Who We Are
Paul enjoying traditional Irish music in the Cobblestone Pub (Dublin), 2024
A view of the Halfpenny Bridge and Liberty Hall on the banks of the River Liffey (Dublin)
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Hibernia Travel Consultants, the company I started in January 2025 to showcase the history, culture, and landscape of Ireland through educational travel to the Emerald Isle.
I was born at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, raised in Mullingar (about 50 miles west of Dublin), and educated at St Mary’s CBS Mullingar and University College Dublin.
In 1989, I was fortunate to receive a green card through a lottery program promoted by Congressman Brian J. Donnelly. This initiative changed the lives of many young people in 1980s Ireland, a time marked by soaring unemployment, mass emigration, and a war raging in the north of Ireland. (Read more about the Donnelly Visa).
After a 35-year career in biomedical research, I retired in 2024 and decided to pursue an idea that had been with me for some time — helping my fellow Americans explore Irish history, culture, and landscape in a way that brings deeper understanding and connection during their visit.
Ironically, the final push to create Hibernia Travel came from Brexit. As negotiations dragged on, several friends asked why Ireland was so involved in what they saw as a matter between the UK and the EU. In explaining the history of Northern Ireland and the full name of the UK — The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — I realized how many aspects of Anglo-Irish history were not well understood, even by well-informed friends.
This lack of understanding extends to modern Ireland as well. Many Americans, even those who have visited, only see a small slice of the country — the Cliffs of Moher, Dublin’s Temple Bar, the Guinness Brewery, and the Blarney Stone. These give a very limited experience of Ireland - a bit like visiting Disneyland and thinking you have seen the US!
My goal with Hibernia Travel is to guide visitors to the places and stories that reveal Ireland’s full character — its triumphs and troubles, its landscapes and legends, and the resilience of its people. Whether your interests lie in politics, ancient history, literature, or natural beauty, we’ll create a custom itinerary that takes you beyond the well-worn path.
And yes, there will still be time for a proper pint — the “pint of plain,” as actor Brendan Gleeson once sang — in old pubs that haven’t changed much since the days of Flann O’Brien or Leopold Bloom’s wanderings through Dublin’s fair city.