Blow Ins

This is the story of how the author fell in love with Ireland. In a nutshell, it's two peoples' journey to a new life.

The first section of the book offers a day-by-day account of the first holiday the author had in the country; it describes in humorous detail the events, the breath-taking scenery, and the people who sparked what became an enduring fascination of all things Hibernian. Regarded by many as Ireland's most picturesque area, the journey around Cork, Kerry, and the 'Rings' gives a real insight into this delightful area. The author's wife, Angie, who is of Irish parentage, had been many times before, and already loved the place. Over the next fifteen years, a further twenty or so holidays were enjoyed (not detailed in the book), resulting in the decision that when retirement came, Ireland would be the place for slippers and pipe.

The second part of the book explains the events in 2016 which led to a rethink of those plans. In August of that year, Andrew and Angela lost a great friend who died suddenly while on holiday. As is often the case in such events, this led to a re-evaluation of their lives and future plans. The following month - while on holiday in Ireland - the couple decided to explore the possibility of moving to Ireland without waiting for the convenience of retirement. This section describes the trials and tribulations, pitfalls and pratfalls of the next ten months, which resulted in a permanent move across the Irish Sea in June 2017.

Finally, the third part of the book highlights a number of the adventures, crises, happenings, work experiences, deaths, and things in general which make this place different from the rest. This isn't a rose-tinted appraisal, it isn't about how one is better than the other, it's simply an appreciation of a different culture. It covers things as diverse as drinking, horse racing, poetry and music, geographical appreciation, rivers, mountains, bogs, funerals, dog-walking, boats, big lakes, motoring, taxes, taxis, sports - some you've never heard of - quizzes and, in some cases, drinking.