I am an Irish guy and I lived in the Middle East for 35 years. My partner is from Asia and speaks millions of languages. We are both moved to Manchester in 2019 and now live in Sale, a very pleasant town in the south of Greater Manchester (20 minutes from the city centre by tram). I stopped being an employee when I left the Middle East in 2018. Since then, I have worked independently as a management consultant (specialising in succession planning and human capital operational risk) and try and work 4-6 months p.a. to keep my links with the Middle East.

We are easy-going, relaxed and enjoy meeting new people. It really is that simple! We hosted many couchsurfers when we were in the Middle East and met one of the closest friends in our lives through CS.

Un message dans une bouteille aux francophones : Même si vous parlez anglais parfaitement, écrivez-moi uniquement en français svp. Je serais très reconnaissant et je vous promets des croissants frais le matin ! Je passerai le DALF C1 (une galère !) en octobre et j’étudierai à l’Université Lumière Lyon2 du janvier au mai 2026. Donc, il me faut utiliser la langue de Proust à chaque occasion possible.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

الضيوف الذين يتحدثون العربية أو الفرنسية مرحب بهم بشكل خاص.

Les couchsurfers qui parlent arabe ou français sont particulièrement les bienvenus.

For three reasons. (1) To meet interesting people and to learn something new from them. (2) To give something back. Throughout my life, I have benefitted from the kindness and hospitality of people when I was travelling and when I lived in the Middle East. (3) To be able to practice my Arabic or French, if possible.

Interests

Reading, cinema, swimming, and gym, travelling and being with interesting people.

• culture
• books
• coffee
• running
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• sports
• swimming
• dialects
• languages

Music, Movies, and Books

Music: Almost everything except modern jazz and heavy metal.

Books: Where to start? I grew up in a house with books and so I read a book every week. I have wide tastes. My favourite writers in English are Jane Austen and George Orwell. I am currently reading "Naples '44" by Norman Lewis, "Middlemarch" and Thomas Hardy's "Poems 1912-13", some of the most astonishing and beautiful poems in the English Language. I also read in French and have just finished "En finir avec Eddy Bellegueule" by Edouard Louis.

Films: Again, I have very wide tastes. The two best films are that I have seen in the last few years are "Caché" (2005 - directed by Michael Haneke) and "Roma" (2018 - directed by Alfonso Cuaron)

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

- I worked as a security guard for a year.

- I spent 18 months living with peasant farmers in the north of Sudan in a village three days north of Khartoum and without electricity and without running water. It was the best thing that I have ever done in my life (in spite of having had malaria three times).

Teach, Learn, Share

French and Arabic

What I Can Share with Hosts

A fully furnished room with its own bathroom and internet connection. We can also offer very good coffee first thing in the morning. Could you ask for more?

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, Australia, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bahrain, Egypt, France, Ireland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates