Although Aoibhín Garrihy grew up in the city, she is very much of country stock. Both her parents hail from Co Clare, so her childhood summers were spent in the Banner County by the sea and on her grandparents’ farm.

Even for a Dublin city-based actress with roles in Fair City, Love/Hate and appearing in The Fall alongside Jamie Dornan, roots can have a firm hold, and eventually it was to Clare that Aoibhín returned.

Of course, the catalyst for this move was marrying Clare hotelier John Burke in 2016, who runs the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point. Although it was a daunting change for Aoibhín, who runs wellness roadshow Beo, crossing the country brought her a lot of peace.

“I grew up in Dublin and fell in love with a man in the west. I thought, ‘What am I doing? This is career suicide. Why am I bringing myself away from where the work is, where I should be, the theatre scene, networking and all that stuff?’” explains Aoibhín.

Aoibhín Garrihy with Kildare dairy farmer Larry Hannon, on whose farm the Farmfullness campaign was launched.

“Actually, as soon as I would get on that Naas Road and head for Clare, I would feel an instant sense of calm. I denied it for a while and then I was like, ‘You know what, I just need to be honest with myself’. It’s probably going back to that childhood, that kid in me that just loved being free and being in nature.”

When I moved to Clare initially I felt I was leaving a support network

Even though Aoibhín is content now living in Clare, she tells it as it is, and doesn’t make any secret of the fact that it took a little while to adjust to country life. Embracing this change was helped greatly by her and John’s two French mastiffs.

“When I moved to Clare initially I felt I was leaving a support network,” she explains.

“John was working long hours and he was very much married to the business – it’s full on.

"When I had those down days and I was thinking, ‘What am I doing?' Trying to come to terms with readjusting to a new location away from friends and family, it was the two dogs that got me out every day, walking and into the fresh air, that was my saviour really. I owe them a lot.”

Indulging Outdoors

Both Aoibhín and John are big fans of the outdoors, although John more so on the adrenaline side of things. He has previously summited Everest and Aoibhín accompanied him on the climb to base camp.

When she sits down for a chat with Irish Country Living, John is descending Mount Blanc, having reached the peak a couple of days ago.

She jokes that this trip has earned her “brownie points”, but then in seriousness points out that climbing is John’s own form of wellness.

Indulging this love of the outdoors and happy childhood memories, Aoibhín recently became the brand ambassador of a new campaign with Avonmore, “Farmfulness”, which aims to get people mindfully engaging with where their food comes from through listening to farmyard sounds.

The campaign, where consumers can access the sounds by scanning a QR on the milk cartons, was sparked by research carried out on behalf of Agri-Aware that showed one in 10 Irish adults have never been on a farm.

I have such fond memories of watching my grandad deliver lambs and calves

“To think those people are missing out on the things that brought me so much joy growing up.

"I have such fond memories of watching my grandad deliver lambs and calves; watching my uncle Joe milking in the evenings in the parlour; going into my nana’s kitchen and having milk in her jug in the fridge fresh from the farm; climbing on hay bales – all that stuff that you just take for granted. That was what our childhood was,” she reminisces.

“We had such a ball in Co Clare on my nana and grandad’s farm in Bellharbour.”

Family Fun

Now Aoibhín and John’s 15-month-old daughter Hanorah (and baby number two who is due in December), will be able to enjoy the freedom of a Clare childhood.

With a growing family it’s a very busy time for the couple. She credits both their families as being extremely supportive in mucking in with Hanorah.

As well as being obliging, the two families are also very entrepreneurial. John’s family own the Armada and Aoibhín’s own Dublin Bay Cruises and Doolin2Aran Ferries.

Aoibhín’s sisters, Ailbhe – who is heavily involved in the family business – and RTE 2fm breakfast presenter, Doireann, both love spending time with Hanorah when they get the chance.

She is only 31, but Aoibhín says she already has a few eras behind her, the tales from which will be reserved for telling her children and grandchildren.

I will never be able to move like that again, but I have the pictures and the videos

One of them is being a contestant on reality TV show Dancing with the Stars in 2017.

“God, I couldn’t remember a step now if you paid me,” laughs Aoibhín.

“Literally in one ear, out the other. It was just a stage in my life. I will never have that figure again, I will never be able to move like that again, but I have the pictures and the videos. I’ll show the kids and grandkids.”

Whether they live in Clare, Dublin or further afield, these future generations are sure to have their parents’ entrepreneurial spirit and appreciation for their roots.

Aoibhín Garrihy is supporting Avonmore Fresh Milk to promote its Farmfulness campaign. For more information, see www.avonmore.ie/our-story/our-farmers