Gary is originally from Kilkenny, but his teaching career has taken him far and wide since graduating in 2014. After four years studying Sports Studies and Physical Education with History in University College Cork, he went on to teach in London, Abu Dhabi and Dublin before making the move west to Galway.

As a P.E. teacher, sport and fitness has always been a major aspect of life. He played soccer, hurling, Gaelic football and tennis all the way up. Now, his main focus is soccer (even though he is from Kilkenny!) and is a member of Maree/Oranmore FC men’s team. His main aim as a P.E. teacher is for the students to understand the importance and benefits of physical activity and for them to have lifelong participation in exercise.

Growing up, History was another one of his interests and it was a dream come through to pair sport and history into one career path. Gary has a love of travelling and gained the opportunity to travel when teaching abroad. Gary has found a deeper understanding of history from visiting famous historical sites across Europe, such as Dachau and Auschwitz, and in Asia, such as Petra and the Taj Mahal. His significant interests in history are the Cold War Era, WWII and the Roman Empire.

Extra-curricular activities are something Gary is very enthusiastic about. Having run soccer, hockey, rugby, Ultimate Frisbee and tennis clubs in the past, Gary is looking forward to getting some new clubs up and running in GETSS soon. Gary has also done some charity work, volunteering to teach in India in 2015, to do some building work and teaching in The Philippines in 2019 and has experience organising school fundraisers in the past.