About me!

Whew, where to start!

Well, I am originally from Foxford in Co Mayo. I finished school to study Marketing in Dublin, Decided to do some voluntary work for a while, Signed up with Greenpeace Ireland and worked in that office for 2 years.

Co-incidentally, I met my hubby the day I walked into the Greenpeace office back in 1991. 3 years later he became my boyfriend, another 4 years on and he became my business partner. A year after that, he became my fiance and the next year, my husband. Less than a year after that, he became the father of my children and through all of the above, he has been my very best friend for all of those years.

After my spell on dry land with Greenpeace, I hit the highseas and worked as a cook on the Greenpeace ship MV Solo and the MV Moby Dick. During my time with Greenpeace, I visited most (old!) European coastal countries, and had the privilage of visiting Japan, the US, rounding Cape Horn, passing through the Panama canal and spending a long time in Canada.

Throughout those travels, I made some fantastic friends. (I even gained a husband as my hubby also sailed on some of those same trips with me!) Some of us are still in touch, life and geography have got in the way of more of us keeping up our friendships but we will never forget each other. And we will meet up again!

Unfortunately, a couple of those wonderful friends have passed on to that great big Greenpeace ship in the sky. Strong memories have been left behind. And there are always the photos!

So, after 3 years sailing the high seas, both hubby (to-be) and I decided it was time to try out the dry land thing again. So, we settled back in Ireland, both working a variety of different jobs over the years. After a while, we decided to set up a food business which grew to employ 35 people and served to put us under 35 different sorts of pressures. So, we made the decision to sell up. The fun had long gone out of it and life was very hard. Our pressures were inhumane. Worst of all, they were self-inflicted. So, who’s silly idea was that business anyway?? (Says she bowing her head )

In between all of that, we were once again bitten by the travel bug and did a bit of independant travelling which we loved. Started out in Vancouver and did the whole west coast of the US. Then down into Mexico and over to Cuba. Followed that with a culture shock landing back in the US, a trip up the US east coast and back into Canada at Toronto. A 72 hour bus journey took us back to Vancouver and the end of our adventure. Sure it was only the end of one adventure and the start of another!!

We got married, had a baby boy, lost a baby boy and had a baby girl. In some ways life has been very kind to us. In other ways it has crippled us. But we’re still here and life is wondersul!

After the baby girl arrived and there were no pressures in our lives, we decided to make the big move. We moved back to my home town of Foxford in Co Mayo. It was a move that would have felt claustrophobic during my rucksack on the back days. But at the time we made the move, it was just right. It is now just perfect.

We live in the countryside. I work from home. I have the work-life variety that comes from having two very different businesses. My commute is about 3 seconds long. My kids love the countryliving thing and my hubby loves his organic veg garden and polytunnel. Life is simple but fantastic.

The kids go to school and playschool in Foxford. One is in primary school and the other in playschool. The primary school principal is the same man who was there in my day. There are several children in my son’s class, and other classes close to his, who’s parents I went to school with. My kids are friends with the grandchildren of 5 men who were on the same Alterboys’ day out as their own grandfather back in 1951!

I’m back where I started and life is good.

Long may it stay that way!