CURRENT MISSION

I love to visit places I have never been - and to meet local people to find the true flavour of the place.

ABOUT ME

My greatest interest is in understanding life and what it has to offer. I'm a life-long learner. I love going to Irish traditional music sessions. I play uilleann pipes and whistle (after a fashion). I started a Celtic music festival (with 2 friends) in Havana which ran 2010-2014. May do it in 2017 if we get funding!
I really appreciate having a loving family. Even if my parents did drag me by the hair to the barber when I was 14. I would say that life for me has been more like a free bottle in front of me than a pre-frontal lobotomy.

PHILOSOPHY

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've been on 4 couchsurfing visits, so far all in France. I'm looking forward to hosting some guests now that I've settled back in Ireland.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

While living in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA I had a few enquiries from people who were interested in staying but they all found places closer to their destination. I guess Norwalk isn't that exciting a place! I've stayed with 3 hosts in Lorient, France at different times while attending the Festival Interceltique. All my hosts gave me a great experience of French life, and I enjoyed my visits very much.

Interests

I'm interested in almost everything. Music, philosophy, religion, politics, science - you name it. I use the internet quite a lot - I've been a technology teacher in the US

• concerts
• festivals
• politics
• technology
• socializing
• music
• teaching
• religion
• science

Music, Movies, and Books

On my bedside table right now:
The Last Lecture (Randy Pausch)/Cuba Confidential (Ann Louise Bardach)/Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)/The Joy of Living (Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche)/The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Alexander McCall Smith).
I like the Coen Brothers movies, art house movies, foreign films and more - but not horror flicks. I do however enjoy black comedy sometimes.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Saw Queen live in Hyde Park, London at a free concert when I was a teen. Played Trivial Pursuit with the daughter of a US president and her husband. Piloted a spacefighter against alien aggressors in a starfield just off the shoulder of Orion. OK, just kidding about that last one - the others are true.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love meeting people who are a little bit reflective, who have an interesting opinion and who are not afraid to share it.
I used to teach Gaelic (Irish), so if you want I can teach you a few phrases - go mbeannaí Dia thú 's go dté tú slán i do chuid taisteal. Tá súil agam go mbainfaidh me an sult as an áit seo! I have an excellent command of spoken English, and love helping people to improve their English language skills. If you like traditional music, I can teach you a tune on the tin whistle.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Ireland, United Kingdom, United States

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