Originally from Indreabhan in Conamara, both Darach O Tuairisg’s work as a theatre producer and his hobby of sailing satisfy the itinerant side of his nature.

“I set up the company for young people because I felt there was nothing of high quality touring. It’s going well; we’re fully Arts Council funded and the average audience for each production is about 10,000.”

Although busy touring with the company, Darach takes a few minutes out to speak to the Galway Independent about his next big tour: the Round Ireland Yacht Race, which took place in June.

Darach has been sailing since the age of nine, because his father, a schoolteacher, had a Galway hooker. His first big trip was to France when he was just 16 years of age.

“I was still very inexperienced; when you’re that young, there’s only so much people will tell you! I had kinda been hanging around.

“It was my first time on watches and stuff like that, and it was my first time sailing at night. When we crossed the English Channel, it was very busy, and it was very exciting in that regard.”

The trip, which took almost five days, was Darach’s first time staying overnight on a boat at sea. His two strongest memories of it reflect both the fear and the freedom of the trip.