Hi, I'm Ariel

I grew up in the United States, always drawn to water and wild places. Something about the ocean's edge has always called to me.

In 2018, I moved to Dublin. I expected to stay a year or two. But something about Ireland got under my skin — the way the light changes over the water, the wildness that still exists just beyond the cities, the stories in every headland and harbor. Six years later, this island is my home.

During the lockdowns of 2020, I bought my first kayak. I started paddling in Dublin Bay, then ventured further. Each trip revealed something new — a hidden beach, a seal colony, a stretch of coast I never knew existed despite living nearby.

The idea of circumnavigating Ireland started as a dream, became an obsession, and finally, in April 2023, became reality. I launched from Sandycove with everything I needed for four months strapped to my kayak.

Those 120 days changed me. I faced storms that kept me tent-bound for days. I paddled beneath 700-foot cliffs with no one else in sight. I watched basking sharks cruise past my bow and slept on beaches I could only reach by water. I learned that Ireland's coastline is one of the last truly wild places in Europe.

Now I want to share it. Not the whole thing — that's your journey to make if you choose — but the best bits. The places that made me catch my breath. The perspectives that tourists never see because you can only get there by paddle.