More than seven weeks after leaving Lambay island, Irish international canoeist Eileen Murphy returned to Howth harbour last night to complete the first Irish female solo circumnavigation of Ireland by kayak.
"I'm just looking forward to some sleep," Murphy, one of Ireland's most distinguished paddlers, told The Irish Times shortly before competing the final leg from Skerries of the 1,600km (1,000 mile) clockwise voyage. The last 200km had been the toughest, she said.
Murphy was virtually self-sufficient when she set out in late June, having packed tent, clothes and spare gear in her sea kayak, named Pirate Queen.
She was equipped with full safety gear, including hand-held VHF radio, compass and flares, and had practised 'Eskimo rolling' on the water for almost an entire year before she set out.
"Weather was brilliant for most of the trip, though I had the wind in my face for most of the time, and I was only weatherbound for about eight days during the entire seven weeks and five days," she said. One of her longest open sea crossings was across Donegal Bay from Easkey, Co Sligo, to Teelin, Co Donegal, while one of the most challenging stretches was Loop Head, Co Clare, after she had been stormbound in Kerry.
"My basic plan when I set out was to keep land on my right and see how far I could get," she said. "Before I knew it, I was at Mizen Head, then Slyne Head, Erris, Malin . . ." She said she received wonderful hospitality throughout, and paid tribute to her support team, including her family, paddlers Graham and Jane Porter who were both managers and strategists, and the Irish Coast Guard in Malin.
"Not only did the Malin Coast Guard give me a new VHF, but they arranged accommodation for me," she said. "The same happened at many points during the journey, with total strangers offering me showers, hot tubs, meals. A group of Northern Irish sea kayakers from Portrush to Annalong looked after me right across the north coast."
The mother-of-three and secondary school teacher at Oldbawn Community School in Tallaght, Dublin was Irish slalom champion for 12 years. She won the K2 World Cup with Breda Keating in 1984, Australia's Murray river marathon (also with Keating) in 1986, and most recently was World master class champion in both K1 and K2.