Cork duo on friendship, their podcast... and no notions!

CORK women Brenda Dennehy and Julie Haynes are skilled multitaskers; really skilled. It’s impressive how much the duo, who recently launched their podcast Left On Read, can pack into their busy schedules; night shifts, overseas recordings, childcare duties, the list goes on.

Yet they make time for a Zoom call with me at the drop of a hat, and spend an hour providing not only insightful answers, but endless entertainment and banter. Cork women have a way of doing that, and it’s clear that these rising podcast stars are ready to welcome any listener as their new best friend.

“It’s just us chatting. There’s no plan, no segments, it’s just two friends catching up and having the craic,” says super mom Julie, whose page @twins_and_me has over 250,000 followers online. Left On Read is sure to garner her a few more followers, seeing as the podcast, which only has six episodes, has already reached No.1 in the Irish Spotify charts.

“Our content just comes really naturally because we get on so well. We’re both single, we both couldn’t care less what people think, and we just have the craic,” says Julie’s co-host Brenda, a freelance television producer with BBC and Sky News in the UK.

“My big hope is that it’s relatable for people. I said in the first episode that we don’t want any notions. Julie may have a quarter of a million people following her but she is the most down to earth person in the world, and I don’t want anyone to think that I’m trying to be some hot-shot over in London. I’m still the same mad yoke here as I am in Cork.”

It’s hard not to feel like you’re listening to a recording when speaking with the pair, who bounce off each other effortlessly. This is especially emphasised when Brenda talks about her hometown of Ballydesmond.

“It borders Kerry but I have to emphasise that I’m from Cork. Julie thought I was from Kerry until a few weeks ago, but I am full blown Cork,” Brenda says with a laugh, before Julie chimes in: “It’s the accent!”

Besties

While Brenda’s accent may have caused confusion, the pair have actually been friends for over two years. They first met while Brenda was working with RedFM and 96FM, where Julie was a frequent guest - Brenda’s favourite, in fact.

“I always took a shine to her. She was someone I could really see myself being friends with,” says Brenda. “We would message the odd time and finally met up about two years ago and hit it off.”

So much so that they’re currently planning a holiday for March. It will be a well-earned trip, especially for Julie, who lives in Carrigaline with her five-year-old twins, Fionn and ErinRose. She jokes about locking them in the cupboard while she’s gone, and they giggle in the background of her screen whilst running around the kitchen. There’s a pizza in the oven, so spirits are high. It went in right before our call. Requests for homework help and chocolate yoghurts soon followed.

“I’m always on the go,” says the 32-year-old. “You just have to find the time to do everything, and you learn to adjust.”

As a single mother, the adjusting came swiftly, and it was exacerbated by the arrival of the pandemic.

“It was so tough. They were only two at the time and I lost my dad during Covid as well. I was on my own with them as a single mom going through a pandemic after losing a parent. It was very, very difficult.”

Social media, she says, helped her get through it.

“I don’t have a partner so once the kids are in bed, I’m on my own. It’s great company to talk into my phone and know that people are watching. I just love having the chats,” she says.

Julie’s Instagram page first took off when the twins were just a few months old. Fast forward five years and she is one of Cork’s most successful online content creators, boasting 148,000 followers on Instagram and 102,000 on TikTok. Her authenticity is arguably what sets her apart.

“I was watching these mommy bloggers showing off these great lifestyles. They’d be sitting down at 8pm with their glass of wine and I’d be running up and down the stairs. I went online and videoed myself at 8pm rocking the two kids in my arms because that’s what’s real,” she says.

“You have to show the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I share everything because that’s what people relate to and, hopefully, it makes them feel less alone.”

The formula has worked so far. It’s landed her appearances, offers, and a new podcast. She had been thinking about the latter for a while, she says, but felt like she needed someone to bounce off in order for it to be a success. She found the perfect partner in Brenda. “I just knew it had to be her,” Julie says.

Brenda had even previously dabbled in podcast recordings, but nothing had felt right.

“She just texted me the word ‘podcast?’ and I was immediately all in,” says Brenda. “I had recorded two podcasts before that weren’t released but I’m a big believer in fate, and I feel like it was meant to happen with Julie.”

There’s no planning conducted ahead of their recordings and nothing is rehearsed. The plot is just two friends chatting as if they’re talking on the phone - with one making sure the other isn’t picking up any English phrases during her time in London.

“Julie keeps me Cork. Every time I try to say ‘chuffed’ she brings me back down,” Brenda says with a laugh.

The idea of two Cork friends with London ties chatting over a podcast may sound familiar to any listeners of I’m Grand Mam, the extraordinarily successful podcast of Kevin Twomey and PJ Kirby. There aren’t any plans for a joint episode just yet, but Brenda is planning on heading to one of Kevin’s fitness classes in London, and maybe pitching the idea.

No notions

Finding time could prove difficult, however, with her packed schedule of nightshifts and 12 hour working days. The 37- year-old moved to London last March to pursue her dream of working in television production. She’s even ready to head out the door for a night shift when we speak, but has no complaints.

“It has to be done. It’s the joy of freelance,” she says. “But I love it and I know it’s all going to be worth it.”

Unlike Julie, Brenda doesn’t see herself settling in Ireland. She’s very outspoken about not wanting to have children or feeling the need to get married; her career comes first.

“I miss Cork but I’ve never regretted the move,” she says. “I remember pretending to be a DJ with cassette tapes as a child and listening to Neil Prendeville and PJ Coogan when I was only 12. When we go live, I get that dopamine hit and to get paid to get for that dopamine hit, it’s a dream.”

When it comes to the podcast, however, it’s all about fun.

“If our voices can provide someone with a distraction, or a boost of positivity, that’s all we want.

“We couldn’t care less about podcast charts or anything like that,” Brenda says.

“When someone messages us saying we made them laugh, we’re only weak.”

Her co-host agrees.

“I also hope that we can help make people feel like it’s alright to not own house or be married at a certain age,” says Julie. “It’s okay to follow your dreams at any age.”

But, Brenda reminds her, “no notions.”