In 2014, I cycled the Wild Atlantic Way which is a route of approximately 2,000km from Kinsale on the south west coast of Ireland to Derry on the Northern Coast of Ireland. In 2020, I had the idea of “completing the loop of Ireland” so cycle from Derry, head east and follow the northern coast and continue down the east coast and then head west along the southern coast of Ireland to finish back in Kinsale and so complete a round Ireland cycle. The second half of this loop would take about 9 to 10 days and the initial plan was to do this in the summer of 2020. However given the fact that our son Noah was only 1 and my wife Colette was pregnant with our second child, the idea of me disappearing for 10 days was not exactly fair, so I decided to do this in two legs. Derry to Dublin in the summer of 2020 and then Dublin to Kinsale in the summer of 2021. I did both of these legs with my good friend Tomas O’Driscoll. T did some of the Wild Atlantic Way Cycle with me in 2014 and we also rowed across the Irish Sea together in 2019. A big part of why I wanted to do this was that it was an outlet for expressing my adventurous spirit. Continuing to nourish this part of my soul is something that really matters for me, regardless of life circumstances and other demands and priorities I have. I’m beyond lucky to have a very special wife who gets this in me and is so supportive of her at times “odd” husband. There was a lovely sense of pride when we arrived into Kinsale having completed the cycle around Ireland as we sat out in the sunshine together enjoying a well earned “99” ice cream with the thought of a rest, a nice meal and a few well earned beers in store for the night ahead!!
Personal Reflections from this trip
- Remember to savour and appreciate life’s simple pleasures.
- Stay grateful for my health and friendships I have in life, that allows me to have experiences like this.
- Enjoy the present moment of each day as best I can – the present moment is the only time I will ever have to fully experience life.