Meet Our VagaGuides

Aidan was the first Irishman to conquer Everest barefoot. He can also pat his head whilst rubbing his tummy. We were delighted to help re-introduce Aidan back into society after retiring as a sergeant in An Garda Síochána (the Irish police force). He's made amazing progress.

During Aidan's time in uniform, he served in the traffic corps and the former Yugoslavia on UN Policing duties. He also founded the Garda mountaineering club. Hiking and mountaineering remain Aidan's passions.

With Alan, you’re in extremely experienced hands when it comes to driving. After all, he first took a spin in a tractor, aged 10, at home on the family farm in Meath. Since then — besides VagaTrons — Alan has mastered maritime modes of transport. He’s a keen windsurfer and has skippered yachts.

When back on dry land, this man of steel is also fond of mountaineering and welding. End of season plans for Alan? Just a wee trip from Ireland to the Caribbean. By boat. Easy.

We call Andrew, ‘The Cat’, by virtue of the amount of lives he seems to have lived. Having survived almost being blown up while on UN peacekeeping duties in Lebanon, Andrew almost lost a tussle with the prop of a powered paraglider.

Andrew's enthusiasm is infectious. He’s never without a smile on his face. He loves the outdoors and storytelling. Andrew's VagaGuide colleagues love when they meet him on tour as he’s addicted to vehicle cleaning.

Bébhinn (pronounced bay-vin) is a direct descendant of 16th century pirate queen, Grace O’Malley; one of the most famous (and coolest) women in Irish history. Bébhinn is a pretty cool cucumber too. She hails from Clare Island off the west coast of Ireland and is an experienced outdoors and snowboarding instructor.

Now leading tours on her ninth season with Vagabond Tours, Bébhinn holds the National Tour Guide Badge qualification. Her passion for global travel shines through in everything she does. Bébhinn cites surviving two weeks in the Namibian desert with fellow VagaGuide Denise amongst her achievements! She only calls her mother 'Mam’ when she needs a dog-sitter.

Cork-born and bred, Brian knows a thing or two about Ireland. He’s an award-winning travel blogger and a published Lonely Planet author.

But this fella is also a true ramblin’ man, having lived in 17 different countries around the globe and travelled to many dozens more. Vegan Brian loves sinking his teeth into an outdoor challenge. Hiking, surfing, snowboarding, mountainboarding, diving, trail running… You name it, he’s conquered it!

Ciara is a real renaissance woman. She boasts a degree in film and video production, is a 1st aid responder, is an ex-member of the Wicklow Mountain rescue team, volunteers with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, has worked on a farm and can drive a tractor, is qualified to instruct rock climbing, kayaking, snorkeling and sailing. She also bakes very cool cakes! When she is not doing any of the above, Ciara is a super-dooper VagaGuide with an almost unrivalled knowledge of Ireland and just the right smiley, friendly personality for the job.

Damien has led hiking expeditions in Tibet, Nepal, China, India... and Carlow. He is recognised in Ireland as a pioneer of the adventure industry. Having climbed some of the world’s highest peaks, Damien yearned for a higher altitude still and so became a flying instructor.

Working for Vagabond has brought him back down to earth faster than you could say ‘doors armed and cross-checked’. Damien plays the bodhrán (Irish drum) and sings ballads. Despite his vast ‘life experience’, he once risked his career by beating his boss Rob in a half marathon.

Naval veteran Dave hails from Wicklow, the ‘Garden of Ireland’ where Vagabond Tours is based. Aside from his tour guiding skills and encyclopaedic knowledge on Irish history, nature and landscapes, Dave is also a fully qualified instructor in scuba diving, sailing, kayaking, hill walking and — according to him — drinking games!

Before Vagabond, Dave’s career straddled the diverse worlds of trucking, construction, nightclub security, landscaping, winemaking, bartending and outdoor education. But his first job was definitely the most eclectic: processing malt from Guinness brewing for use on farms as fertiliser. You can’t get much more stereotypically Irish than that!

Another VagaGuide hailing from the west of Ireland, Denise’s previous career was as a sound engineer. From sound-proofed, windowless recording studios, her daily grind is now exploring the Irish countryside.

An avid traveller, Denise has horse-trekked the Grand Canyon, husky-sledded in the Arctic and hiked the Peruvian Andes. Last year, she rode across the mountainous frontier between Argentina and Chile. Like many of our VagaGuides, Denise is a musician and plays mandolin and violin.

