On the morning of the 6th of September 2022, our amazing guide Kenny put on his shoes, got in a taxi and faced something we would all be deathly afraid of - live radio
Kenny was invited onto RTE Radio 1 with Ryan Tubridy to discuss with him his life, his struggles with addiction, his recovery, his recent health issues, and his current life and employment - which of course is here at Secret Street Tours.
We were so proud to hear Kenny discuss openly and honestly his struggles throughout his life with mental health and addiction, and how he has come out of it and is now living a healthy happy life.
Kenny spoke with Ryan about how when you’re in that life of drug abuse and homelessness, it is incredibly difficult to get out of it and break the cycle. He in particular thanked Simon Community and the Coolmine Drug Rehab Center for the part they played in helping him get off the street.
Kenny told Ryan about how he first found out about Secret Street Tours, from our other amazing tour guide Shane. When they were living in a recovery house together Shane told Kenny about how he was working with Secret Street Tours and would be doing a walking tour of Dublin from the eyes of someone who used to live on the street. Kenny, ever the competitor, figured he could do a better tour of Dublin than Shane who is a Cork man.
If you want to listen to Kenny’s interview with Ryan, you can do so by clicking the button below
Kenny comes on at 27 minutes and 13 seconds [time code 27:13]
We are looking forward to welcoming Ryan and the whole team on a tour at some point in the future!
If you would like to book one of our tours, hire one of our guides to speak at your school or event, donate, buy a coffee or gift a tour to someone else, you can do that all on our website!
What We Do
We are a nonprofit social enterprise that trains those affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides of their city, empowering them with skills and a platform to tell their story.
Our training focuses on developing the confidence of our guides through workshops on public speaking and customer service. We partner with professional tour guides to design our routes.
Our Tours offer a unique, socially responsible and entertaining experience as our guides share with you their connections to the streets of Dublin.
Apart from our guides, every single person working for Secret Street Tours is a volunteer, so you can be sure your money is going straight to the amazing tour guides!
Our Impact
By booking our tours you are supporting Dublin’s homeless community in many ways!
The price of your ticket provides an income to our guides and helps them save for long term goals (such as educational courses)
Listening to our guides gives a voice to a community that is so often talked about rather than listened to.
Engaging with Dublin’s homelessness crisis helps us to create awareness of this critical social challenge.
Sharing your experience helps us scale, empowering more guides to tell their stories.
Networking with our guides helps us unlock their potential.
What Can I Do To Help?
There are many ways in which you can support Secret Street Tours. You can take one of our tours here to experience Dublin alongside one of our fantastic guides.
You can support us by making a donation or make a regular donation by becoming a patron here.
Sharing our Tours with friends and family or on social media is another great way to spread the word about the work we are doing.
We would like to also say a huge thank you for your ongoing support and contributions.
Written by Molly Hunt 6th of September 2022
