to deal up with your kids. I'm getting the opportunity to do stuff. You're still getting the chits, you're still getting the opportunity to do your cook and so you're still getting you still got a good job that you enjoy doing.

SPEAKER_01

So realistically, what what like right now Right now I'm content, I am more than content.

SPEAKER_00

So I think so long may it last.

SPEAKER_01

You know I'm getting you know, working with some of these brands, you know, that you'd never thought you'd work with. I've you know, I'm work making making some real good relationship with brands that I've worked with now for like three or four years, just constantly every single month, you know. You know, and yes, earning a few quid around the way. You know, so for me it's at this present moment in my life, I'm more than content. You know, if I was to lose my job tomorrow, would I put my heart and soul into a hot course of it? Absolutely. And would I know it would work? I know it would work because I believe myself.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_01

But I I don't want you know, I'm my job, I like I love what I do. I love spending time with my kids and my family. And you know, if I yes, I put out I put out one bit of content a week.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

On a Sunday, I'll put out a bit of content and it'll do stories here and there. And that for me. So it's no pressure. If I don't want to put a story, if I don't want to if I don't want to do if I don't want to put a story up, I don't have to put a story up.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

If I don't want to now, I'll post every Sunday, that's what I'll do. Now I might post no video, but you know what?

SPEAKER_00

So what? There's no pressure on it.

SPEAKER_01

You know and the minute and I've always said to my missus and Daydream, my wife, and anybody. So I you know, the minute I stop enjoying it, it makes no difference.

SPEAKER_00

Forever. Yeah, you'd be alright. You'd be happy. 100%.

SPEAKER_01

And I'm at Grady, I wouldn't want to quit my job.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, absolutely. 100%.

Where To Find His Recipes

SPEAKER_00

Well, for anyone who wants to find your content and have a wee bit of interest in cooking and some seriously tasty looking group work on the find you.

SPEAKER_01

On Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, Belfast underscore, undercover underscore chef.

SPEAKER_00

Belly Chef. Belfast Undercover Chef. Belfast the man the myth. He's right here with us. Great story, great, great insight is the way to tell you why you do it. And I've enjoyed it. I've really enjoyed the chat with you and it's uh we've been inspiring because of where you've came from what you've done, and it's good to understand that as I said before, it's not always like fitness to fill that board. It can be cooking, it can be cleaning the car, it can be so it'll help a I'm sure it'll touch a lot of people and hopefully they can take something away from it anyway. So I appreciate you coming in there, thank you.

SPEAKER_01

No problem. Thank you very much, buddy.