Island-hopping Sean on the crest of a wave
BOAT charter boss Sean Lavelle from Blacksod, Belmullet, is on the crest of a wave, writes Tom Gillespie. He is busy taking day-trippers to the Inishkea Islands, catering for deep-sea angling and diving parties as well as being involved in survey work at the wave energy test sites.
A father of two, his roots go back to Inishkea North, where his grandparents resided before the outpost was abandoned in the 1930s.
Having taken a career break from his teaching post in Naas, he moved back to Backsod with his wife Dolores and family. He explained: “For me, Blacksod and the Inishkea Islands are a big part of my life. That is why I decided to move back to this area from Naas, where I was living. To move back and have two kids growing up in the area and to bring them out to the islands is great for me.”
Sean has two boats - the Doloree and the Kea. He added: “In the charter business I bring passengers to the islands, I do diving and fishing trips and survey work on the wave energy test sites. It is very diverse work and you have to be able to cater for all, but the passenger work going into the islands in summertime is great. It is a good business. It is most interesting work. You have the outdoors and the fresh air. Every day is different and you meet lots of different people. You could have four or five nationalities on the boat going to the island and they all come out from the island wanting more time or to come back again for another visit.”
The waters off Blacksod are well known for a large variety of fish, where 39 varieties can be caught. Sean provides all the fishing gear for visiting anglers but some of the more competitive, he says, like to bring their own rods. Sean, who is deeply involved in the local GAA, continued: “One of the most popular things I do is fishing for an hour and then going on the island where we barbecue the fish we caught and I have prepared. This is very popular during July and August.”
Explaining how he came back to Blacksod, he said: “I took a career break from teaching and I came back to Belmullet. It was luck really. Dolores was working in Dublin, where she had to go into the office. Then she got to work from home on two days, then three and now full-time. We always came back to Blacksod for the summer so when she got to work from home we decided to move back.”
Sean Lavelle can be contacted on (097) 85939 or (086) 8365983.
Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to talk to you. You can contact him on (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.