I heard the sound of Ireland past

“What’s Love Got to do with it?” is the old Tina Turner song. I don’t know if Tina has found the answer to her question yet. She lives in France now, and maybe the French people know.

If Tina came to Ireland, the answer would be a lot! The Irish people are warm and friendly, and they want you to love their country. Many of them have relatives in American, and they seem partial to us yanks. How do I know this? In July of this year I went on a bike trip to the western part of Ireland run by Vermont Bike Tours. My wife Vicki and I along with three friends from Massachusetts joined 14 bikers we didn’t know for eight days in this beautiful place.

We rode twenty to forty miles a day in the Galway and Connemara coast areas with an overnight trip to the Aran Islands. Our route followed the ocean or went through burrens and peat bogs much of the time. We rode on back country roads with little traffic. Many days I seemed to see more sheep on the road than cars! We pedaled multi speed touring bikes that were well maintained by our wonderful native guides Catherine and Gina. The terrain was mostly rolling hills with an occasional steep climb.

High points for me were several. I loved the ferry ride to the Aran Islands and the subsequent 6-mile ride to our ocean side hotel. Only 400 people lived on the island we explored, and it has a wild, forlorn quality about it. Our innkeeper baked fresh scones in the morning accompanied by large portions of smoked salmon and eggs.

The night before we had been invited to a musical performance at our hotel by thee local musicians. I had grown up listening to a lot of Irish music, so I was looking forward to the evening. When I saw that the three performers were ages 8, 10, and 13, I was initially disappointed and thought, “What kind of dog and pony show is this?”

As soon as the first boy began singing, our group was drawn into the moment. Closing his eyes and playing his accordion with great skill, the oldest boy sang soulfully of bad times, sadness, and tragedy. Ireland’s past seemed to flow through him. He was a cultural conduit of a people who had suffered famine, poverty, and oppression. After his brothers sang and danced, all the boys sang, “Wild Mountain Thyme”, one of my favorite songs. The eight year old particularly touched our group with his courageous poise and strong clear voice. At the end we shook hands with the boys and joked that we would like to sponsor them on tour in the United States.

Another high point was our stay at the Zetland Country House Hotel. Beautiful gardens and lawns spread out from the hotel creating a relaxing, almost surreal atmosphere. An attractive pub and dining room overlooking the sea were added attractions. The food was wonderful, and the whole experience was sweetened, when our guides arranged for Vicki and me to have the spacious “honeymoon” suite in honor of our 35th wedding anniversary.




Bike trips are great fun, and I suppose it isn’t hard to see why. A hard day’s exercise is followed by a pint, good company, and a delicious meal. The settings are scenic and welcoming. Decisions are few and conflicts at a minimum. Like surrogate parents, the guides scurry here and there taking care of everyone in addition to educating their charges about their culture.

Our two guides were very attractive people. Catherine and Gina were smart, competent, and fun. Irreverent and energetic they helped set a positive, upbeat atmosphere for our group. Their jobs were complex. Bikes needed to be fixed, routes changed due to rain, individual needs met, and van support provided.
At one point during the trip Gina had said in Gaelic that Irish whiskey was the, “water of life”.  On the last night I pointed out that she had been mistaken, since she and Catherine were really “the water of life!” Indeed they seemed to represent a new Ireland, a land that was economically booming. They personified an Ireland that was proud and progressive, an Ireland on the move, a modern, developing land. Their destiny was to create an Ireland of the future that was different from the one the Aran Island boys had had portrayed with such passion and pathos.

As I rode the train at the end of the trip to Dublin, I thought of the love and kindness of the Irish country people. Martina, the owner of Sheedy’s Hotel, had said, “Lovely”, every time I ordered something. It was if every meal resulted in an affirmation of one’s judgment and taste! The fun part was that she seemed to mean it! I thought of Catherine’s passion and energy, I thought of Gina’s irreverent wit, and I thought of our group’s kindness and infectious humor after a well earned pint or two at the end of a biking day. And how could I not forget of the boys of Aran Island, who touched us so with their poignant voices.

As our train rolled across the green, rolling farmlands prior to entering the historic city of Dublin, I thought I heard a strain of, “Wild Mountain Thyme.” I closed my eyes, and I listened as closely as I could, and yes, I heard those boys as clearly as if they were sitting in the seat next to me.