About me

Hi there!

My name is Maria Groot, and I’m an independent journalist based in Dublin.

It’s my curiosity that has driven me professionally, leading me to cover a wide range of topics—from lab meat to diamond mining and migrant smuggling.

My work has appeared in publications all around the world. To name a few: Slate (US), Courrier International (FR), De Groene Amsterdammer (NL), De Standaard (BE), Roads & Kingdoms (US), MO (BE), Reader’s Digest (US), Apache (BE), and Internazionale (IT).

I have also appeared as a guest on Dutch and Belgian national radio programmes, including Reporter Radio and Interne Keuken, where I spoke about my investigative work. In addition, Dutch composer Rob Zimmerman created an original soundtrack for my short story Het Gat (The Hole), which was broadcast on NPO Radio 4.

I was born below sea level in 1983 and studied Fine Arts at ArtEZ University of the Arts in the Netherlands. After working as a professional artist, I went on to study Journalism at AP University College in Antwerp, Belgium, and have worked as an independent journalist since. Seven years ago, I moved to Ireland, where I have built my life and home.