Welcome to Peachy’s Passport.
Peachy is an alias for my true identity: Cian Maher. A 30 year old Solo Traveller from a small town in Ireland.
Radiographer, Rugby Lover, Rib-eye Eater.
I initially embarked on a mission to visit 100 countries before I turn 30. When I began travelling four years ago I set myself this seemingly ridiculous goal in an effort to make me expand my ambitions and go outside my comfort zone. Most of my travels have been undertaken during my working career with annual leave and Time recuperated from overtime. However to fully get a chance to see the world over a longer period I decided to apply for a career break from work. Surprisingly I was allowed this generous leave of absence and I siezed the opportunity with both hands.
Now 4 years since my first solo trip I have already backpacked to 100 countries in six continents.
What initially seemed an unreachable goal is now within grasp and I’ve realised over the years that numbers aren’t as important as actually experiencing the sights and sounds within each different region. They do however allow me to gauge how far I’ve gone since my first solo interrail trip. Goals have expanded to become a wish to visit Antarctica before my 30th birthday in 2022. This last icy frontier and least visited continent has been top of my bucket list for a very long time now with Japan a narrow second behind. I like to mix my love for travel with my love for rugby and food! I go to as many Irish games as possible and the occasional Leinster game also. My first time to Rome in 2009 coincided with Ireland playing against Italy in a game which would later contribute to their first grand slam winning season in over sixty years! This level of excitement mixing with the culture and experience of a new country are what drives me to explore more of the world! Also a desire to experience the culinary delights of each place has led me to trying caterpillars and zebra in Namibia, crocodile in Vietnam and guinea pig in Peru!
Japan host the 2019 Rugby World Cup and I hope to sieze this opportunity to combine a destination at the top of my bucket list with the greatest celebration of my favourite sport!
Why the name?
Peachy was a nick name bestowed upon me by my brother and close group of friends. As with all nicknames that appeal to the group as a whole it quickly stuck. Origin of the nickname traces back to when I was being fitted for a suit for my brother’s wedding. As the tailor was measuring me up my brother jokingly likened my shape to a peach. Then while laughing at his own joke profusely he proceeded to insist he would furthermore call me Peachy. This has since went through some iterations such as “la pêche”, the one man gang, and many more at my expense. Instead of demanding a change I decided to embrace the name to reduce the effectiveness of their insults. My next door neighbour, talented graphic designer and upcoming UFC champion Séan Mallen contributed the excellent design of the logo!
The Logo?
You might notice the Poo emoji linking arms with an antromorphic Peach with a fuzzy beard. This is overlying a background of makeshift passport stamps. Some brief context would be to describe my bodily functions in too much detail for anyone to stomach. Long story short I contracted amoebic dysentry and other parasites after an unfortunate trust I placed in the supposed cleanliness of ice in a five star restaurant in New Delhi. After surviving for almost a month without the long fabled “Delhi-Belly” I ended up struck down in in a situation having regular blood tests and feeling like absolute death from the medication while evacuating bodily fluids from every orrifice of my body for a period of two months. This coincided with a Central America trip I had already invested a lot of money into so I struggled through hospital visits and long journeys while trying to appreciate the best parts of the day. I took at least six months to be back to normality and now I never leave the house without at least a six pack of Immodium Plus tablets!
So if you care about travel adventures, weird food, rugby or just exploring new things in general; you’ve found your peach of a website. Enjoy the adventure.
Peachy 🍑
Peachy’s Passport 