An Innocent in Ireland: Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters

When writer David McFadden landed in Dublin to begin a tour of ancestral sod, he was determined to do so in a relatively innocent state. He used, as a tentative guide, In Search of Ireland - a 1929 title by H.V. Morton, a travel writer who, McFadden notes, left no stereotype unconfirmed . McFadden followed the same route through Ireland, matched his perceptions with Morton’s, and tried to determine how things have changed and how they have remained the same. This he proceeded to do - at least, at first - as he wandered erratically around the country, poking into any corner that took his fancy, particularly, the prehistoric monuments of Ancient Ireland, and recorded his personal impressions in a humorous way. McFadden lets the many characters he met speak for themselves. He loves a good chat, and gives ample space to the various loquacious barmen, shopkeepers, hoteliers and people he met in the street. And, of all the eccentric and appealing characters he encountered, one of the most intriguing was his erstwhile travelling companion, the mysterious Spanish chambermaid Lourdes Brasil.