5 MINUTES WITH - EDDIE

Eddie runs his company, Lough Swilly Sea Safari, from the pier at Buncrana. When I approached him for an interview, I got invited to join him on the boat for a trip around the Swilly with a group of visiting tourists. The sun was shining, so I wasted no time and jumped straight on board for what turned out to be an exhilarating and entertaining round trip of the coastline.

Eddie has been running the business for four years now and has had a lifelong interest in all things aquatic, owning his first boat in 1990. His new purpose built Rib boat is called “Dancing Wave” and seats 14 people in comfort. We visited, Fanad Head, Port Salon and Rathmullan where the visitors hit pubs and funfairs and I was able to have a wee interview with Eddie. The evening was great fun, he really is a fantastic host and his enthusiasm and party spirit are infectious. Eddie runs this exciting venture most evenings and weekends (subject to weather conditions) from April to the end of September so there is still plenty of time to get out onto the water and have some fun. If you would like more information there is a web site http://www.loughswillyseasafari.com/ or you can contact him directly on 087 2747553

What music do you like?
I enjoy listening to traditional Irish and chart music. Anything that is going really. When I am out on the boat I gear the music to the passengers. Anything from the Dubliners to Sharon Shannon, Riverdance to Club Anthems

What would you never throw away?
Rope. You never know when it will come on handy. I also hang on to photographs of the family.

What book are you reading?
Troubled waters by Dublin man Patrick Ferguson. He recounts the days before sea-faring technology along the Irish coastline. It is a great book and it is very interesting to read about when ruthless ship owners sacrificed their men in the pursuit of profit

What was your favourite childhood game?
Going out onto the Swilly on one of my fathers tractor tubes. I also made a raft near Ned’s Point and would sail out on that too.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
Perfect Storm starring George Clooney. It was based on a true story, and dedicated to the ten thousand Gloucester fishermen men lost at sea since 1623.

What is your idea of a good night out?
Everyone in the group being happy, with no fall outs during the evening.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
It was a long time ago but I managed to fall over a hedge and chat up the wrong girl in a bar (I was a bit drunk and she looked like my date). You don’t like to be reminded of these things…

Have you a favourite TV programme?
There are a few good programmes on Sky. I particularly enjoyed the one about crabbing in Alaska.

How do you relax?
I relax as soon as I get on the Dancing Wave.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I have always been interested in fishing and when I was young I wanted to be a fisherman.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
Inishtrahull or Tory Island are perfect destinations for a peaceful holiday.

Your idea of heaven?
The sun shining and lying in anchor near Port Ban, next to Dunree. I would be sat at the back of the boat with an icebox.

Your idea of hell?
Running out of fuel on a confused sea (that’s when you don’t know what the tide is doing), and throwing the anchor out without a rope tied to the end…

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Sarah Jessica Parker the American actor and producer and a few cast members from A Perfect Storm.

Favourite animal?
A dog. We have a 5 year old Alsatian /Collie cross called Prince. He is a lovely dog and spends a lot of his time trying to eat stones.

What couldn’t you live without?
My bed.

Biggest fear?
Having intoxicated passengers falling overboard.

Biggest thrill?
Riding over a really big wave on the boat. It’s a sea faring Rib so it could handle practically anything.

The world’s most irritating invention?
The mobile phone.

What is your idea of a good night in?
I am not in much in the summer but in winter I enjoy a good bottle of fruit wine and a warm fire.

Do you have a hobby?
My boat.

Biggest disappointment?
Boats corroding. They can break your heart sometimes. Lots of things can deteriorate because of the salt in the water.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
1500-1600 the era of the Armadas and tall ships. It would have been great to be a captain of such fine vessels.

World’s most useful invention?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) for boats. You always know exactly where you are in any weather.

What do you have for breakfast?
Porridge with half a punnet of either strawberries or blueberries. I usually throw on a banana too.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Make sure you wear a lifejacket and have plenty of fuel on board a boat. Take a mobile phone, a knife and a bottle of whiskey…

Personal philosophy
Keep it simple… Don’t fly too high.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS - editorial for the Inishowen Independent

“Decking is the perfect answer for difficult sites.” Seamus from North West Decking

“Sean Furey from Sean’s Garden Machinery in Letterkenny knows the importance of having good quality machinery to hand for the heavier jobs on the garden.”

“A good stonemason like Stephen Grant can enhance your outdoor space and it doesn’t cost the earth.”

“Patios are a practical way of increasing your living space around the house. A good patio will be one that looks good and is practical.” Eddie from Grianan Precast Concrete

“It is amazing what a few coats of paint make not only to your house, but to your mood as well.” Conal Taitt - Painter and decorator

“There are other colours of asphalt to choose from as well, you can have red, green, blue or even white!” Sean McDaid SP Asphalting

“We pride ourselves in using the highest quality materials available.” Martin Hughes from M Hughes Fencing


THE GREAT OUTDOORS

As soon as you walk out of your front door you are into the great outdoors. The areas around your house and garden are the spots you see more than any others and they will reflect your outdoor living preferences. Do you like gardening? Sitting and relaxing? Lots of friends over for a barbecue? Do you need plenty of car-parking? Do you like a bit of privacy? So how do you plan for all the spaces you need such as; patios, driveways, decking areas, walls, beds, borders and lawns. Now the sunny weather is with us your outdoor living area becomes another room so how can you make the most of it?

WOODEN DECKING
Wooden decking must be one of the most versatile ways of increasing your outdoor living space. They can be used in most situations, even on water! In fact decking is the perfect answer for difficult sites. They can make use of areas of the garden that were out of bounds with traditional building techniques. There are a lot of houses that are built into hillsides; decks can be created to sit over the slopes at the rear of the properties to make them accessible. Of course you don’t have to have a difficult site to make good use of this method of building.

