FEATURE: The Sea Moss Boss returns to Thurles

Could this sea-worthy weed make it big in inland Tipperary?

Richy O’Gorman, originally from Moyne Road, Thurles and his wife Taurayne from London, think it just might. 

Richy and Taurayne have been making and selling Irish sea moss products since 2019. 

But, after 25 years abroad, Richy has come home to set up his sea moss business in Thurles. 

Richy told the Tipperary Star he is passionate about Irish sea moss and telling people all about its benefits.

“People don’t know enough about the products, so I thought I’d come home, start the business in town, rebrand, start everything fresh in Thurles and become an exporter and do the small shops and farmers markets here in Ireland,” said Richy.  

THE BOSSES JOURNEY

In 2013, Richy changed his diet to be more conscious of the foods he was eating.

From talking to people from Jamaica and the Caribbean,  he learned about something called Irish moss.

“In Jamaica, they make a drink called Irish Moss with the moss and milk. These were passed down from Irish indentured servants who had come over on boats to the Caribbean. The Irish mixed with the Caribbeans and the drink was passed down,” said Richy.

Richy said he had never heard of it. He went on a deep dive of information and found that sea moss is full of vitamins and minerals and is thought to have a lot of health benefits. 

“In the west of Ireland, people would have known because their parents would have given them dulse or Carrageenan, especially the older generation, but the younger generation have no idea,” said Richy.

During the pandemic, their products became very popular as people looked for holistic ways to boost their immune systems. 

“Sea moss became a buzzword again. From 2020 that’s when it got legs, and everyone was talking about it again,” said Richy.

Richy noticed that Irish people were very interested in their product and would buy it from their UK site. So, he decided to take his business home, and he and Taurayne moved back to Ireland. 

“So this was the main reason why I moved back to Ireland because it's an Irish product. We should know about it as much as anyone,” said Richy.

Taurayne is  London born and raised, and this is her first time living outside the UK. 

“I actually really enjoy it. I think being in a small town, it's very different from London.

“I actually prefer the slowed-down pace and the quietness that comes with it as well, and everyone is a little bit more friendlier here than in London, which is more fast-paced and you don’t get to know people as much as you might want to,” said Taurayne. 

She said right now, she is very busy finalising the last bits to get the website launched, and then she will turn her attention to markets.

“Obviously, in the UK it was popular, but I think when you start something somewhere new there is a little more interest, especially when people are talking about their health and changing their diet, and that is what we are all about as well,” said Taurayne.

She said they want people to know what sea moss has to offer their health and to see their products in shops for people to use. 

“It’s about knowing our brand would make that difference,” said Taurayne. 

KNOW OUR STORY

If you think you might recognise Richy and Taurayne, you would be right.  In 2016, Richy and Taurayne were the talk of the web when their anti-racism t-shirts went viral. 

They were featured in the Tipperary Star in August 2016. Richy made a t-shirt in 2007 that read “More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish.”

Then he made another for his wife, which got them noticed.

CAPTION:Richy and Taurayne in 2016 when their anti-racism campaign went viral

Richy and Taurayne began making and selling the t-shirts. The original message remained on the front, but on the back, they read “Know your history.”

The h in history and the r in your were crossed out, revealing a second message “Know our story.” Richy said people would send them stories of what they went through emigrating to Britain. 

“The Irish and the Carribeans especially formed a bond through our mutual oppression and you know, the hardships we faced when we came to the UK. They became a talking piece,” said Richy.

Richy and Taurayne still sell their t-shirts and their movement continues today on www.eyerishandjamaican. co.uk. There they sell not only the classic t-shirt but tote bags, hoodies and other merch.   

EXHIBITION

Last week, Richy and Taurayne took part in an exhibition at the Epic Museum in Dublin. 

The exhibition is called the 50 Years of the Irish in Britain and will run until July 14. 

Featured in the exhibition are 200 oral interviews of Irish people in the UK, which Richy and Taurayne took part in, with an interview, a picture of the couple and one of their t-shirts. 

“It is to show what it's like for Irish people once they leave their homeland and the struggles they go through in the UK and the successes too,” said Richy.

The exhibition has travelled through London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and now Dublin.

“To be honest it was very overwhelming; overwhelming in a good way. Just knowing you are going to be part of the history of the Irish coming to Britain and Ireland itself.

“And it’s good to know that people are understanding the experience of people who have emigrated to another country and what they went through and bringing it back home,” said Taurayne.

RACISM IN IRELAND

Richy and Taurayne may have come to Ireland in a difficult time with the rise of far-right sentiment and racism rearing its ugly head. 

But according to Richy, that is why the exhibition is perfectly timed.

“The Fifty Years of Irish in Britain is more beneficial for the Irish to see than people in the UK. 

“People in London know what it is like. They know about multiculturalism and all the rest.

“Some people, not all people, but some people need to leave Ireland to experience what it is like to be Irish, to see how you are received and perceived outside of Ireland, to gain an understanding of people who come to the country who come to the country or a more sympathetic view of people fleeing their own country through no fault of their own so to speak,” said Richy.

For Richy, acceptance is a no-brainer, and racism is incompatible with Irishness. 

Having lived in London for so long and being married to a black woman, Richy said he sees the benefits of a diversity of communities. 

“In London many many moons ago, everyone was afraid of people and multiculturalism and look at it now, it’s thriving.

“There are communities from all over the absolute world and they get on like a house on fire. Businesses are booming, and you have access to things on your doorstep that you wouldn’t have unless you travelled.

“In London, you have the world on your doorstep. It’s worked out for them. I don’t see why it won’t work out for us.

“It’s sad to see, but at the same time, only through understanding people and building bridges will attitudes change.

“Unfortunately, social media is so good at letting people have these little platforms to preach hate when it should be used for the exact opposite in my opinion. 

“We have a shared history, black people and Irish people so you know. The lady said it herself, Imelda May said you can’t be Irish and racist. It’s like an oxymoron.

“We have travelled the whole world and been welcomed. Why wouldn’t we do the same? It’s almost like we are becoming like the people who oppressed us, ” said Richy.

Richy and Taurayne will launch their Seamoss Boss Irish site soon.  Until then you can find them on Instagram and TikTok @theseamossboss1 and @eyerishandjamaican.