Oileain

David Walsh is a Dublin solicitor and Notary Public, living and working in Ranelagh with his wife Sheila. He has four children: Justin, Daire, Sarah and Orla, and grandson Thomas. Originally a keen walker, then climber, he has always also had a wide general interest in outdoor pursuits, including cycling, birding, canoeing and some SCUBA. On a sailing/climbing trip to Spitsbergen in 1990 he saw sea kayaks glide between icebergs in remote frozen Magdalena Fjord. He was blown away, and the next part of his life began immediately. He bought a sea kayak within weeks of getting home, and kayaking has consumed his life ever since. By summer 1991 he was climbing new routes on offshore islands previously unheard of in climbing philosophy. Islands became David’s focus. Since first it became apparent that his ‘islanding’ was something remarkable he has been rigorously audited by Irish sea kayaking. David has of date of writing in July 2013 verifiably visited 503 of the current 574 islands dealt with in Oileáin. He was a founder member of Irish Sea Kayaking Association and held the position of Chairman from 1995 to 2003, relinquishing the post only to see to the publication of the initial Oileáin. When he started exploring Ireland’s coastline and islands, his climbing background told, and he instinctively started recording his experience. On a kayaking trip in 1993 up the west coast with his ever faithful Fred Cooney in attendance, passaging Inishbofin to Inishturk, they failed to land Davillaun Island. The ‘why’ of that begat Oileáin. The disappointment that there wasn’t available such simple information as ‘landing half way along SE side’ drove the whole project over the following 20 years.

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