Seamus from North West Decking, builds a wide range of styles to suit both old and new properties. “We also specialise in Spanish Style barbeque areas, Seamus tells us. These really complement the wooden decking look. Bricks and stone cladding are used around a central chimney, which looks terrific and also stops you being smoked out at the barbeque.” North West Decking can also tend to your existing decking as they do a complete maintenance package which includes fixing any damaged areas and a pressure-washing service. “Decking requires very little maintenance at this time of year,” Seamus continues. The wood is totally pressure-treated before installation. If you wanted to brighten it up a bit then a coat of decking oil can be used. Alternatively you could just sit, relax and finish the book you are reading!”


THE COMPLETE RANGE OF GARDEN MACHINERY
At one time some of us would have had a few sheep to keep the grass down around the house. Many of us have pristine lawns now and to get that perfect finish, we tend to go for mechanical methods of keeping the grass under control. Grass is growing at full speed now after the warmth and sunshine last week. Sean Furey from Sean’s Garden Machinery in Letterkenny knows the importance of having good quality machinery to hand for the heavier jobs on the garden. “Sit on mowers are the biggest time saver for people with large gardens,” says Sean. “We stock a wide range of Castlegarden ride on mowers, which are well known for their reliability and ruggedness. We have a wide choice to suit any large garden.” Sean concludes.

Sean also stocks smaller power mowers of those of us who like to walk as well as hedge cutters, chainsaws, strimmers, and if the power goes in the house for electrical items he even stocks generators. So there is no excuse not to do that gardening job! Sean is celebrating 35 years in the business, giving him a wealth of knowledge to assess the best machine for your site.


INDIVIDUAL STONEWORK DESIGNS
Nothing can beat the look of real stonework on a house or in a garden. If you are thinking of opting for this low maintenance natural finish around the house then you will need the services of a professional stonemason like Stephen Grant.

“The finish of natural stone is so versatile and of the most popular stone types for Inishowen is brown quartz.” Stephen tells us. “The uniform shape of the stone makes it an ideal choice for both house and garden walls. People see different colours in the stone, some think it is yellow and others see a brown or white colour, it is as individual as the customer.” Stephen works with other stone too. The customer can decide which type of stone they want for any particular job, be it a facia for a house, indoor fireplace or a retaining wall. The freedom of choice leads to greater customer satisfaction. A good stonemason like Stephen can enhance your outdoor space and it doesn’t cost the earth


WIDE CHOICS OF PATIO SLABS
Patios are a practical way of increasing your living space around the house. A good patio will be one that looks good and is practical; especially if you have young children or have difficulty manoeuvring. If you have garden furniture on the patio then you will need a level surface for them to rest on to avoid wobbly legs. Eddie from Grianan Precast Concrete has a wide range of hardwearing concrete slabs to give a level, professional finish to the patio. “We make our own range of slabs that come in all shapes and sizes,” says Eddie. “We also stock a wide range of Tobermore slabs to widen the range even further. Versatility is again a key factor for the slabs and they can be ordered to your own specific colour for a perfect complement to your house and home.”


PAINTING AND DECORATING OUTDOORS
Conal Taitt from Carndonagh is a registered painter and decorator and knows how important it is to get your outdoor space clean and bright for the summer. Conal will hang wallpaper and do all interior painting work but now the sun is shining. it is a perfect time for getting the outdoor area up to scratch. “For a really thorough job, outside walls can be pressure washed prior to re-painting. Preparing the surface is key to a long lasting professional finish,” Conal informs us.

It is amazing what a few coats of paint make not only to your house, but to your mood as well. Walking outside your freshly painted house or pulling the car up to your doorway in these light evenings will fill you with pleasure.


DRIVEWAY TO THE HOUSE
Driveways are also a key factor for our outdoor space around the house. A rough uneven and weed-infested approach to the house can be disappointing to you and visitors. Locally based SP Asphalting have the answer. Sean McDaid and his team work all over the peninsula smoothing out driveway surfaces. There is a dazzling array of material to choose from as well. “The most popular is black asphalt laid onto a well-prepared base to give a long-lived hardwearing surface,” says Sean. “There are other colours to choose from as well, you can have red, green, blue or even white!”

Sean also caters for people who like a Country-Paving surface; these are small block paving bricks laid out in a herringbone pattern for strength. Sean will also put in the entire kerb edging too and if it is just gravel you want as a driveway surface, they are happy to oblige.
.

BOUNDARY FENCING
Martin Hughes from M. Hughes Fencing has been supplying and fitting fences around the North West since 1993. “We pride ourselves in using the highest quality materials available,” says Martin. “We have a wide range of materials depending on the customers needs. We do weld mesh panels for security. These are made from 5mm thick wires welded at every intersection and have anti-tamper fixings fitted as standard.”

For those of us who don’t need so much security there is Chainlink Fencing, but the most common timber fence available is the Post & Rail Fencing. “This can be used in various situations including boundary marking, paddock fencing, horse arenas and areas around a patio or compost area. We do a more ornate fencing made form treated wood called Timber Palisade Fencing. This is an attractive method of marking boundaries. It is supplied in many heights and designs, this is used widely as a decorative feature on housing developments.” Martin concludes.


One key factor for all of the companies mentioned here is their versatility and abilty to listen to their customers needs. This ensures that your house and the most important outdoor areas you have around your property will give you pleasure as well as the peace of mind of a job well done by professionals.