Meet Gary & Cuan: Two Very Different Characters on the Draíocht
If you’ve been out on the Draíocht, there’s a good chance you’ve met Gary & Cuan.
They’re two very different characters, but they make a great team.
Gary at the helm. Cuan keeping everyone entertained.
One calm, one lively. One with years of experience reading the water, the other soaking up everything he can learn.
And there’s usually a fair bit of banter between them too.
Gary & the Draíocht
Gary Brosnan has had the Draíocht for a few years now, and the name seems pretty fitting. It means “magic” in Irish, and there is certainly plenty of that out on the Atlantic.
Gary has spent a huge amount of his life on the water, and he has an incredible eye for wildlife.
He’s always watching.
A little movement on the surface. A bird suddenly diving. Something changing in the water in the distance.
He notices things that most of us would probably miss.
After years of being out there, Gary knows what to look for, and quite often he’ll spot wildlife before anyone else has even realised there’s something there.
But that’s not to say the excitement has worn off.
Far from it.
Gary still loves seeing dolphins, whales and everything else that appears around the Dingle Peninsula.
And big whales are always a special one.
There’s something about being out on the ocean on a good day, looking around and wondering what might appear next.
And then there’s Cuan
Cuan is in his first year with Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours, although you’d probably never guess it from watching him at work.
He’s picked up the guiding side of the job incredibly quickly, and his knowledge of the wildlife has grown so much since he started.
He’s from Ballyferriter, so he already knows the area and the coastline well. But seeing it from the water every day is a different experience altogether.
A lot of the wildlife he saw when he first started was completely new to him.
Now he’s pretty used to seeing dolphins, whales, and the other wildlife that can turn up around the Peninsula.
He’s still learning all the time, and Gary is always telling him little things about what to look for, but Cuan is a quick learner and has a great knack for picking things up for himself.
And then there’s his personality.
Cuan is chatty, confident, and enthusiastic. He’s one of those people who can talk to just about anyone, and before long, the whole boat is chatting away with him.
He’s also a bit of a buzz ball.
He loves meeting new people and loves showing them what is out there.
In fact, Cuan still can’t quite believe this is his job.
He genuinely can’t understand how he ended up getting paid to do something he enjoys so much.
“This isn’t work.”
It’s hard to argue with him.
A good mix
Put Gary and Cuan together and you get two very different characters.
Gary is calm and observant. He’s always looking out across the water, quietly taking everything in.
Cuan brings a completely different energy. He’s lively, enthusiastic, and usually chatting away with the people on board.
And there’s plenty of banter between them.
They get on really well, and you can see that when they’re working together.
Gary brings years of experience and an incredible knowledge of the water.
Cuan brings fresh eyes, curiosity and plenty of enthusiasm.
Gary will spot something in the distance and point it out.
Cuan will be learning from him, watching for the next sign and getting better at spotting things himself.
And then, every now and again, something big appears and both of them are looking in the same direction.
Even after all these years, Gary still loves it.
For Cuan, it’s still a little bit unbelievable that this is his everyday life.
Out on the water
Gary has spent years on the water and still looks forward to seeing what might appear around the next headland.
Cuan is only at the beginning of his journey and is already completely at home out there.
Two very different characters. Plenty of banter. One boat.
And somehow, it doesn’t really feel like work to either of them.
You’ll find them out on the Draíocht.
