I’ve had an interest in the sea from an early age. Growing up on the coast had a big influence as I fished with my father when I was young and worked on local boats and in a boatyard.

Family members guided me to working at sea. Most of my family had worked at sea. The sea was the main source of employment in the area until the early 2000s so the community has very strong links to the sea in this area.

Donegal Sea Adventure: I set up the company in 2023. There was about 2 years of work in the background setting it up.

Donegal Sea Adventure: Days vary with demand, weather and events, but a typical day in the summer starts with getting the boat ready, greeting the passengers and going out on the first trip of the day. Sometimes we change the route we take throughout the day depending on wind, tides and if we spot wildlife in certain areas. At the end of the day the boat is washed, re-fuelled and taken to its mooring.

Donegal Sea Adventure: I mainly deal with the management end of things as well as sometimes crewing the boat. I do payroll and bookkeeping as well as schedule planning boat maintenance and general administrative duties.

Donegal Sea Adventure: Main challenges are the weather and passenger numbers. Like all types of seafaring, the weather is one of the most critical factors. Getting enough passengers to make the job worthwhile is also challenging.

Donegal Sea Adventure: I like being outdoors and on the sea. The scenery and being able to show it to people is great.

The amount of paperwork. It depends which industry you are in but there is now paperwork in almost every job. On ships there is quite a lot nowadays. There is also a lot of paperwork involved in running a business.

I would say that practical skills are a big bonus in this job. I was lucky to do a lot of hands-on work at a young age. It helps if you can carry out repairs on the spot and at the very least have an understanding of what is involved to carry out the repair.

Engineering, Technical Drawing and Construction/Woodwork have influenced my decision. I enjoyed these subjects as they have a practical aspect which keeps them interesting.

I attended Pobalscoil na Rosann and done some short courses when I was still at school to allow me to work on small boats and fishing boats. I then went on to do Marine and Plant Engineering in the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork. From there, I qualified with a BSc degree and done my Oral Exam with the Department of Transport in Dublin. I qualified with an EOOW licence and then went to sea for 3 years before returning to NMCI to do my 2^nd Engineer Course. I then went to gain more sea time before going back to gain my Chief Engineers Licence.

I would say Engineering and Technical Drawing have been the most important. I didn’t do Science at school but I done Physics modules at college. I would say that it would help to do at least one Science Subject at school. I also done the BIM Sea Safety Courses when I was 16. This gave me a good understanding and taste of what further learning in the industry would be like.

The most rewarding event has to be qualifying with an Engineering Officer of the Watch certificate. Getting the 2^nd Engineer and Chief Engineer tickets were good but it doesn’t beat the initial qualification that allows you to hold your own watch on a ship which is a massive responsibility

I think that I’m quite patient which helps. Jobs/ship operations can sometimes be long and monotonous. I think I’m also social. This helps when you work with a crew for weeks/months on end. I’m fairly organised. It’s important when managing a department with multiple team members, ongoing jobs/projects and deadlines.

I would like to work closer to home eventually. Its not a realistic goal for a long time yet, but once I leave working at sea, its my goal to work near home, but still in the industry. Marine engineering related works.

Due to the boat tours being a seasonal activity, it doesn’t sustain year-round employment, so I have not given up my job as a marine engineer. Between both jobs it is quite busy but I really enjoy working on the boat tours because I am working close to home.

Make sure you have an interest in working at sea. Take into consideration that you will be away from family and friends a lot if you work on a ship. If you are practical and technically minded it’s a job that might suit you. If you enjoy engineering, construction, technical drawing and science at school level, then the courses to get into the industry, whether that be fishing, nautical studies or marine engineering will be enjoyable to you too.

I would say teamwork is important, as most jobs at sea require you to be part of crew and you want to work well together.

Problem solving is important as working on the sea always throws up new challenges.

Untidiness and poor workmanship would get to me. It makes the job more challenging than it needs to be.

I’ve been back to college to do the 2^nd Engineer course and the Chief Engineer course. That is as far as I can go with my qualification in this particular line of work. I do a lot of short courses to keep my qualifications relevant and I do some refresher course now and again. But I don’t plan on doing anymore full-time courses at the minute.

Hands on marine engineering work with regards to the engineering aspect. You would need to enjoy working on the sea. A job that involves being crew on a boat, weather that’s a ferry, tug or fishing boat will give a solid foundation to start a career at sea.

Marine Engineer and Manager at Donegal Sea Adventure.