Irish and Transylvanian couple

About this sitter

We have lived in several different countries, both in Europe and in the US, built our own homes (from scratch) and have had many international house-sitters taking care of our present home in Ireland for more than four years, at least four times a year. Sean - an author, publisher, editor and international correspondent for more than 30 years (including Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Daily Telegraph, London, The Irish Times, Dublin, etc). He now travels the world writing feature articles focusing mainly on hotel properties, interesting city or country destinations, fine restaurants and diverse activities. Columbia - the organizer par excellence in our family, is a well-respected herbalist and photographer (her work mostly illustrates the feature articles). We are non-smokers.

Why they want to house sit

To enjoy new experiences, then write about and photograph your area, its culture, its activities, its people. To get to enjoy the company of animals while immersing ourselves in the local life.

Their experience

As homeowners for twenty four years in Easter Europe and Ireland, we take pleasure in making a house feel like home by caring for each aspect that gives its character and charm. We also take immense pleasure in the enjoying the company of animals - we have three dogs ourselves and we host many sitters during the year when we are on assignments.
About us:
Sean John Hillen has been journalist, editor, publisher, media trainer and public speaker for more than thirty years.
Born in west Belfast, northern Ireland, he worked for various national newspapers there, including the Belfast Telegraph as well as the BBC, and in Dublin for The Irish Times, before emigrating to the United States to work at the United Nations Media Center in New York. From there Sean moved to the US Midwest to work in print and broadcast media, including news correspondent for Scripps Howard Broadcasting, now an NBC-affiliate, and as general and then health correspondent for The Kansas City Times (interestingly, here, Sean held the same editorial position as did Ernest Hemingway – aka night crime/murder reporter).
Over the years, Sean’s work has also appeared in many other publications including Time magazine and The Wall Street Journal, as well as the American Medical News, the national newspaper of the American Medical Association in Chicago and American Nurse, magazine of the American Nurses Association.
Sean has won many local, regional and national journalism awards before leaving the US for post-Communist Eastern Europe in search of adventure, immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1990 he established the first journalism schools there, working with international agencies such as the United Nations Development Fund, UNICEF and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He became foreign correspondent for The Times and later, The Daily Telegraph, London, the largest circulation broadsheet newspapers in the UK, before founding his own national publishing and events company in Bucharest, Romania, for 15 years, employing a full-time staff of more than 30 people.
Sean was elected chairperson of the US Fulbright Commission in Romania for a number of years and received national awards from the President of Romania, Traian Basescu, for launching the nation’s first-ever Corporate Citizen, Civic Journalism & Community Service Awards.

Aged 67, though looking slightly younger (a wee bit), Sean is a published author: a novel entitled 'Pretty Ugly' focusing on the dangers of nanoparticles in cosmetics and linking the US with the northwest of Ireland, on the Wild Atlantic Way; non-fiction books on the practice of journalism and media training techniques; and an informative, light-hearted, intra-country travel book entitled ‘Digging for Dracula.’ Sean’s writings can also be found locally on Donegal News; nationally in The Irish Times Travel magazine; and internationally on JustLuxe.com and Worlditineraries.co
During her career, Columbia has been a teacher of English literature and managing editor of a national business publishing company and is now a herbalist (https://www.anamcarahealingherbs.com/), photographer (https://www.columbiahillenphotography.com/) and organiser of the Ireland Writing Retreat (https://www.irelandwritingretreat.com/).
Columbia and I are also co-founders of an international creative writing retreat in northwestern Ireland, Ireland Writing Retreat.
In the midst of a 15-year media management career, Columbia met Sean, loved bloomed (as it tends to do, often when least expected) and moved to a rural, rustic - utterly gorgeous - region, Donegal, in the pristine northwest of Ireland. In an area replete with beautiful lakes, islands, rivers and mountains, and lying, as it does, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, it should come as no surprise that Columbia has a particular love of capturing diverse landscapes and seascapes. To relax, away from the lens, Columbia cooks up a storm, and is sometimes rather difficult company over dinner out, when she starts to analyse dishes, then photographs them.

What can they bring to the assignment

We have been doing a series of sittings in different countries and you can see our profile on this other platform, Trusted House Sitters (https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/house-and-pet-sitters/ireland/ulster/gweedore/l/19733/)