Are you finding it difficult to go back to the grindstone after the holidays? Do you pine for the fresh air and nature you enjoyed during the summer?
We meet four people who appreciate the outdoor life so much that they ditched their desk jobs to spend more time in nature, whatever the weather.
Linda O’Sullivan: ‘Getting outside helps you to function and focus better.’
Linda O’Sullivan, 45, from Killarney, used to be a sales and marketing manager for a hotel group. She loved the job, but looking back, she finds it hard to believe she spent so much time sitting at a desk.
In 2012, her mother-in-law read an article about glamping.
“My husband’s family have some land outside Killarney and she thought it might be suited to glamping,” says O’Sullivan. “So we built one bell tent to see what the interest might be.”
There was so much interest that O’Sullivan and her husband Mike decided to develop the idea. They created Killarney Glamping, a glamping site for couples, and are now creating another site for families near Killarney Racecourse. O’Sullivan’s life has been transformed as a result.
“I spend hardly any time at my desk now,” she says. “Instead, I’m outdoors with guests, helping them settle in and giving them the rundown on things to do locally. Or, I’m dealing with maintenance issues outside.
I even write social media posts outside because I feel more relaxed and inspired just by being in such a beautiful location.
The only con is the weather. “There are days when a torrential downpour makes me question my life choices,” she laughs. “But there are always umbrellas.”
She has advice for those who would like to bring the outdoors into their working day: “When I worked in an office, I wish I had known that getting outside helps you to function and focus better. So don’t sit at a computer for hours on end. A five-minute walk outside will reset your mind. You’ll feel so much fresher for it.”
More equitable alternative
Tom Butler of Ballin Temple, Nurney, Co Carlow: ‘I’ve paid a financial price, but I’m a nature guy.’ Picture: Michael O’Rourke
Tom Butler from Ballin Temple in Carlow describes himself as a “finance guy who was a rebellious hippie in disguise”.
In 1998, he walked away from a career as a venture capitalist in South-East Asia to become a smallholder.
“I had thought venture capitalism would allow me to influence businesses to grow in ways that would be good for them and the communities that surround them,” says Butler.
One day, while looking down from his penthouse suite onto a building site where workers were living in tin shacks, Butler realised it hadn’t worked out like he had planned.
I found myself asking why I was all the way up there while they were working so hard for so little. Surely there was a more equitable alternative?
His father’s family owned land in Ballin Temple and Butler and his wife Pam moved there to see if another way of life was possible. Since then, they have experimented with different ways of living off the land. They farm organically, manage holiday cottages, and teach courses based on what they have learned about topics such as growing food, making hay, and living closer to nature.
“We also share techniques and experiences via books, articles and our websites ballintemple.com and astraea.net,” says Butler. “Everything we do is based on trying to get people to reconnect with nature and community to live a more meaningful life.”
He is glad he changed the course of his life all those years ago.
“I’ve paid a financial price, but I’m a nature guy,” he says. “Breathing clean air, eating my own food, and being outdoors mean more to me than money.”
He believes we can all cultivate a deeper connection with the natural world.
“I know people have to pay the rent and can’t upend their lives like I did. But simple things like having plants in your house and workplace, especially plants you can eat, make you feel more at one with the earth.”
Nature invites learning
Anna van den Berg used to be an educational copywriter and editor. The nature of her work meant the West Cork-based 41-year-old spent her working day at a desk.
“I enjoyed being creative but all of my work happened indoors and was tied to a screen,” she says.
A spinal injury in 2022 made her realise things had to change.
“I had almost a year of not being able to walk, and what I missed most was getting outside, feeling the elements, and moving my body,” she says.
That experience made her rethink her career and ultimately decide to become a forest school leader, a job that combines her interest in education with her newfound desire to be outdoors. She now works in a forest school in Kinsale.
“My work day involves wheelbarrows, campfires, and checking weather apps,” she says. “I find it incredible to see children enjoying time outside, trying things out, and playing freely.
Nature invites learning, noticing, and connections. There is always more to explore.
There have been some downsides to her new working life. One is a drop in income. Another is reduced flexibility. She used to be able to do her writing work whenever she wanted; however, forest school sessions require her to be at a specific place at a specific time. The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, she says.
“I feel more resilient and present. You have to respond to the elements and improvise outdoors. You get excited to see new plants and the signs of a new season. Even the feeling of sunshine on your skin reminds you to enjoy the moment.
“I see the same thing in the people we work with. They relax and reconnect with something that often gets lost in office life. They are just much happier.”
She urges us all to spend more time outside. “Make it a non-negotiable,” she says. “I haven’t regretted my decision to do so for a second. It’s been life-changing for me.”
Nine to five is outdated
Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh: ‘Covid gave me time to review my life plan.’
Aedín Ní Thiarnaigh couldn’t resist the lure of the outdoors. The 29-year-old got a job in digital media with TG4 after she graduated from college.
“It was a fantastic opportunity and I loved many aspects of it, but I found working in a screen-heavy industry and the office lifestyle of being indoors at a desk from nine to five really challenging,” she says.
Her office being based in Connemara made it a little easier. It meant she could take walks at lunchtime.
Ní Thiarnaigh had always been a nature lover and during those walks, she would spot wildflowers and try to research their Irish names and associated folklore afterwards.
“Years later, when my contract ended and covid gave me time to review my life plan, I decided to pursue folklore more seriously,” she says.
I did a master’s degree, which brought me to Inis Méain, one of the Aran Islands, as a researcher, and I’m still here today.
She has led wildflower tours around the island since 2022.
“Once the flowers are in bloom, from April to September, my work is predominantly outdoors with my tour business, Bláthanna Fiáine Wildflower Walks, or with TV work, presenting nature programmes like Faoi Bhláth for TG4,” she says. “Winter is hibernation time when I take on quieter work like translation and writing.”
It’s a more financially unpredictable career, but Ní Thiarnaigh wouldn’t go back to the desk-bound life. “There is no doubt in my mind that my physical and mental health are better when I’m working outdoors,” she says. “The fresh air does wonders for me. I also find a nine-to-five schedule really restrictive and outdated. I couldn’t do it again.”
Her advice for those who want to spend more time outdoors is to “invest in good rain gear”.