Thirty eight hens; eggs at €2 a half dozen and no card machine but Paudie Murray runs his egg business from an honesty box on the Kilkee cliffs, and now he has a 90 second advert to go with it.
The nine-year-old runs a free-range egg business from an honesty box on the Kilkee cliffs is the subject of a new advert made for him by Clare filmmaker David Kelly.
The business is called Ubh by Paudie. “Ubh” is the Irish word for egg. Paudie keeps a brood of 38 hens. He feeds them and collects the eggs every morning before boxing them up and stocking the honesty box himself. His eggs sell at €2 for a half dozen.
The honesty box takes cash or a QR code payment, but not cards. Paudie is clear about that.
Business is booming with Paudie hatching 3 chicks of his own last week, which he expects to bring him to 41 hens by the spring.
Kelly, who runs the production company Lukewarm Volcano, in Kilrush, wrote, shot and edited the 90-second film after hearing about the business locally.
“Paudie is 9, he’s running a real business with real customers and I wanted to show my support, so I made him an advert. He’s a pure natural in front of the camera. It’s definitely one of my more memorable shoots,” Kelly added.
The advert follows Paudie through a morning’s work: the coop, the egg collection, a very important tea break and a quick restocking trip to the honesty box with the cliffs behind him.
Asked in the film which of his 38 hens is his favourite, Paudie is firm on the point.
“I love them all, I don’t have a favourite. How could you pick a favourite? They’re all lovely.”
*Ubh by Paudie’s honesty box remains open at the Kilkee cliffs and is restocked daily from 2pm.