On Saturday the 30th of August Orlagh Walsh and Cat de Wit officially launched their new business Beneath the Canopy. It was a joyful outdoor event at a private rewilding site near Cruagh in the Dublin Mountains, overlooking the city. Orlagh and Cat’s mission is to make nature connection easy, accessible, and affordable for everyone. Despite the unpredictable weather, attendees gathered for a morning filled with fun, laughter, and meaningful moments in nature.
What began as simple coffee catch-ups between two forest bathing guides, has blossomed into something truly special. “We teamed up about a year ago to co-create forest bathing e-booklets and launched the Beneath the Canopy podcast, where we help our listeners to connect with nature in an easy and accessible way.” explains Cat. “From there we collaborated more and more with events for the general public as well as network events for small business owners like ourselves. And we have many more ideas for the future. So we decided to take the leap and make Beneath the Canopy an official business.”
“Our motto is Some is better than none,” adds Orlagh. “We believe that even small moments outdoors can have a big impact on wellbeing, and we want to make it as simple as possible for people to experience that. For those who couldn’t attend our launch event, we missed you, but this is just the beginning. We’re so excited to continue building opportunities for people to slow down, step outside, and reconnect with nature.”
The launch event included interactive activities, community sharing, and an introduction to the vision behind Beneath the Canopy. Orlagh and Cat are committed to keeping their offerings affordable while still providing high-quality, nature-based experiences. To support this mission, contributions can be made via their Buy Me a Coffee page, helping to fund events and keep participation costs low.