Céad míle fáilte! (A hundred thousand welcomes)

Shane here, I'm a student from Ireland. I'm currently studying Mechanical Engineering at UCD. (but to be honest, I spend more time skipping lectures than attending them)

I love travelling and I try to go on a trip every break during the year in school. Every winter I'll go on a small Europe trip, and during the summer I'll go on an extended trip.

In my spare time, I like playing sports, doing anything outdoorsy, going out with friends and making plans to take over the world...

I also have a keen interest in Entrepreneurship and Innovation!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The "Céad míle fáilte" I mentioned above, is some Irish. It's a little known fact but Irish is our native language, and it is completely different to English. Not only that but it is still spoken daily by thousands of people around the country. In some Gaeltacht regions, English isn't spoken at all, and Irish is the primary language of communication!

I'm on couchsurfing to teach people about Ireland, and also to meet people who can teach me about their country.
There's only so much you can learn from a country by travelling through it. I believe that you really need to interact with the locals to get a proper insight into culture. Hopefully couchsurfing will allow me to meet those locals!

Interests

To be honest I like pretty much anything.
Especially things that I've never done before!

• music festivals
• cooking
• reading
• puzzles
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• surfing
• cliff jumping
• basketball
• rock climbing
• tennis
• engineering
• entrepreneurship
• languages
• language exchange
• food
• innovation
• ultimate frisbee

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a fan of Irish Traditional music, Indie Rock and any music that suits a road trip!

I like quirky movies. Movies like Billy Elliot, Little Miss Sunshine and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

I enjoy reading non-fiction books on subjects such as motivation, pop-psychology and entrepreneurship.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I have been swimming with Great White Sharks, that was pretty cool.
However, I'm more excited about all of the amazing things that I have yet to do!

Teach, Learn, Share

When I travelled through Europe we only had one month, so we went to lots of different cities and spent only a few days in each one.
I loved trying each country's local beer and learning how to say 'Cheers' in that country's language.
In Ireland we say "Sláinte", which means "To good health"

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have a few party tricks, games and card games that I can share with hosts.

But I think the most fun thing that we could do together, is I could teach you to Irish dance! A céilí (Irish dancing night) makes for a great night of laughing and dancing.

I look forward to teaching you guys the "Ballaí Luimní", "Tonnaí Thoraí" and most importantly, how to "Luascadh!"

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand