Andrew gone to Yukon to join Goldrush team
A 19-year-old Westmeath man has just flown to Canada to work with one of the mining teams that feature in the hugely-popular Discovery TV series, Goldrush.
Andrew Moran headed off the week before St Patrick's Day, and is the youngest member of the mining crew, and the only Irishman there.
"Andrew is at the moment assisting them moving machinery, in preparation for the next series," his proud grandfather, Paul Moran, told the Westmeath Examiner this week, sharing some of the impressive photos Andrew has sent back to his family from the snowy landscape in which he is now living and working.
The son of Austin Friars Street hairdresser Nicola Daly and Alan Moran, an engineer with Writech, Andrew is a past pupil of Columba College, Killucan, and has part-completed a carpentry apprenticeship. A keen sports fan, he played GAA with The Downs.
While watching Goldrush one evening, Andrew announced he'd love to work in that environment.
"So he wrote off and then heard back from them," says Paul. "Tony Beets, who is one of the three main characters, did two interviews with him on Facetime, and offered him a job."
In the course of the interview, Tony asked Andrew if he would be open to appearing on TV, and Andrew said he would have no problem with that.
Before leaving, Andrew was warned that he will be living in a harsh environment - and although just three weeks in, he has already experienced temperatures as low as -20C.
"He is living on site and was told to bring a sleeping bag and eating utensils and some other bits and pieces," says Paul, adding that at the family's suggestion Andrew also packed some Irish T-shirts - and a tricolour.
On St Patrick's Day, just days after his arrival, he proudly stood holding it aloft on a massive machine in the snowy landscape.
An an ex-army man who has seen a lot of service overseas, Paul was able to give Andrew lots of advice to help him make his way in what will be for him a completely new environment - and it’s so far, so good: “He is loving it,” says Paul, adding that all the family are immensely proud of Andrew, although they were broken-hearted at the family party held before his departure.
Because the parting was so hard on the rest of the clan, Paul and his wife Mary - Andrew’s grandmother - dropped him at the airport.
His journey took Andrew to Toronto, from where his new employer had arranged onward flights to Vancouver and then Dawson City, with two overnight stays along the way.
Door to door the trip took 60 hours and, remarkably, a passenger with whom he struck up a conversation on one leg of his journey has actually offered him a job if he decides at any point he wants to move away from the mining.
Filming of the new series of Goldrush is to start over the next month or so, and to continue until September. It will then be edited and go out on Discovery towards the end of the year.