A Working-Class Poet on Masculinity, the Manosphere & What a Man Actually Is - Emmet O'Brien

<p><strong>A Working-Class Poet Who Can Perform for Thousands But Struggles to Say How He Feels. Emmett O&#39;Brien on Grief, Masculinity &amp; Finding a Voice.</strong></p><p>Emmett O&#39;Brien is a poet, actor and storyteller from Cabra who&#39;s built a reputation for putting into words what so many people feel but never quite know how to say. He started writing at 13, after a 14-year-old friend was killed in a hit-and-run and a counsellor suggested he find a way to express it. What began as rap became spoken word, and it&#39;s carried him from ten people in a basement to stages across the world.</p><p>Ryan sits down with Emmett for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about creativity, class, masculinity and mental health.</p><p><strong>What we get into:</strong></p><ul><li>Growing up in Cabra and why he was the &quot;outlandish&quot; kid</li><li>Starting to write at 13 to deal with the death of his friend</li><li>How rap became spoken word, and the artists who shaped him</li><li>The working-class accent as identity, and being paid to write but not to speak</li><li>Why he can perform for thousands but can&#39;t talk about his own feelings</li><li>The one-man play about hitting rock bottom that nobody knew was about him</li><li>Grief, his ma&#39;s passing, and the moment his emotions finally opened up</li><li>Masculinity, the manosphere, and what a man actually is</li><li>Why it&#39;s good men capable of violence, who choose not to use it, who matter</li><li>Imposter syndrome, Damien Dempsey, Kelly Harrington and self-doubt</li><li>Calculated luck, the 10,000 hours, and why sacrifice is the whole game</li><li>Surrounding yourself with genuine people, not yes-men</li></ul><p>Ryan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who&#39;ve turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing.</p><p><strong>Follow:</strong> @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis</p><p>If anything in this episode resonates with you, support is available in Ireland. Samaritans are free and available 24/7 on 116 123, and Text About It can be reached by texting 50808.</p><p>🖊️ Sponsored by <strong>The Ink Factory</strong>, Temple Bar, Ireland&#39;s highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory</p>