More about me


The long version

I grew up in the west of Ireland, speaking English as my first language. Like all Irish schoolchildren I was obliged to study Irish (Gaeilge) from the age of four until I finished secondary school at 17. And like schoolchildren the world over, I disliked being obliged to do anything so I dropped the language as soon as I had a choice in the matter. These days, I’m glad to say, I have a healthy interest in Irish but an equally healthy awareness of my limitations. This explains why I don’t count it among my working languages.

My university studies began in Limerick, where I quickly realised that the best way to perfect a language was to live in an environment where it was spoken every day (clearly where I went wrong with Irish). Luckily my lecturers agreed. I spent most of the next three years putting the ‘applied’ into my applied languages degree in France, Germany and Spain, where I lived on accredited work and study placements.

After graduating, I moved to London with my meagre possessions in a little handkerchief on a stick. I spent five years in the big smoke, gaining great corporate experience and a masters in technical and specialised translation. It was here that I initially launched my freelance career from my little flat in Balham, in a desperate attempt to avoid taking the Tube during peak hours. Happily the factors motivating my chosen career path have expanded, as have my transport options.

I’m now based in Brisbane, Australia, where most of the time I live a life of sunshine, outdoor activity and green initiatives. This is a feeble but well-meaning attempt to counterbalance my enormous carbon footprint, composed of unashamedly frequent trips back to Europe.