Meet the VagaHQ Team

Founder and owner of Vagabond. Originally from Scotland but has lived in Ireland for many happy years, he started Vagabond after travelling in Southern Africa and thinking that a more active adventure tour of Ireland would be a great idea. Rob is an outdoor enthusiast and also a keen amateur historian (with an MA in Modern History).

Amy is Vagabond’s ‘marketing dictator’ with years of experience in blue chip brand marketing and also with Vagabond. Originally from south Dublin, she left school at the age of four and worked as a welder on oilrigs before meeting Rob at University in Scotland, from were she holds an MA in Psychology (which is really useful for living and working with Rob). A keen outdoor enthusiast, a really fast runner and qualified sailing instructor, not to mention a mother of three young children (four if you include Rob) , Amy has travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and Africa. Her favourite travel experiences include safari in Africa, Italy’s Amalfi coast and the south west of Ireland. Amy twitches her nose when she gets cross…(apparently).

Larry came to Vagabond after a (really) long career in public service, which included working in Namibia and Bosnia Herzegovina. His last position was in a public order role, but since joining Vagabond we have completely re-trained Larry and his use of the taser with customers has reduced significantly. An enthusiastic singer and supreme teller of jokes, Larry also has a fantastic first-hand knowledge of Ireland and its past. Larry is originally from County Clare in the West of Ireland and is a keen supporter of their Gaelic games teams, just warning you…In 2015 Larry was appointed General Manager of Vagabond and we are delighted to have him on board in this role. (He is banned from singing in the office, but we can’t seem to stop the ‘jokes’).

Russ, a guy that people tend to look up to, standing 6’5’’ in his socks, Russ is a fully trained ambulance medic and is also handy enough with a chainsaw (he has trained in horticulture and worked as a landscape gardener). Having travelled extensively through Europe, North America and Australasia, Russ now loves showing people around Ireland and sharing his passion for, and knowledge of, his country. Russ’s calm and professional style instantly makes his passengers feel at home and welcome. We are also proud to say that Russ was shortlisted by Outside Magazine in the UK as one of the top 20 guides in the world. This makes him the tallest-shortlisted guide ever. Russ was recently appointed Vagabond Transport and Operations Manager. Thus, by reducing the amount of time he is on tour, we hope our guests will have some chance of actually getting into photos.

In 2012 Gillian decided she had enough of being down and dirty everyday and became Vagabond HQ’s first permanent recruit (outside of Rob and Amy). Gillian’s attention to detail and tenacity in seeing projects through to the end is a legacy from her previous life as an archaeologist (though not as mucky). In her own time, she keeps rescue hens and provides all the office staff with the freshest eggs ever. Interestingly, all our Sales and Reservations team hail from County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. We reckon Gillian has a secret clause in her working ts and cs that insisted on this.

Ciara is one of the latest additions to the team at Vagabond HQ, having joined us in 2017. We reckon what put her ahead of the other (more than 200) applicants was her answer to the key interview question of ‘…ice cream or cake?’. She is now the first point of contact for our Driftwood guests. Ciara has a degree in Veterinary Nursing and loves animals of all shapes and sizes- which is why she gets on so well with our Guides team! She loves to visit new places and has traveled extensively in Europe. She also loves food (ice cream and cake) and is the only person we know whose laugh can alternate between an uplifting giggle or a rather scary cackle.

Meet Derry (from the Irish word Doire, meaning oak). In his first weeks at Vagabond HQ he quickly demonstrated the qualities of the oak (strength and endurance) in his work. Derry has a rather eclectic background. Having studied History and Politics he spent a year Japan before moving to London, where he completed his Masters degree in Web Design. He has worldwide travel experience, and tried many jobs along the way – selling sushi in London, picking kiwis in New Zealand and even cleaning toilets on a car ferry (we intend to test his skills on that one). South America remains on his bucket list, but being Dad to one toddler and with another on the way, he knows he has 25 years to save up for that one!

Meet Shauna, our marketing assistant who has (amongst other things) been looking after the content for much of our digital media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. During the season she also puts together the collage of pics for our weekly Vagabond and Driftwood Facebook albums. Shauna is not just a team player but a proven leader - having been a school prefect and captained her home county of Wicklow in Camogie. However, she retired from playing when she went to college, so that she could focus on her Marketing studies, from which she graduated with first class honours.
Shauna also has a very individualistic and rebellious streak when it comes to footwear apparently. Rumour has it that she wears her Dr. Martens boots to bed! While we can’t definitively confirm that, we do know for certain that she once wore them to a wedding under the finest of dresses. Oh, she also has a penchant for garlic mayo!