My Life with Alistair Morrish: Why my wife and I swapped renting for life on a barge in Kildare

After soaring rents dashed homeownership hopes, Alistair and his wife found freedom, community and contentment living afloat in Kildare

Alistair and Tracey Morrish with their dog Buzz on the barge they call home near Lucan, Co. Kildare. Picture: Moya Nolan

It was our walks along the canal that inspired my wife and I to abandon our rental in favour of a very different home on board a barge in Kildare.

I think there were about five or six boats moored at the time. One day my wife Tracey turned around to me and asked “why don’t we buy a barge instead of paying rent?” We both agreed it was the right thing to do. Before purchasing the barge and moving in we often stopped and chatted to the liveaboards. This helped us to learn a little bit more about the lifestyle. Tracey and I instantly knew it was something we wanted to pursue.