CURRENT MISSION

To experience the world, meet wonderful people, share in many cultures, whilst making portrait and documentary photography continuing the project explained in my TEDx talk Bit.ly/TEDxFEx

ABOUT ME

I'm a very positive, happy Irish guy who talks, smiles and laughs a lot :)

I work full time and travel during my holidays. November 2011 to November 2012 I completed my first long trip of 12 months through 14 countries and I feel incredibly lucky for that. I met some amazing people on my travels and made some lifelong friends...I look forward to continuing this!

I love meeting new people, experiencing their lives and really getting to know them.

During my travels I made a photography project staying with people in exchange for professional portraiture and documentary photography. I ran a blog about this project up until I held an exhibition in London which was seen by over 500 people www.freebornphotography.wordpress.com so I give a little more back than the usual couch surfer and of course I'm happy to surf without making my project too because I understand not everyone wants or needs photos :o)

I'm currently living in Brixton, London near where David Bowie was born. It's a wonderful colourful and lively neighbourhood to be part of, with a very international music and food scene.

PHILOSOPHY

To make every day a happy one and pass it on to others I meet :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I found out about CS from my friends. I'm looking forward to hosting and meeting people as soon as I have a couch available. I have informally hosted many international friends before joining CS and continue to once I know people.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

So far I have surfed with many wonderful hosts including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and many more countries listed in my profile.

Time spent with these generous hosts showed me a really diverse experience. I was fortunate enough to engage with people from many different cultures, from Australian to Argentinian, Aboriginal to Rastafari.

I can't wait for my next CS experience! :o)

Interests

People, travel, photography, music, film, nature, food, socialising, adventure ,yoga and lots more!

• culture
• photography
• music festivals
• festivals
• yoga
• running
• meditation
• traveling
• socializing
• music
• hinduism
• sports
• languages
• philosophy
• mountains
• food
• nature
• film
• sciences
• ayurveda

Music, Movies, and Books

Too many to list but my taste is alternative and eclectic. I love independent art house cinemas such as the Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds or the Old Cinema in Wanaka, NZ. I enjoy beautifully made movies like those of Pedro Almoldovar.

Music is in my mind the most powerful of all the arts. It has the ability to caress the mind, body and soul in any given time. Whether you want to relax or energise. I love to watch live music and it literally feels like an outer body experience at times!

Some of my favourite venues are the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, England, The Apollo in Manchester and Ain't Nothin But Blues Bar in London. I have been fortunate enough to attend and work at/photograph/manage many music festivals in Ireland, England, Poland, Czech Republic, Australia and more e.g. I managed the arena at Leeds Rock Festival with 80,000 people in England).

I love books and only wish I had more time to sit and lose myself in them! Although we live in the digital age I will always adore print and the special feeling it gives you. I love design and typography so I collect books, mainly poetry, art and photography books. Some past examples of booked I've enjoyed are The Life of Pi and The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which are full of beautiful pros with a philosophical angle.

I think culture is one of the most important elements in my life and when I settle down fully I will create a world of culture in my home with a library, music room and gallery.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

What a crazy question! Many things, such as shooting some awesome music festivals and meeting wonderful people on my travels.

Crossing the highest mountains in northern Thailand on a scooter for 135km with my brother was a breathtaking experience especially with the 890 bends we had to navigate!

Christmas eve in Bali was phenomenal, I took part in a 15km jungle adventure race with the Hash House Harriers (international running club). There was a thunder storm which made me feel so alive! On the way home I managed to befriend and join some young people in a Hindu tribal spiritual procession at the Dark Moon Festival. This was really something!

visited 26 states (11.5%)

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to share especially experiences, food, yoga and often impromptu photography lessons.

I speak some phrases of many different languages which often amuses people including that I can say thank you in over 30 languages as it is the most important phrase in every country I visit.

I am always keen to share my knowledge and learn from others about their language and culture.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A love for life and our surroundings, portrait and documentary photography, yoga, my international network and a lot of laughter!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City State, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom