"Up close and personal" Kayakers beside the unique Crete Boom- The concrete ship. As an outdoor enthusiast and being fond of adventure I am never left without something to explore in this diverse landscape. Being based in Ballina, it is possible to climb a mountain in the morning and kayak along the coast in the afternoon without much hassle. ​ When I was asked to write this blog I was a little torn. Being passionate about your surroundings and local area can be a double edged sword. Much of North Mayo’s charm and appeal is its untouched and undiscovered locations and the more we grow a ..read more

Upcoming Whitewater kayak courses with David Horkan River: Level 3 Skills Training - January 21st Location: In the West TBC (Water dependent) Cost: €75 This is a pre assessment training day and participants should be at or close to level 3 standard. ​​Advanced book essential. ​River: Level 3 Skills Assessment  - January 28th Location: In the West TBC (Water dependent) Cost €50 ​Advanced book essential. Only 4 places  ​ ​ River Safety Rescue  2 - February 4th  Location: TBC (Deel River, Crossmolina or River Inny) (water dependent) Cost: €75pp Course ove ..read more

Paddle and Pedal takes on Ballyhoura MTB trails. I had a course scheduled in Kinsale Co. Cork on Valentines weekend and no classes penciled in on the Friday, so I decided to hit the road early and stop at Ballyhoura Mountain Bike Trail park in Co. Limerick on the way. I had heard a lot about Ballyhoura in the media and I was keen to visit and see what it was all about.  It is a three and a half hour drive from Ballina so a one off day trip there is not really an option but as I was passing and I had time-it was a perfect opportunity to visit this specially built MTB park. With sea kayaks ..read more

Above the Clouds. Nephin Co. Mayo This is a beautiful mountain, situated only 30 minutes from Ballina,  that I admire every day I kayak on Lough Conn, which is to the North of the mountain.  Last weekend (Saturday) I took advantage of the current high pressure over Ireland and climbed Nephin. What a magnificent pristine mountain. Unlike Mayo's most famous mountain (Croagh Patrick) Nephin gets relatively few visitors. The trail is described as easy but it is challenging enough to keep you warm. I am not a hill walker or mountaineer and I have only ever climbed Croagh Patrick and N ..read more

I have recently launched a new website specifically for kayaking and cataloging some of my adventures. www.dhkayaking.com will focus more on intermediate and advanced kayaking courses and guiding.  I am currently in the early stages of adding content to the site so it is an ongoing project, but I have kicked of the blog with a record circumnavigation of Achill Island! This blog has seen a huge amount of traffic since last year and I hope the new one can be as useful and interesting to people as this one.  I will continue to post here with kayaking and biking related posts.&nbs ..read more

A quick review of the Dagger Stratos 14.5 + video I just spent the last few days paddling the Dagger Stratos 14.5S.  Its dubbed as a high performance ocean tourer that is ideal for beginners and expert alike which is a pretty broad spectrum to cover but I think they have pulled it off. I was in the market for a new sea kayak recently and I had decided I wanted a 14-15ft boat that surfs well has good speed and would be comfortable for doing daily tours, rock hopping and some day touring. After a bit of searching online I had a few contenders to consider.(The P&H Delphin, Venture ..read more

I am delighted to announce that I have joined with Kokatat as a Regional Ambassador. These guys make the best kayaking kit in the business and are the market leaders when it comes to staying dry and safe on the water. Kokatat are probably most famous for there dry suits especially there Gore-Tex models, which are without doubt the driest suits on the market. They also provide a customer service that is second to none.  A company with high standards for quality and community, Kokatat have stayed true to there founding ideals in this age of mass production and still produce over 90 ..read more

I managed to get to Down Patrick Head on one of the best days of the year so far.  This is a local spot for me only 18 miles from home and a world class piece of coastline.  A fantastic headland steeped in history and folklore with an impressive 60 meter sea stack Dun Briste broken away from the massive cliffs.  The headland is dissected by a long cave that is only accessible a few days a year and on low tide.  Half way through the cave is a huge blow hole called Poll Na Seantoine.  This is an exposed piece of coastline and challenging on the finest days.  Defini ..read more

The Cliffs of Moher are world famous and attract about one million visitors a year but only a hand full of people get the opportunity to kayak under these 700ft  goliaths.  This is a trip that ranks high on most sea kayaker's to do list and its one I was fortunate enough to bag on a spectacular Monday afternoon in June. I have decided this year to take every opportunity the weather and work gives me to tick off some of Ireland's best sea trips.  So a quick text or two on Sunday evening and a clear diary for Monday saw myself and Michael hit the road for Clare.  The foreca ..read more

It is nearing the end of May and the past two weeks have seen strong southerly winds change to stronger cold northerlies and a lot of cancelled tours and training sessions.  So on Sunday morning while driving to a race I was surprised to get a call about a proposed trip around Achill Head on Monday morning.  I hadn't taken much heed of the weather forecast for improved conditions to move over the country Sunday night as its been so wild lately. That evening when I returned home I was eager to  get out my new edition of OILEAIN and see what it had to say about our proposed trip ..read more