'I quit my job four times': How one Irish woman is trying to tackle our problem with burnout

In a working world that is breeding burnout faster than any other time in history, Samsú offers respite.

Rosanna Irwin is the brain behind the initiative. Starting her career at Facebook, Irwin jumped into the corporate world straight out of college. 

She spent the following three years trying to find and build a life that she was passionate about, working in film and documentary-making for climate change.

She discovered that work-life balance in the world of film essentially didn’t exist, which brought her next moves – working with a reforestation company and then in climate technology, helping companies to reach net-zero status.

This line of work felt very purpose-driven, combining a passion for environmentalism with her experience in the tech world. Passion aside, this role was based in Silicon Valley, which meant long hours were par for the course.

While helping others to achieve their goals, Rosanna found herself at the helm of burnout. This isn’t an uncommon experience. 

A survey conducted last year by Lockton People Solutions Ireland revealed that seven in 10 workers claimed to have experienced burnout at some point in their career, with 26% going through the condition without realising that there was a term for it. 

Symptoms show themselves physically, mentally, psychologically and emotionally.

As someone who has experienced the condition on more than one occasion, I was keen to hear about Irwin’s plans to combat it.

“My mid to late 20s have been extremely turbulent,” she begins when we meet over Zoom.

With a feeling close to a calling, she was so sure this was an outlet that people needed badly, she felt totally OK with leaving the stability of a full-time job to take the jump into the unknown.

She says: “I quit my job four times in the space of three years, so leaving again was the least scary part of it all.”

The inspiration for the project came following a point of total overwhelm in her career. After taking some time away to visit a friend in Copenhagen, Irwin ended up on a small Danish island called Samsø. 

From the moment they stepped onto the island, it embodied an air of magic.

“Denmark, being Denmark,” she says, “has always been ahead of the curve with everything.”.

Already considering how they were going to reach net-zero emissions in the 90s, the country held a competition – with the winning island to become a test pot in trialling net-zero strategies. Samsø won.

Since then, the island has had a negative carbon footprint. With the typical European carbon footprint standing at 17 tons per person per year, in Samsø it is negative 12.

Covering 114 sq km, Samsø captures the vast landscape of Denmark within the confines of the island. Its restaurant menus are crafted around a vegetable garden and it is host to many events, festivals and food experiences throughout the year.

“Samsø invites you to a wonderful mix of relaxation in calm surroundings as well as more active experiences,” reads the Visit Denmark tagline.

The island is populated by windmills and electric vehicles with simple, pared-back and functional design. A slow pace of living is the norm.

Irwin remembers feeling totally renewed and revived after spending three nights glamping in a meadow.

“It was there that I got the inspiration,” she says, citing a desire to help others to find that same feeling of relief.

A week later Irwin quit her job in tech and moved back to Ireland from London. 

Returning to her hometown after over a decade of living between Dublin and London, she made a point to become reacquainted with her local area in Meath and found it posed the perfect space for a nature retreat.

In true Ireland style, connections came in like wildfire when locals heard about her idea. One introduction led to another and Irwin came to meet a plethora of landowners from the area through the kindness of strangers.

The definition of the word Samsú, an Irish nod to Samsø, reads as follows:

“The feeling of contentment in the present moment evoked by simple pleasures. Complete absence of frustrations or anything emotionally overwhelming – often enjoyed with warm blankets and surrounded by Irish nature.”

With an aim to make the cabin as sustainable as possible, it is crafted from local timber frame with timber cladding to be less impactful on the environment.

The cabin is entirely off grid, with a gas stove, a fire and even a compost toilet. The shower, kitchen area and bed all look out into nature.

Situated an hour outside of Dublin, near Athboy, Saoirse is the first cabin offering to open at Samsú. Sitting in the heart of 300 acres of land, with a mown path that circles a lake, a meadow and a forest, Samsú is uniquely designed to allow for full immersion in nature.

“The science says 72 hours is the sweet spot for when your brain fully disconnects from the addiction to technology,” Irwin tells me in a WhatsApp voice message. I trust her, so I commit to spending three days in the cabin to get the full experience.

Going off grid

Driving the scenic route to avoid the stress of the motorway felt like an apt start to the journey. The country roads twist and wind through tree tunnels and fields pose as the perfect entryway to full immersion in nature.

Initially listening to Cork post-punk rockers The Murder Capital, the drive called for gentler tones, so Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief took over as the soundtrack.

Calm exudes throughout dreamy grounds. A donkey-filled meadow sits to the right, with green grassy land on the left. The place looks like a picture-perfect image of nature.

Arriving at the cabin on a sleepy Monday afternoon, there is ample space to park and a sign indicating that the last part of the journey is to be made on foot.

