Could you go analogue in a digital world?

Leah Doherty

Asking a 20-year-old to ‘go analogue’ in today’s digital-jacked world sounds as terrifying as it is incomprehensible but that was the ‘mission’. No phone, no social media, no urge to check Instagram or Snapchat. You would be stepping outside of the online world and go completely ‘old school’. But have you ever wondered what a digital detox might do for you and why you might need one?

There is a difference between breaking the digital addiction cycle and turning your phone off for a couple of hours to get some peace and Rosanna Irwin, founder of Samsú cabins and a self-confessed workaholic and technology addict explains why.

“Humans actually need regular time in nature to unplug and decompress from the stresses of life and because of the growth of technology and everything becoming digital we, as a result, spend much less time being outdoors in nature, we are much more anxious and mental health issues are much more to the fore,” says Rosanna.

She also emphasises the need for more people to disconnect from technology.

“A study by Aware in 2023 showed that 80 per cent of adults in Ireland have experienced anxiety before, those are the highest rates that we’ve ever had.

“There’s a massive mental health crisis in Ireland and it is only going to get worse as we become more attached to technology especially with the growth of AI. Technology has encroached more and more into our daily lives and so it will become more important for us to regularly get back to nature.”

The launch of Samsú’s first luxury off-grid cabin on the Meath - Westmeath border aims to provide a sanctuary for those that want to unhook from that technological millstone for a few days.

Samsú was borne out of Rosanna’s personal journey of battling burnout when she worked for an American tech company in London - it was one of the reasons she decided everyone needed a place to retreat to like Samsú. It was while visiting other retreats in England and in Denmark that inspired her to bring her Samsú experience back to Ireland. On a transformative camping experience on the Danish Island of Samsø, Rosanna recognised the need for spaces that allow individuals to unplug from the relentless demands of modern life and find solace in nature. After Rosanna visited Samsø, she saw the unique opportunity to create a place of peace for others to retreat to in her native Co Meath where she grew up.

“The whole idea is to bring us back to that lower pace of life without any technology or anything digital.”

“When you arrive, you will be told where to park your car and then waiting for you in the car park is a kind of wheelbarrow with a torch. You have to walk through the forest to get to the cabin and the idea behind the walk is that it allows you to decompress and leave your worries and stresses of everyday life at the car and you use that walk to get yourself into the zone of being in nature”.

“I only spent three days glamping in the meadow in Samsø and when I came back from my trip, I wasn't cured but I felt a lot better and I realised we had forgotten how to kind of recalibrate our brains. It had everything that you need and nothing that you don't,” said Rosanna.

As someone who can spend a lot of time glued to a screen, a detox sounded tempting.

What would be my experience of leaving all the alerts, notifications and messages behind as I embraced the stillness and serenity on the walk to the cabin.

When I arrived at the cabin, I was greeted with a curated analogue kit, including a phone lockbox, film camera, cassette player, journals, sleep sprays and a map of the surrounding area.

The worrying feeling of someone trying to contact you or reach out to you is put to ease with the Lightphone that Rosanna has placed in the cabin during your stay. The Lightphone allows you to contact Samsú if you are in need of anything or if others want to contact you in case of an emergency, all you have to do is give your friends or family the Lightphone number for them to call before locking your phone away and relaxing.

By encouraging a screen-free stay, Samsú invites guests to reconnect with themselves and the natural world around them. If you get lucky with the nice weather, you can sit outside and put your barbecue skills to the test on the fire pit outside as you cosy up with the blankets provided. If luck is not on your side with regards to the weather, you can find two cooking hobs inside the cabin along with cast iron pots and pans that can also be used on the fire pit outside too.

However, the exact location of the Samsú cabin is only provided after you book your stay, says Rosanna.

“The whole idea is that you’re going to nature as the destination, not an exact location. Once people know the rough whereabouts and that it’s accessible by public transport, that’s all that matters.”

But I can guarantee, it is definitely a location that is worth visiting, one that I was surprised was so close to home.

You can nearly go your entire stay without having to interact with anyone. From the wave of birdsong to the fire crackling or even just listening to the rain fall, it was the music my ears needed.

Rosanna says that 72 hours at Samsú is recommended as it takes 24 hours for you to break the habit of going to reach for your phone and the rest of the time to reset and heal.

Rosanna also specialised in climate change when she worked for a tech company in London so she was not short of knowledge when it came to bringing eco-friendly to Samsú. Samsú provides eco-friendly organic Irish-made bath products, the cabin is also powered by solar energy and minimises its environmental impact.

“One of the ways that I think we’re quite unique is that we partner with farm owners to rent the plots of land for each cabin and so we also help farmers and landowners to diversify their income streams away from agriculture.

“My vision is that the same way that people write down their annual goals normally in January, I would love if people also spent a day of annual leave prioritising getting out and back to nature”, says Rosanna.

The price starts at €195 per night and include a king-sized bed with luxury linens, logs for the fire, locally roasted coffee beans from Ariosa in Drogheda, and everything else you might need to go analogue in nature.

To learn more about Samsú and book your transformative off-grid experience, visit www.samsu.ie.