Spirit of the Baldy Barber lives on in new Cork city salon

A new barbershop has been opened on the northside of the city by Donncha O’Connell, who spent 26 years working alongside the ‘Baldy Barber’, Mick Moriarty.

Mr Moriarty’s iconic barbershop in Blackpool closed late last year, as he retired after 59 years in the trade.

Mr O’Connell, who is originally from Fairhill, has opened his own store in Gurranabraher called Buzz Cutz. A grand opening was held at the weekend, and Mr Moriarty attended and cut the ribbon.

Mr O’Connell told The Echo that he began his barbering career in 1989 in Cork city, before he began working alongside the baldy barber.

“I couldn’t see myself working in any shop other than Mick’s, so my new place was set up with the hope of getting the same sort of vibe, sort of a Men’s Shed vibe. Since opening, 90% of Mick’s customers have followed me.”

During his 26 years working in the Blackpool barbershop, Mr O’Connell went viral internationally, including on Fox News in the US, for cutting the hair of Evan O’Dwyer, a young boy who is non-verbal, in his mother’s car.

“We’ve had 12 or 13 kids with additional needs in since I’ve opened. The way I see it, it’s just 20 minutes out of my day, for parents it’s 24/7, and I see the struggle it is for them.

“Parents panic when they see their child obviously in distress, and then the child feeds off that. I try to keep it as calm as possible, and I really enjoy the kids as well.”

Mr O’Connell added: “Mick taught me about patience, and I think that’s where my skills with the kids comes from. He also taught me how to treat people as people. Mick treats everybody the same; he’s very honest, and that leads to a lot of conversations in the shop and great banter.”

He also thanked his wife Claire for handling the bookings, and his daughter Shauna for her help with social media.