Adharanand Finn ran 1,400 miles around Ireland in just under 10 weeks

Adharanand Finn, a long-distance runner who had just turned 50, ran roughly 1,400 miles around the island of Ireland, starting and finishing in Dublin and completing the route in just under 10 weeks while averaging over 20 miles of running a day. He set off from Dublin, ran through the Wicklow mountains to Cork, followed much of the Wild Atlantic Way past Galway and Donegal, crossed Northern Ireland and returned to Dublin, with his wife and 15-year-old son meeting him each evening in a motorhome.

Many days were solitary runs through farms and coastline, though locals often came out to run with him or invited him into their homes, and he encountered traditional pub music sessions and generous hospitality along the way. Finn described varied landscapes: upland trails and coastal stretches where he could run all day without meeting anyone, sections of rare native forest in Glengarriff, the Blue Pool tidal harbour on the Beara Way, white sands such as Derrynane Beach, waterfalls like Poulanassy, and the north Antrim coast including the Giant’s Causeway and Ballintoy Point.

He also wrote of a moving ascent of Knocknadobar, where 14 Stations of the Cross along the trail prompted a reflective moment and a dramatic clearing of the clouds revealing the sea and nearby Kells Bay House and Gardens. He said the journey felt impressionistic and largely fleeting because he rarely stayed long in any one place, and that he came away feeling taken in by Ireland.

Key Topics

Culture, Adharanand Finn, Ireland, Dublin, Wild Atlantic Way, Giant's Causeway