Opening the door, I am greeted with the smell of freshly burned sage.

On the kitchen table lies a box. This box is filled with a 37-page risograph printed guide, a Samsú 101 booklet, a sleep mask, sleep spray, a notebook, a pen, a Light Phone (a simple phone with only a few essential items) and a film camera.

Locking your phone away isn’t mandatory but is heavily encouraged. Initially, I presumed that parting ways with my phone would be a difficult task but I hurriedly emptied the lockbox of its informative goodies, switched off my phone and stored it away under the bed – for three whole nights.

I sat down to read the information booklets extensively, pouring a glass of Merlot for company, and began an unintentional romantic evening for one.

Upon reading Samsú’s guide to building the perfect fire, I took it as a challenge to try to get one going. 

In Ireland’s countryside, even a balmy June evening could benefit from some extra heat. As a single woman in her mid-20s, 

I like to think I can do everything for myself or at least give it a good shot. It turns out, however, that building a fire and keeping it lit for more than five minutes is not my forté.

So, instead, I settled on taking a walk around the grounds, following a freshly mown pathway into the nature-filled unknown. 

Turning to the right of the cabin, a path winds through a meadow, passing sculptures of storks and other commonly spotted animals of the Irish countryside. 

Lillypads colour the lake and I dip my toes in, too scared to brave the cold water for a swim.

Upon returning to the cabin, dinner was a priority. Located inside the kitchen cabinets are a cast-iron skillet and pot, to be used on the gas stove. 

With all of the windows open, Van Morrison’s ‘Bright Side Of The Road’ ringing from the tape player and the rest of the glass of Merlot in hand, I had a cooking experience like no other. 

Chopping ripe aubergine and onion, spooning fresh pasta into the pot and adding a dash of pasta water and wine from my glass into the pan, the experience felt like the definition of romance.

A very prevalent aside – cooking and eating with no technology enhances the experience in an almost spiritual way. It forces you to be present. 

Taking your time to chop and mix and simmer adds a reverence to the process, the eating experience becoming one of gratitude.

After a few hours I realised that I hadn’t even tried to reach for my phone. I hadn’t wanted to know the time, hadn’t craved the dopamine hit, hadn’t even realised that it had been five hours since I’d looked at a screen. 

With so much to take in and experience, my brain had already started to enjoy the peace.

With organic Voya shampoo, conditioner and body wash, taking a shower at Samsú emulates the most lush spa you could think of. 

A rainfall showerhead and dark-tiled interiors mix with an eye-level window to create a space of absolute calm. Sitting atop the bed frame is a tape player, a range of tapes including classical medleys and a variety of books.

From the Irish food and art publication Guzzle to Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act and Natasha Lunn’s Conversations On Love, the shelf is curated to encourage guests to become immersed in literature that inspires deeper feeling. 

With no screen for company, I worked through three books in three days.

Tuning your antennae

On day two The Creative Act was the book of choice. The text encourages readers to discover and follow their creative passions, experiencing increasing observation of life’s magic as a result. 

As I sat outside the cabin reading Rubin’s words, a passage struck me. 

He explains: “We are all antennae for creative thought. Some transmissions come on strong, others are more faint. If your antenna isn’t sensitively tuned, you’re likely to lose the data in the noise.”

Take what you will from this but a moment later I took a walk through the meadow, freshly ground and brewed coffee in hand, and witnessed the blur of a blue creature pass me by. 

Stopping to zone in, a blue dragonfly sat perched on a leaf. In turning around to continue walking, a small swarm who were mid-flight all of a sudden took rest on the surrounding leaves, creating a sea of bright blue in the meadow.

The above passage reflects the purpose of Samsú. When we are consumed by technology and the ever-moving modern world, we miss moments of magic that often inspire creativity. 

Taking a moment to look for the beauty, especially in nature, can act as a reminder of how complex the world is – increasing gratitude and wonder in the adult brain.

Switching off from technology for three days may seem daunting but Samsú provides a respite. 

After three days of reading, resting, cooking, eating and exploring, I resonated totally with Irwin’s experience of feeling renewed.

The dream outcome for Samsú is that people learn the healing power of nature, making being in nature a more regular practice in their lives. Creating distance, or at least boundaries and respect, around the devices we use in our everyday life is a major aim.

“My hope would be that people set aside a day or two of their annual leave per year to spend time in nature,” Irwin says. “Just like you spend a day writing your goals in January for the year, you should also spend a day in nature to reset. I think it would act as a reset for our brains.”

Samsú’s first cabin, Saoirse, is available for bookings from €195 per night, samsu.ie