Cork woodwork ace Eoin hooks three million fans on TikTok

THE slow pace of life during the Covid lockdowns provided many with the opportunity to try out new hobbies, like sea-swimming or perfecting banana bread.

But Crossbarry man and UCC Commerce student Eoin Reardon went against the grain and built his own currach!

Ushering me into what resembles a cow shed at the back of his parents’ house, Eoin shows me the first sugán chair he made. This is where the magic happens, where he restores old tools and makes new furniture.

And he has millions of fans too!

To date Eoin, 24, has three million viewers on Tik-Tok. 

“A week ago, I hit the one million mark on YouTube!” he adds.

Is it true he never even studied woodwork in school?

“Yes, that is true,” says Eoin, who inherited an old vice from his grandfather and taught himself the basics of woodworking during lockdown. But he adds: “Both my grandfathers were ‘hands on’ people. One was a mechanic, the other a labourer.”

However, Eoin was going to be a businessman.

“I studied Commerce in UCC for over two years,” he says. 

The first year was online during Covid; it was awful. I didn’t enjoy the second year either. My heart wasn’t in it - so I’ve deferred from the course for now.

Eoin’s heart is in traditional woodworking skills. People all over the world have become fascinated with his passion for it.

“Over half my followers are from the USA,” he says. “And over half of them claim Irish heritage!”

With his newly acquired skills, Eoin set out to build his own boat.

“I’d always wanted to build one,” he says. “And I remember in secondary school reading about the currachs. They seemed fairly easy to make. In the Aran Islands, fishermen made them with very primitive tools and not a lot of access to wood.

“I trawled the internet for whatever information I could find and decided I’d give it a go.”

Eoin admits: “I had never sat in one of those boats!” 

But with his hands-on inherited genes, he could build one.

“I found sketches of a Kilkee currach with measurements from the 1920s,” says Eoin. 

It was 21ft long, so I adapted those plans. It took me four months to complete it.

Eoin getting huge satisfaction from his craft and lots of interest in it, began sharing the process online. His talent and personality appealed to millions around the world.

“When I uploaded a video using a hand plane, it got 7,000 views,” he says. “I was blown away by that. There was no target or anything.”

There was huge interest and curiosity in his work

“There were a lot of questions asked about the tools, and a lot of people hadn’t seen a hand plane before. Hand tools are really interesting and a lot of people had never seen them before.”

Eoin, getting more and more requests; made more videos.

“It was just a self-replicating cycle,” he says. “More questions meant more videos and on it went. It just snowballed from there.”

Eoin’s videos have evolved over two years, and they make for an engaging guide to the worlds of woodwork and restoration.

He brings his audience along, reeling them in with each phase of a project, enthusiastically explaining the importance of each step. Eoin’s clear excitement bring his viewers back for more.

“The videos started out with just clips of the work using a bit of music,” he says. 

“I Snapchatted a few friends in the beginning and it grew legs from there.

Over time, I got a lot more confident in front of the camera and I felt comfortable putting more energy into my videos.

Eoin’s videos are entertaining and educational.

“I wouldn’t really want to watch someone if they were speaking in a monotone,” he says. “So I just put a bit of enthusiasm into it, reflecting my own character.”

Eoin’s rule of only using hand tools makes him stand out from the crowd.

“When I got started, I bought and restored old tools on Done Deal and at car boot sales. That was a cost-saving measure. Over time, I got a fascination with more traditional styles of woodworking and I have stuck with them to this day.”

His current project, as part of a team, is restoring a timber-style medieval roof in Wicklow. Surely, he’ll use power tools for that?

“For professional pieces, you have to be perfectly accurate,” says Eoin. “I will use power tools alright. But on Tik-Tok or YouTube it would feel like cheating if I used power tools!”

Eoin uses hand-made tools and elbow grease.

“The elbow grease is very important!” he says.

He enjoys travelling to craft fairs around the country, showing his hand-made wares.

“It is a great way to see the country and to earn a living,” says Eoin. 

The variety is great. No two days are the same for me.

Eoin, with a slow- paced lifestyle and job satisfaction in the beautiful surroundings of woodland and water, is in his element.

“I find woodworking soothing, and I find it good therapy,” he says. “My work represents old forgotten skills.

“I enjoy tinkering and working away.”

Eoin also enjoys sharing his intricate work people everywhere.

“I go to sleep some nights and when I wake up in the morning, I see that I’ve gained 20,000 followers overnight!” he adds.