Donegal native Eamonn has certainly carpe’d the diem. His career so far has included being a chef on a New Zealand cattle station, a Santa in a Christmas grotto and a pub landlord (aged 23, no less).

On the wilder side of things, Eamonn has visited the Great Pyramids and walked the Great Wall of China. He is also an accomplished hunter, horseback-rider and skydiver. Strange but true: his first bungy-jump was helped along when a 4.7 earthquake struck as he stepped off the platform!

Ed the Red is so-called partly because she's from Cork (red is the county colour); partly because she is part of the endangered species of redheads. With a quick wit and a laid back manner, Ed boasts years of experience leading groups, working as a lifeguard and being generally adventurous.

With a degree in Outdoor Education and Leisure, Ed is also a qualified surfing instructor, climbing instructor, and limbo dancer. Oh yes and she has red hair. Did we mention that?

Anyone of Irish descent will relate to Jason's personal history; emigrating from the quiet of rural western Ireland to its very antitheses – London. Having spent his formative years in England’s teeming capital, Jason returned to Ireland to study for his degree in Outdoor Education.

Jason has vast experience in guiding, as well as a stint teaching English in Vietnam. He can instruct in mountaineering, surfing, kayaking and sailing. He is also a qualified beach lifeguard. But we don’t allow him to pack his Speedos.

Kildare native Joe is a thoroughbred when it comes to adventure. Skydiving in New Zealand. Cycling in Africa. White-water rafting on the Nile. Joe has done it all!

Action man Joe served in the Irish army’s Engineering Corps, touring across the Middle East and Eastern Europe with the United Nations and NATO. Joe says some of his favourite pastimes are experiencing new cultures and meeting new people - so don’t be afraid to say, "Howaya!"

Another world traveller, Michael has lived in Honduras, New Zealand and Spain. He has travelled to many others, including South Asia and Nepal. Michael is fluent in Spanish and also speaks French.

When he returned from his travels Michael worked with Amazon. We ordered him online but Amazon couldn’t complete the requested drone delivery. Michael's surname is Stout. But please, Vagabonds, no Guinness jokes. Hailing from Cork, Michael prefers Murphy’s (obviously). Like fellow VagaGuide Denise, Michael has also worked as a sound engineer and plays guitar.

Rhys is a climber, mountain guide and a trained blacksmith. He makes his own earrings.

Rhys has worked as a dog sled guide, a care worker and an outdoor pursuits instructor. He is also an accomplished paraglider. Most impressively, in 2021, Rhys conquered one of mountaineering's holy grails, by successfully climbing the north face of the Eiger.

Rhys brings a sense of adventure to every Vagabond or Driftwood tour. He's adept at tailoring each group's experience in a fun, safe and welcoming way.

Another outdoor education and leisure graduate, Ronan was made for the outdoors - be it kayaking, hiking, skiing or climbing.  He has instructed and lead expeditions in Scotland, France, Norway, New Zealand, Namibia, Turkey and Kerry. Despite all that travelling he has never crossed the Atlantic, but that never stops him from going above and beyond to please his guests.

Rumour has it he once had an ‘astronaut’ moment whilst camping overnight with fellow guide Daz on Mount Blanc in temperatures of -20℃ (-4F).

Sean is from Galway and, having studied photography in Wales, the wanderlust kicked in and and he hit the road. Since then, Sean has travelled to over 30 countries (despite being scared of flying). Sean’s passions are photography, surfing and mountaineering and he has recently learned to play the bodhrán. He has surfed, hiked and kayaked all over Ireland. Now one of our VagaGuide ‘veterans’, his favourite part of Ireland is Connemara - a photographer’s dream location and the birthplace of his father (who, incidentally, was born a native Irish speaker and only learned English at school).

Sian is a seasoned world traveller. She has previously worked and wandered throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and parts of North Africa. In Asia, Sian's altruism manifested itself in her working as a volunteer in animal sanctuaries and shelters. In common with all the team, she is a lover of the outdoors, with particular focus on watersports. We still can’t get her to demonstrate her Greek tour rep dance though!

Tim has has worked as a mountaineering instructor and guide for over 20 years across the world. A tour led by Tim will show off his gentle spirit and quirky sense of fun. Tim loves making wild Irish coffees for his guests and can eat seafood chowder daily for lunch.

Tim trained as a luthier, making mandolins, mandolas, bouzoukis and classical guitars. He is currently being taught Irish by his 7 year old daughter. Recently, one of our guests suggested Tim looked a bit like George Clooney. A bit.