Due to the pandemic, the tourism and leisure sector has been put under immense financial strain in 2020, creating distress for business owners everywhere. Ruth Kelly, founder of Walk Dublin, shares her experience of staying afloat through lockdowns and restrictions, discussing solutions, mindset, and hopes for the future.

Ruth decided to start Walk Dublin to introduce more themed tours to the city. Offering three original tours, as well as bespoke tours upon request, Ruth allows you to discover the history of Dublin in unique ways. Having got years of experience as a guide, Ruth emphasises the importance of providing stories rather than basic information. She explains that; “ I wanted to provide tours which would answer the why of a story more than the what. Anyone can get the flat narrative on the internet and search for basic information and facts. I want my customers to feel like they have experienced something more than the usual Irish versus English story.” 

Sharing Stories With Locals

Storytelling has even more perks, where many who come on tour already have got some kind of attachment to the places visited. Ruth remembers; “Once on tour with a group consistent of three generations of the same family, we were walking past the previous location of a Magdalene laundry when the grandfather shouted out ‘oh, sure I know this place. This is where we used to get our washing done’! Not only did that reaction give us a giggle, it is also such a great example of why I choose to be a storyteller, because the history I talk about is often their stories, too”. 

Dealing With the Pandemic

For now, Ruth has had to cancel all tours until further notice due to the ongoing pandemic. Despite having faced lockdown after lockdown, she has stayed persistent in finding new ways of sharing stories with customers through Walk Dublin. “Initially, all tours were cancelled with the introduction of the first lockdown, due to the fact that we had to keep within a 2 kilometer radius of our homes. Instead, I spent more time working on the Instagram account where I focused on the Instagram stories feature to entertain my existing followers and attract new ones”. Furthermore, as Walk Dublin provides walking tours outdoors, Ruth was able to offer tours for a small number of people as the lockdown was lifted in accordance with social distancing guidelines. However, the ‘Georgian Coffee Tour and Tasting Experience’ had to be somewhat modified. To keep the tour outside, the tasting experience was moved from the 1700s building otherwise used, to Ruth’s rooftop terrace. Making sure that people were sitting 2 meters apart, and only taking their masks off when seated at the table, the experience was something not soon forgotten; “We had quite a few giggles, it was great fun trying to figure out how to pour the coffee into people’s cups without getting within the 2 meter distance. Luckily, everyone was nice and relaxed as I offered to pour some whiskey or brandy into the last cup of coffee for the day. I provide a choice of whiskey or brandy as I am probably the only Irish person to prefer brandy to whiskey, also, when you pour either into coffee, it is impossible to tell the difference!”

Having dealt with the pandemic for just under a year, Ruth emphasises the importance of organisation and planning. “I have focused on sustaining booking and planning for the future by getting the word out about my business via media channels such as radio and tourism platforms. Even so, I am not great at being organised and dedicate my day towards planning, I much prefer to interact.” Based on this, Ruth has focused on reaching out to her audience daily,   keeping a positive outlook on life emphasising the importance of appreciating what you have. “It is so important to look at what you have got rather than what you haven't got, especially since it is so easily forgotten in the midst of all of the negativity that comes into your life with a pandemic.” Ruth has focused on providing light and positive content on her social media to cheer her followers up during lockdowns. “We get so much bad news daily and are stuck listening to ourselves and those around us complain about the pandemic throughout the day. The least I can do is to do what I can to make people enjoy themselves for a few minutes. I am so grateful for all of the positive feedback I have gotten and I love to get requests for what I should talk about next!” 

Looking Forward

Staying afloat has not been easy, but her passion for her job has led Ruth to face any and every obstacle coming her way in the past year. “I just love being a guide. I love getting out and seeing people’s reactions as I tell a story. I love to have fun, and I will do whatever it takes so that I don’t have to go back to a desk job”. With hope that restrictions will ease up in the coming year, Ruth is excited to start walking the streets of Dublin city once again; “a walking tour is so much more than simply listening to me talk, you get to interact with the surroundings, the stories I am telling become much more tangible when you can touch the medieval wall as I am talking about it.”