Q. What about glass?

A. There is much less glass than you think, besides lots of us use minimalist shoes like Vibram Fivefingers or everyday barefoot shoes like Magical Shoes which have a thin sole.

Q. With no protection or just a thin sole, is it sore when you walk on a twig or stone?

A. It's not sore, but you do feel it. When unshod or with minimalist shoes, after a period of adjustment the nerves in your feet adjust back to normal and your soles aren't as soft so they distribute the force over a wider surface area. That's partly why some people use minimalist shoes before going totally barefoot.

Q. How did you get into barefoot? 

A. I was kinda lucky in that I found out about barefoot right as I was getting into running. With the help of our partners at DCU sport we've also developed a guide for transitioning into barefoot running that people find really helpful.

Q. Do your feet small more when barefoot?

A. They actually smell less. The smell from socks or shoes comes from microbes in your sweat getting trapped in the materials. If you're totally unshod, you don't have that problem. If you're using minimalist shoes like VFFs they're totally washable, I just throw mine in the bottom of the show and clean them when showering!

Q. What about when its really cold?

A. Your feet, like the rest of you are not really designed for extended periods in sub-zero temperatures. Most of the time in Ireland the cold isn't mich of an issue but it really depends on factors like how long you're going to be out for, whether its wet too and what the ground and air temperatures are. When it's really cold there are types of minimalist shoes that offer the feeling of barefoot but still keep you warm. There's even a zero drop barefoot winter boot that was developed for temperatures to -20°c! There are also minimalist socks or toesocks you can wear with vibram fivefingers for example.