An idea is formed…

During our trip across Ireland in 2019, amazing what good back lighting and angles can do.

I’m so glad I can’t see into the future,

In August 2019 I returned from a series of cracking trips including 650km canoe trip from the Shannon estuary over the Irish Sea, across Cumbria to Lazonby; Brexit had not hit home and the phrase ‘Covid 19’ would have triggered thoughts of a 70s prog rock band.

Setting off from the Shannon estuary in 2019.  Tim, one of the many generous souls who volunteered support waiting in the background while I faff nervously.

Tom working hard during our trip across Ireland in 2019

One of the lovely things about putting trips together is the people you meet. Among the many generous souls my friend Tom (the handsome one in black and white)and I encountered was Colin Skeath, fresh from becoming the first to canoe round the British Isles. Colin enthused about Ireland and dropped casually, in his estuary english drawl ‘You know that no-one’s canoed round Ireland don’t you?’ A seed was planted.

The closure of 2019 ushered in a heady cocktail of redundancies, Covid-19, Brexit and more government changes than…(reader insert here) blended into a period of sick leave with depression. One of the many things that got me through, was scribbling childlike drawings of boats, researching Ireland and reading books/blogs about Ireland…in short dreaming about canoeing round Ireland.

Rich Ensoll