A Dublin salon is turning hairdressing into a route back to confidence, education and employment for people who have faced addiction, prison, care and other barriers. Hair Together, founded by Eileen McHugh in Ballymun, combines a working salon with practical training for marginalised groups across the community.
How Hair Together is changing lives in Ballymun
Hair Together provides courses for young carers, former prisoners, recovering addicts and people living in disadvantaged areas. The programmes range from single-day sessions to weekly classes lasting up to eight weeks, giving participants an accessible way to learn hairdressing and barbering skills.
McHugh established the salon after years of using hair work to connect with young people at risk of drug use or disengaging from education and community activities. Her approach is grounded in personal experience: she grew up in Ballymun, experienced trauma and addiction, and later built a career in hairdressing during recovery.
The salon opened in a permanent premises in February after McHugh and her supporters raised €125,000 over two years. Support from Rethink Ireland helped Hair Together employ three full-time and three part-time staff while expanding its training capacity.
- Hair Together operates as both a salon and training venue.
- Its courses support young people in care, ex-prisoners and people recovering from addiction.
- The programme has reached more than 600 participants since its wider development.
- The organisation was supported by €125,000 raised during a two-year fundraising effort.
From addiction and trauma to a career in hair
McHugh has spoken openly about growing up amid serious hardship in 1980s Ballymun. She began using drugs as a teenager and later developed a heroin addiction. She has described hairdressing as one of the first activities that gave her a sense of focus and relief from the anxiety that had shaped much of her life.
Working with hair allowed her to concentrate fully on a practical task. That experience later influenced the way she designed Hair Together’s classes: participants learn a skill, but they also gain time, structure and a setting where conversation can develop naturally.
Her recovery began after she became pregnant with her daughter more than two decades ago. She attended rehabilitation programmes, lived and worked in Waterford for a period, and eventually returned to Ballymun. Her personal history now informs the support she offers, without defining the people who attend her courses by their past.
Why practical training can support recovery
Hairdressing combines technical learning with creativity, customer service and visible results. For someone who has experienced exclusion from school, work or mainstream services, completing a haircut or styling task can provide an immediate sense of achievement.
Hair Together’s model also creates opportunities to build wider workplace skills, including:
- communication with clients and colleagues;
- time management and maintaining appointments;
- safe use of professional equipment;
- confidence in presenting work to others;
- teamwork and responsibility in a salon environment.
Those benefits do not replace addiction treatment, housing support, education or other public services. Instead, the training offers a practical complement to the wider network of community and recovery supports available in Ireland.
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Hair Academy began with young people and sport
McHugh first used barbering as a way to engage boys involved with a local GAA club. The sessions were intended to last around 90 minutes, but the young participants stayed longer, worked on hair and began talking openly.
That experience led to BEST, or Bringing Education and Sport Together, supported by local businesses. Hair Academy followed around 2019, delivering sessions in youth clubs, schools and community centres.
The work reflects a wider lesson for community education: people may engage more readily when support is connected to an activity that feels practical, social and relevant to their interests. Hairdressing became the starting point for conversations about confidence, choices and future opportunities.
Growth brings the programme to more people
Before the permanent salon opened, about 260 people had taken part in the programme since 2020. That number has now risen to more than 600, according to McHugh. The new premises have allowed Hair Together to run more sessions and provide a stable base for staff, learners and salon customers.
Participants include people who may struggle with traditional training settings because of interrupted education, care experience, addiction, trauma or contact with the criminal justice system. The salon’s environment gives them the chance to learn alongside others while developing confidence at their own pace.
McHugh’s work also highlights the importance of social enterprise in Ireland. A social enterprise can generate income through services while directing its wider purpose towards a social need. In this case, salon work helps sustain a venue where training and community support can take place.
What happens next for Hair Together?
Hair Together’s immediate focus is to continue delivering courses and supporting people who face barriers to employment and education. Its expansion will depend on staff capacity, community partnerships, customer income and continued philanthropic or institutional support.
The story is also a reminder that recovery is not a single event. Skills, confidence and trust are often rebuilt gradually. Programmes that offer consistent relationships and practical achievement can help people take steps towards work, further training and stronger participation in their communities.
Frequently asked questions
Who does Hair Together support?
The organisation provides training for groups including young carers, former prisoners, people recovering from addiction and people living in disadvantaged communities.
Where is Hair Together based?
Hair Together is based in Ballymun in north Dublin and operates as both a salon and a training venue.
What type of courses are available?
Courses range from one-day classes to sessions held one evening a week for as many as eight weeks. Training focuses on hairdressing and barbering skills.
How many people have taken part?
McHugh said participation had grown from about 260 people before the permanent premises opened to more than 600.
A practical path towards confidence
This Dublin initiative shows how a familiar skill can become a powerful tool for inclusion. By combining salon work, education and community support, Hair Together is helping people move beyond labels associated with addiction, prison or disadvantage.
The clearest takeaway from this Breaking News Ireland story is that meaningful change can begin with a practical opportunity. In Ballymun, learning to work with hair is helping participants develop confidence, relationships and skills that may open the door to a different future.
