Served in the Irish Merchant Marine from Engineer Cadet to Chief Engineer Officer level with a First Class Combined Certificate of Competency, prior to entering into the teaching of Marine Engineering in Cork. Subsequently becoming Head of the Nautical Studies Department at Cork Institute of Technology, and finally as Head of the National Maritime College of Ireland. Retiring in 2006 became a consultant in Marine Engineering in the new build of the Angolan Maritime College in Sumbe working with the Architects, GCNS and the Sponsors to bring the concept to fruition. Thereafter: as Secretary of the Stena Association of Maritime Institutes (STAMI) for several years. Currently: involved in research into oxygen depletion in enclosed spaces.