Waterford father and son take hot air ballooning to new heights after 30 years in the skies

Teachers — who up to that point believed Zack’s stories were the product of an overactive imagination — now watched as pupils cheered him on from the ground below. His school uniform stood in contrast to the tufts of cotton cloud surrounding him.

All these years later, the humble 28-year-old still feels just at home in the sky.

It comes as no surprise that he grew up to be Ireland’s youngest hot air balloon pilot. From the age of five he has been flying with his dad, Joe Daly, who discovered the pastime while on holiday in Switzerland. Seventeen years on from their flight over his school, the pair have become fixtures on the international competitive circuit.

As well as piloting, Joe has enjoyed several stints as event director and chief organiser for the Irish Hot Air Balloon Championships which takes place this year in Lough Key Forest and Activity Park in Boyle, Co Roscommon, from September 19 to September 25.

For Joe, who represents Waterford with his son at national and international ballooning events, it’s not just about the glory and accolades. Over the years, the 67-year-old has brought joy to countless people who have always dreamt of exploring the skies in a hot air balloon.

On this occasion he has invited the Irish Examiner to conduct an interview from the air. 

His crew join us at 6am to prepare for this morning’s balloon ride. There is much to be done ahead of our flight from the grounds of Waterford Castle. Joe takes me through the process in meticulous detail.

“We have to get our baskets connected so we can then attach our tanks and our burner,” he explains. 

“Once that is done we can throw the basket and burner over and connect the envelope. We fan this with cold air before heating the air inside the balloon. This forces the balloon to stand up and from that point we put our passengers in.”

After 20 minutes, the ritual is finally complete and we are bracing ourselves for take-off. The panoramic views are a sight to behold as we marvel at the Three Sisters and a patchwork quilt of rolling green fields. This particular flight elicits memories for both Joe and his son Zack. The latter, who earned his hot air balloon licence at 18, still remembers flying over Faithlegg National School with his dad as a child.

“The first time I saw dad take off in a hot air balloon I couldn’t really understand what was happening. My mum had to reassure me that he was going to come back.

“One of my most standout memories from my childhood was flying over my primary school. It was at 8.50am so all the other children were making their way into school when they spotted me in the air. I was in the championships at the time so I was missing the mornings in school that week and returning in the afternoons. The teachers thought the story about me and my hot air balloon was just a joke but then realised it wasn’t. I had a list of kids who wanted to come with me in the balloon that was as long as my arm.”

Joe recalled how the whole family cried after he gifted his son a hot air balloon for his 18th birthday 10 years ago.

“It had been my balloon before that but when Zack was 18 I gave him the registration for it and transferred it into his name. He didn’t know he was getting it. We all cried.”

Zack was excited to fly alongside his dad.

“It meant that we could both fly at the same time which was something that was hard to do before,” the 28-year-old said.

“Two balloons means double the equipment and double the crew. Even though this is a bit more tricky it still meant that we could go out together.”

Joe, who lectures in marketing at the South East Technological University (SETU), has enjoyed the company of some inspirational passengers over the years.

“One of the most memorable flights was when we flew over the tall ships a number of years ago. I had to go really high because we didn’t want to land in the port. The passenger was a terminally ill man who wanted to bring his 14-year-old son up with him so they could have a special memory together. He was shaking at the beginning. However, when we landed in Kilkenny he was beside himself and jumping around with excitement. I was delighted to be able to give him that.”

Some flights, Joe explained, have been memorable for all the wrong reasons.

“There is one particular flight that I remember well. In hindsight there were so many landings that I should have taken but didn’t. It was either wires or cows in a field that prevented me from coming down. I hit the river and got sucked out to sea.

“One of the retrievers was a winchman with the rescue helicopter who lived in Dunmore East. He rang his mates and warned them to get ready as there was a chance of them getting called out. They were standing on the pier in Dunmore East watching me going over towards Wexford and heading for the lighthouse. The rescue team was lined up, beepers in hands, waiting to see if they were going to get called. Eventually I made it just two fields in from Hook Head.

“My copilot Eamonn — who was a helicopter pilot — and I hugged each other as soon as we landed. I get a message from him every year on the anniversary of the day it happened. We laugh about it now, but at the time it was terrifying.”

Other moments have been somewhat more pleasant.

“I remember flying near Lismore Castle. The fog was on the river so it wasn’t that dangerous. Whatever way the fog was positioned that day made it seem like I was flying through the gates of Heaven. I felt like my brother, who had passed away from cancer at the age of 39, was there with me. I’ll never forget that day.”

Joe is extremely proud of his Discover Waterford balloon.

“Very few cities in the world have their own balloon,” he told the Irish Examiner. 

“There are a few balloons in Ireland but we are the only ones with a Waterford county balloon. They originally paid for the envelope almost 20 years ago when we ran a big balloon festival here in 2008. It’s been Discover Waterford for the last 18 years. The balloon flies beautifully and it’s very recognisable. It’s particularly beautiful when we do nightglows to music as part of events.

“Mine is a 90,000 cubic feet balloon which can take up to four people. Zack on the other hand has an Air tour 56 which is a bit like a sports car. Somebody described it to me as like the Lamborghini of the skies. You have to enjoy flying because you are constantly watching your rising and falling all the time.”

Joe, who is originally from Dublin but has lived in Waterford for 40 years, reflected on how far they have come together.

“It’s been almost 30 years since I first experienced ballooning in Château-d’Œx in Switzerland. It was really only a place where the rich and famous went but I won a competition at work and that was how I made it there.

“We had been up drinking into the early hours of the morning before going to the balloon festival so I’d considered not going. As soon as I saw them I was hooked. I knew this was something I wanted to do.

“I bought a balloon second hand for £3,500 which was quite a lot at the time. The guy who I was flying with in Château-d’Œx brought it over for me from the UK. It took me six years to put in the hours which added up to 40 in total. Zack put in 100 hours, simply because he loved it so much. I did most of my training in Italy. It took me six years altogether. I then went to Bristol for my exams. None of it was easy, but it was all worth it.”

The sport comes with its own unique challenges.

“I like doing things that technically you shouldn’t be able to do. As far as steering a hot air balloon goes, there are obviously no wings and no engine to guide you. The only way we can control where we go is by predicting the direction of the wind at certain heights.

“On the ground you might be going in one direction but 200ft higher you could be going completely backwards on yourself. Its finding the balance between these two different wind levels that helps you control where you want to go.”

The Irish Hot Air Ballon Association has a strong emphasis on team work.

“We have a joke that if you try too hard here or get competitive you get disqualified. You have to be really good at the social side too and especially good at looking after the crew and promoting the event. The real champion is the person who has given so much to others over the years.”

Ray Leahy is one such respected and longtime member of the crew.

“I do the retrieve part so when the balloon lands we’ll be there to collect you in the jeep and bring you home basically,” Ray explained.

“We have to follow the balloon. It’s always a great experience because you get to watch the sunrise and go up in the balloon. Seeing the countryside in this way is difficult to describe. I’m 20 years doing this and I still enjoy it. My daughter and son have been up a few times. What’s different about ballooning is that you are being driven by the wind. You literally have to go wherever the wind takes you.

“There is a lot of interaction with the public. Sometimes you are low enough to even say hello to people. The children love it but often the adults are the bigger kids. We have had people come up in the ballon from all walks of life including a woman who had to be lifted into the basket after having both of her shoulders replaced.

“Her mother, who was 89 years of age came up in the ballon behind her and it made her decade.”

Frank Meldon of the Irish Ballooning Association is the chief co-ordinator for this year’s 54th Irish Hot Air Balloon Championships