The Real Troubles Tour: a true experience with every step.

Hello, welcome to Belfast! I am a former teacher of Irish literature and history, teaching at High School level and also lecturing at ICE - the Institute of Continuing Education - at Queen’s University Belfast in Irish Studies. I founded the ETAC project – Education Through Arts and Culture –placing artists, poets, writers, dancers, musicians and so forth in a number of schools; many as artists in residence. I have been involved in numerous cross-community projects- including Give & Take, a joint project under the auspices of Barnardos and local government. I also worked on a voluntary basis as a Youth Leader. As well as having lived in London in the late 60s, I have travelled extensively over the years, many as a solo traveller. The most recent was in 2023 when I, and a French friend, did a two-week road trip across Northern Europe. I have completed the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal: climbed Mount Fuji; white water rafting down the Urubamba River in Peru; climbed Mount Toubkal in Morocco and trekked the Sahara – with Berber tribesmen and accompanying mule train; stayed with the Uros Indians on the floating islands on Lake Titicaca; stayed in Japan and trained under the karate masters; studied yoga in Pondicherry, India; travelled by dug out canoe along the Mekong River in Vietnam; got lost in Hanoi; went on elephant back safari in Kerala; cut the lawns at the Taj Mahal on a buffalo driven mower. In total, at last count, forty nine countries – with more to come. I have also had the privilege of representing my country in a sporting capacity on countless occasions on the world stage. I have worked on many films/ TV dramas as a support actor including with Pierce Brosnan on The Last Rifleman ( he’s a gentleman); The School for Good and Evil for Netflix; numerous BBC & ITV dramas: most recenly as a nobleman in The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and all of series 7 Game of Thrones, where I was involved in transporting the cast and crew. As a professional guide, I have taken many people from across the globe on different tours around the province garnering 100s of 5* reviews in the process. I have conducted tours for, among others: the ERASMUS student exchange programme; the United Nations Australian delegation; staff from the American Embassy in London; the State Department Washington DC; Swiss Radio – who recorded and aired my tour and the Seatle Times, who published a glowing review of my tour. My goal, on my tours, is to involve my guests in an unforgettable experience which will last with them long after they have returned home.