At just ten years of age, young Pádraig O’Callaghan from Knockainey Co. Limerick is spreading positivity around the globe with his 60 second ‘Paudcast.’ The ‘Paudcast’ is a weekly motivational video which features on Dad’s business EcoStraws.ie and has become an internet sensation.
Padraig, who has Down syndrome began working on the series at the start of lockdown with his dad Brian O’Callaghan. Brian encouraged the youngster to start the recordings in a bid to keep him busy while off school, and to help with his communication skills and confidence. In recent weeks, the ‘Paudcast’ has gone viral, with messages of support from places as far away as New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
Brian told The Limerick Post ‘The reaction has been amazing! It has been so positive. We have literally had hundreds of messages from around the world. They keep flooding in and it’s hard to keep up with them all. If somebody can take a bit of motivation or joy from Pádraig’s videos, then it can only be a good thing in these tough times.’ Brian continues ‘I do a bit of volunteering with Special Olympics Ireland and Down Syndrome Ireland and their positive mental attitude mantra is very, very important and that’s how we came up with the ‘Monday Motivation Paudcast’.
“I suppose it’s been hard for kids during lockdown. We found, it was a way of keeping him entertained, keeping him out of trouble and we got to spend more time together, Brian explained as he has focused on his business from home since losing his job in aviation last year.
Pádraig feels his audience are “very happy and excited to see me”, and his top tips for staying safe but also upbeat include allowing yourself to make mistakes because “you can’t learn anything from being perfect”, “try and tackle those jobs you don’t want to tackle” and “stay home and keep busy”.
To see more, visit: https://ecostraws.ie
