Kevin McGuire, the owner of Genesis caf\u00e9 in Monaghan town, joined Oliver Callan on RT\u00c9 Radio 1 to discuss his incredible DIY project. Listen back above.<\/p>\n
Nestled in the bustling heart of Monaghan town, Genesis is a coffee shop with a difference. Not only is it built with community in mind, driving business into a previously derelict building, but it has been handmade using repurposed objects.<\/p>\n
The sturdy floor is made from old scaffold planks and repurposed tiles; the counter is made from “a bit of a shed”; tables were carved from items found in a skip; and light fittings in the ceiling are crafted from old sewing machines.<\/p>\n
“There were a few sewing machines in the building,” explains Kevin, “so I kept a bit of that history there, and converted them into lights. I made two of them and got an electrician to connect them up.”<\/p>\n
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Having worked on building sites for many years, Kevin McGuire says he became pretty “handy” over the years, jokingly describing himself as a ‘Jack of all trades, but master of none’.<\/p>\n
“It’s cost nothing,” he says of the DIY project. “Just my own time.”<\/p>\n
Working with Tidy Towns, McGuire rescued the 200-year-old building, which had stood empty on Dublin Street for almost 40 years, transforming it into a community hub.<\/p>\n
“Dublin Street had been pretty ran down; it hadn’t had the best reputation in the last few years,” he explains. “There’s been a regeneration project. The local businesses are really delighted that there’s a different footfall coming, and it’s brought light to the street.”<\/p>\n
“I’m from Mayo, but I class myself as a Monaghan man,” he adds proudly. “I hope it’s going to bring life to the town and create employment as well.”<\/p>\n
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While the downstairs section of the building has been transformed into a coffee shop filled with artisan pastries and quirky decor, the upstairs is being converted into apartments by the building’s landlord.<\/p>\n
“Imagination, be creative, and use what you have around you,” McGuire says of the process, which he hopes to see replicated around the country, particularly given the ongoing housing crisis.<\/p>\n
The drive to spend money sensibly and solve problems creatively has undoubtedly been spurred on by McGuire’s own history with homelessness.<\/p>\n
“In 2018, we were renting accommodation, and it was very hard to get accommodation back then,” he explained. “The landlord had to sell up his own property, so we were looking for accommodation then. We ended up homeless, myself and my family.”<\/p>\n
Despite both he and his wife working at the time, the housing crisis led the family to a dire situation.<\/p>\n
“The council couldn’t provide anything at that time, so my family ended up splitting up and the whole lot,” he continues. “There were two or three months there, we were pretty down.”<\/p>\n
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For nine years, the family of seven were “going from place to place”, renting here and there until suitable accommodation finally became available through Monaghan County Council.<\/p>\n
Understandably, the experience has stuck with McGuire, who dreamt of creating a space where people could find community, support, and conversation.<\/p>\n
“There’s nothing impossible in renovating a place, and there’s nothing impossible in life that can’t be changed,” he says.<\/p>\n
To find out more about Kevin McGuire’s fascinating story, listen back above.<\/p>\n