Ireland Adrift is a reflective documentary project exploring the forgotten legacy and untapped potential of Ireland’s inland waterways. Rooted in archival research, oral history, and visual storytelling, this work captures the quiet power of the barge - once a symbol of industrial promise, now adrift in cultural memory.

Through interviews, historical footage, and evocative cinematography, the project traces the rise and fall of the Irish barge system: from its hopeful inception as a driver of commerce and community, to its decline following the rapid advance of the railway. Today, these boats float between nostalgia and neglect - admired for their charm, but rarely recognised for the radical infrastructure they once represented.

Ireland Adrift does not propose solutions. Instead, it asks a simple, powerful question: What if?
What if the barges had been given the time to evolve?

Cinematography by Saoirse Ryan
Sound by Sophia Humphreys
Editing by Emma Smith