Dublin hairdresser trains recovering addicts, ex-prisoners
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Eileen McHugh, a hairdresser in Dublin, Ireland, is providing training to people facing barriers to employment, including recovering addicts, ex-prisoners, and young people in care.
Growing up in Ballymun during the 1980s, McHugh experienced both a strong sense of community and significant trauma, including witnessing a death as a child. She herself struggled with heroin addiction starting at age 12, but found focus and a career through hairdressing.
McHugh discovered that working with hair provided a similar sense of calm to what she previously experienced with drugs, and she began training formally while continuing to use substances. After becoming pregnant over 20 years ago, she entered recovery and eventually began using her skills to engage at-risk youth through a local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club. This led to the creation of Best (Bringing Education and Sport Together) and later, the Hair Academy around 2019.
In February, McHugh opened Hair Together, a salon and training centre, after two years of fundraising that totalled €125,000. With support from Rethink Ireland, she now employs six staff and has trained over 600 people since 2020, helping them gain skills and confidence. McHugh credits a leadership programme with Common Purpose for helping her develop the skills to secure funding and expand her work.
