Ross McKenna

Mr Snips Barber, Carlow

From Augher in Co Tyrone, Ross’s older brother started barbering in a shed at the back of the family house and Ross helped him by sweeping up. “Watching my brother have his friends come in for haircuts,” Ross recalls, “They’d be having the crack, and by the end of the day, he would have a few quid. At 16, isn’t that the dream job?”

He trained in Mr J’s Barber Shop in Co Monaghan. “It was the best training I could have got,” Ross says. “The shop was constantly busy and Mr J taught me how to speak to people and make clients feel comfortable.”

Ross moved to Dublin, and he now has his own salon in Carlow. “I have brilliant, loyal customers and still love what I do as much as when I first started. I love the crack with my customers in the shop, and I love that in barbering, we’re always learning. As new styles and fashion come in, we have to adapt and teach ourselves. I’m also well known for my skills in hair tattooing [tribal designs and so on] and I enjoy that a lot, too.”

So why did Ross want to join Salon Confidential? “The show is a brand new concept and really appealed to me,” he says. “I’ve been a barber for 20 years, so I was confident in my skills and in my ability to chat to new customers and help them with their problems if they were looking for advice.

“Customers talk to me about everything from tough relationships to family problems, bereavements, affairs, children, health. Many have thanked me over the years for my advice and support, which is very humbling. Unfortunately, men often aren’t as open when speaking about their problems. I’m very lucky that my customers know they can open up with me and I will support them or just have a laugh with them if they need to take their mind off something.”