When he started renting books to his sisters as a child Kevin Gildea had no idea he was planting seeds for what would become a lifelong journey towards owning his book shop. In episode two of this very special Irishman Abroad mini-series focusing on independent bookstores around Ireland, Jarlath meets Kevin  to talk about his very long and winding road towards creating his Dun Laoighaire hub for second hand books. You’d be forgiven for thinking that starting his own business was the biggest challenge within this story but Kevin reveals the odour that nearly bested him. How conquering it might have been the thrill of his life and how opening up four days before lockdown made this enterprise even more special.To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 400 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad  

 Supplementary research provided by John Meagher.The Irishman Abroad Liveline is now open. You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 0044 7543 122 330. Why not pose a running question to Irish Olympic Legend Sonia O'Sullivan or ask our America Correspondent Marion McKeone her thoughts on a current talking point Stateside? Of course, if you have an issue with traffic or elephants on the loose in your area, Jarlath can do his best to sort that out too.Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their mental health and the skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation.For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on [email protected].Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.