Pilot and the Boat

Kieran Collins was born in Baltimore into a family of 8, 3 brothers and 4 sisters. Kieran is married to Carol and has two children Niall and Ciara. His father Christy was a shipwright and for many years was the coxswain of Baltimore Lifeboat. This is a tradition that has seen Kieran and his three brothers become crew members. Kieran is Helm of the inshore lifeboat and crew on the all-weather lifeboat.

The Collins family had a fishing boat where Kieran and his brothers learned their trade from a very young age, fishing mainly for lobsters, shrimp and salmon.

Kieran began his working life making ropes and twines for Kieran Cotter, but when his brother Pat bought a fishing trawler the call of the sea was too strong, and his commercial fishing career began.

By the age of 18 Kieran was skipper of his first fishing trawler. He fished mainly on the south coast but also on the east and west coasts of Ireland. Kieran’s 

experience of fishing practices and fish movements along with his vast knowledge of tides and currents has built up a detailed picture of feeding patterns for Whales and Dolphins 

In 2004 Kieran bought Lady Reb and set up his business for angling charters and family friendly wildlife tours.

In 2015 Kieran bought his current boat Radiance and gave it a complete refit. Radiance is a 10m Prout Blythe catamaran built for carrying passengers. 

Kieran has all the relevant training and certifications required for skippering a passenger boat, including national power boat advanced certificates endorsed by the ISA and RYA, First Aid stcw95 and Casualty Care for Lifeboat Crews -both are continuously updated.