The Comeragh Mountains in County Waterford, part of Ireland’s Ancient East
I once recorded a 4 track CD!
After 36 years in the maritime world, initially as a Naval Officer and Ship’s Captain and later as a Port Manager, I changed direction and left the office behind for a career in the outdoors.
I am qualified as a Mountain Leader and now spend my much of my time sharing my passion for the hills and mountains of Ireland, and giving people the skills to safely explore the hills.
When not out in the wilderness, I enjoy playing the guitar and singing with my friends in our weekly music session in the local pub.
“I am immensely proud of everything my country has to offer so it is a joy to share our wonderful landscape, history, culture, food and drink with visitors from overseas as a guide at Wilderness Ireland.”
I joined the Irish Navy as a cadet straight from school and served for sixteen years in a variety of roles culminating in two years in command of an offshore patrol vessel. After leaving the navy, I managed a shopping centre in Cork for two years before an opportunity arose to return to the maritime world as manager of a commercial harbour.
I left the office behind in 2010 to follow my passion for the outdoors. I qualified as a Mountain Leader and Mountain Skills Trainer and now my work is giving others the skills to safely explore the Irish hills and mountains.
I am immensely proud of everything my country has to offer so it is a joy to share our wonderful landscape, history, culture, food and drink with visitors from overseas as a guide at Wilderness Ireland.
I first experienced north western Spain in 2014 when I walked 300 km of the Camino Francaise. I have returned there twice since then and particularly to the Picos de Europa mountains. I have also travelled to Guatemala and later this year my partner and I will go trekking in Nepal.
My major interests are hillwalking/hiking either on my own, with friends or teaching others as well as music. I play the guitar and sing with a group of friends in a weekly session in and in local pubs. I might even have been known to sing a song or two on my trips!
The mountains in the southeast of Ireland – I especially love the beautiful and yet underrated Comeragh Mountains. I know the southeast really well (counties Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny,…). I also like the west coast – places like Dingle might be more popular, but there are always hidden gems to be found.
Tom was an excellent guide and we all enjoyed our time with Tom and the whole group!
Kelley Storment
Hiking - Dingle Way
Reviewed on 18/10/2022
The trip would not have been the same without Tom. He was top-notch, in all regards - care and concern for others, friendliness, organization, communication, etc. He always checked with everyone in the group as to their overall well-being, as well as their preferences for any given day or evening. He just exemplified all of the charm, friendliness, and generosity that I found in the Irish people everywhere we went. Tom and our main driver for the week were wonderful - just listening to their chatter gave us quite a chuckle each day. He shared his musical talents for us one evening, at the remote coastal inn - what an unexpected and special treat. I would search out another trip with Tom in the future for sure!!!
Teri Simpson
Hiking - Dingle Way
Reviewed on 12/10/2022
Tom was an excellent guide and made sure that we were all looked after as individuals and a group. My birthday occurred during the trip and he and fellow group members gave ma special evening to remember.
John Barrett
Hiking - Dingle Way
Reviewed on 11/10/2022
Trip / Departure | Availability | Status | Price | Book |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hiking & Island Hopping – Cork & Kerry 10th Jun - 16th Jun 2023 | 1 place(s) left | CONFIRMED | €0 | Book Now |
Hiking – The Dingle Way 8th Jul - 14th Jul 2023 | 7 place(s) left | CONFIRMED | €0 | Book Now |
Hiking – The Dingle Way 19th Aug - 25th Aug 2023 | 2 place(s) left | CONFIRMED | €0 | Book Now |
Hiking & Island Hopping – Cork & Kerry 2nd Sep - 8th Sep 2023 | 4 place(s) left | CONFIRMED | €0 | Book Now |
Sometimes it's nice to get family and friends together and travel privately for some quality time. This means you benefit from all the features of the group departure, including hand-picked accommodation and expert local guides and we'll take care of it all. Then you can make your choice of departures dates and we'll get back to you to finalise the details.
We work together with our team of guides to decide which departures they lead each year. As part of that, guides provide available dates that they are free to be booked. This means that any of the dates you see in the first field of the form below, could be perfect for your private departure or customised tour.
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