CURRENT MISSION
We are here for a short time. Best to spend as much of it as possible with people who make this world such a cool place to live.

ABOUT ME
Writer. Thinker. Researcher. Social entrepreneur. Campaigner. Lecturer. Parent. Husband. Corkman. Cyclist. Sketch artist (a very bad one but always trying). Bodypainter (not bad and improving). Aspiring lawyer (studying). Facilitator. Photographer. Reader. Swimmer. Explorer. Main interests are travel, community development, social justice, equality of opportunity. Loves an evening in conversation with people who have travelled and who have thought a lot.

PHILOSOPHY
When we pass through this world we can either exist or live. Existing means we get on with life, doing what we must to clothe and feed ourselves. Living means we interact with the people and places of our world in as many ways as we can, while treating people well, and trying to leave the world in a better state than the way we found it. I think this is possible by even the smallest gesture.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I live at home with my wife and family who sadly are not interested in hosting couchsurfers, but I can do the next best thing by welcoming you to Cork, showing you around so you can see our beautiful city through the eyes of a local person. I am told that I am a good story teller, and I do love to share stories from history, local traditions and cultures, in fact anything that might interest you.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE
I began to couchsurf years before the CS community started up. This was with acquaintances in different countries. Sometimes when it did not suit my hosts to accommodate me, I stayed with their friends. In this way I met some fascinating people. The creation of the CS community is a chance to carry on this amazing way of meeting up with people who are prepared to take the risk of meeting a total stranger. No matter how much information we share on this site, it is not until you meet people face to face that you get any real sense of what they are like. Probably the best couchsurfing experience was when I stayed with in-laws in St. Petersburg, and their work colleagues each took us for a day around this city, giving us unique insights depending on their personal interests.

Interests

Snorkelling and sea swimming generally. Photography. Cycling. Constitutional law. Social justice. Travel. Conflict management. Historical fiction. Languages. Keeping fit. Politics. Equality-related issues. Xenophobia. Anything to do with human development and particularly community development.

• writing
• photography
• politics
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• swimming
• entrepreneurship
• history
• languages
• law

Music, Movies, and Books

Favourite films: Kolya, Dances with Wolves, Cinema Paradiso, La Vie en Rose, 1900 and some other films made by Bernardo Bertolucci, anything by the Coen brothers, and the Marx brothers, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, The Green Mile, Love Actually, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Schindlers List.
Favourite music: Almost anything by The Beatles or Bob Dylan, some of Tom Waits, Freddie White, Christy Moore, Van Morrison, Paul Brady,
Favourite books: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, anything by genius Kerryman John B. Keane, Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Spanish Civil War by Anthony Beevor, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore, Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carre, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Being there when my three children were born. Life-changing experience.

Teach, Learn, Share

Solving conflicts is not easy but it is always achievable, depending on how much people are prepared to move.
I love the subtleties and nuances of the English language, and take pleasure in helping non-native speakers to improve their grasp of it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories and songs.
Improvement of your English conversation skills .
Love of history.
Discussion of regional and global political and social issues
Keen interest in your culture / history

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland

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