‘Lockdown Lifers’ still enjoying fresh air and freedom

SINCE the pandemic began, many people have discovered a new found love for the great outdoors, but an Omagh couple are among those who had their lifelong passion for the natural world reinvigorated.

Sharon Murphy and Ryan Fitzpatrick are behind LockdownLife; an Instagram page they created during the first lockdown to document their adventures through Tyrone’s wild and rugged outdoors.

While the rest of the world binged on Netflix, gorged on video games, and consumed all manner of meaningless media, these two subsisted on a balanced diet of oxygen and adrenaline.

“Myself and Sharon were one of those couples who moved in together during the first lockdown,” explained Ryan.

Separated from family and bereft of visitors, they started making videos for the amusement of friends and relatives.

“The first video we made was inspired by Jamie Oliver – it was the two of us having a bit of craic trying to make pizzas,” recalls Sharon.

But Ryan being a scout, and Sharon a woman of the water – born and raised on the Fermanagh shores of Lough Erne – their content naturally took a turn for the wild.

“During the first lockdown we were tethered to a few mile radius of our home,” explained Sharon. “So we started exploring what was on our doorstep.

“To our surprise, we discovered a world that for years had been hidden in plain sight – it was as if we had stepped through the looking glass.”

In a kind of epiphany, the pair realised the untapped potential for adventure in the local landscape.

“Normally people stop searching for local beauty spots when they reach the Gortin Glens, but embrace a sense of adventure and discovery, look further and deeper, and you’ll find places just as good – if not better.”

Soon their page started attracting followers from beyond their close circle – they were a breath of fresh air in a claustrophobic world.

“We met so many kindred spirits – we’ve forged connections with other local people who love the outdoors and adventure.” continued Ryan.

Now the lockdowns have subsided, but Ryan and Sharon have kept vlogging their experiences on Lockdownlife – and everyone should follow it.

Whether they are paddleboarding through a ravine in Ballintoy, warming their feet by a campfire in the Scottish Highlands, or hitting burns on their mountain bikes around Garvagh Forest Park, when you come across one of their videos as you scroll aimlessly though Instagram, you’ll be snapped out of your daze and reminded that you only get one go at life, and you owe it to yourself to live it with passionate intensity.

By Emmet McElhatton

e.mcelhatton.com