Manchán Magan: Our money and passports were stolen and I had no food for days — I loved it

Manchán Magan: I remember getting to Hong Kong and hiding in the library; it was too intense
Writer, documentary-maker, and self-described néaladóir (cloud-watcher), Manchán Magan has journeyed across Africa, Asia, and South America, but found his truest home amid the woodlands of Westmeath. His new book
invites readers to rediscover ancient Irish weather wisdom through the evocative lens of language. Here, he reflects on transformative travels, sacredlandscapes, and crickets with salt and lime.We never flew or went abroad. My great-grandmother and her brother had built a house in west Kerry in the 1920s, so every summer we went there. My granny had been on the Blasket Islands in 1912 and she was determined we’d visit the houses of the old islanders in Ballyferriter, Ballydavid, and Ventry. They’d spoil us rotten — giving us MiWadi or Fanta lemon, barmbrack, and cakes. At the time, fishermen would be out catching wild salmon and crabs, and they’d pass some onto my granny. Even as a young kid, I loved it.

When I was 19 or 20, I just wanted to get out of Ireland. I found an ad in the back of a British newspaper — you could go across Africa in an ex-army truck for £1,000. So I set off in 1989, took the ferry to London, and from there we drove down through Spain, Morocco, Algeria, through the Sahara Desert to Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, and Cameroon. But the place that made the biggest impact was the Congo — Zaire, as it was then. We got off the truck and travelled by barge down the Congo River. I was only 19 and I thought ‘I’m probably somewhere no Irish person has ever been’. It made me feel really proud, like, life has possibilities. We ended up getting all our money and passports stolen. I went without food for eight days at one point. But I loved it. That trip changed everything in my life. I even wrote my first book about it in Irish.

I’ve been to so many places — India, the Himalayas, Greenland, South America. But the place that surprised me most? Westmeath. It’s the last place I ever thought I’d fall in love with. But when I arrived here, specifically the northwest of the county, between Lough Lane and Lough Derravaragh, it felt like a place I’d only ever get to experience on holidays. So I thought, I’ll live here and feel like I’m on holiday every day. I’ve been here 27 years now, and it still captivates me. No tourists come here. There’s just woodlands, drumlins, lakes, and a tiny village called Fore with old monastic ruins. It’s a healing place. As soon as I get back here, I feel whole.

I’m probably not a big city person. When my brother and I were filming in China, I remember getting to Hong Kong and hiding in the library; it was too intense, too focused on shopping.
But Vancouver had a huge impact on me. I was 23 the first time I went, and I just returned a couple of months ago. Its location is incredible — right on the ocean, with snow-capped mountains behind.
You’ve got old-growth rainforest in Stanley Park and wild ocean right beside the city. It’s very cosmopolitan.

The place that’s had the most impact is Dromoland Castle in Clare. It’s luxurious, with vast grounds, lakes, and beautiful oak woodlands, but there’s something really earthy about it.
They always have fireplaces lit, summer or winter, so you walk in and get that sweet smell of oak smoke. The staff are all local — no airs or graces.
The last time I was there, I stayed in the room John Travolta usually stays in. But I’ve stayed in the modest rooms too. It’s not somewhere you go often, but it’s special.

So many. But the crickets in Mexico really excited me. They fry them with lime and salt, or hot sauce — they’re like the ultimate snack food. Crunchy, high protein, totally moreish. But my favourite food memory might be from a trip to Connemara. My partner and I were camping and saw a sign for local lobster. We bought it, cooked it over a fire, made some mayonnaise, and ate it on the beach with our hands. We’d swum before and after, and that lobster had probably just been caught hours before. It was absolutely delicious.
Walk. I just want to walk, all day, wherever I am — city, town or village. I want to sneak down alleyways, avoid the tourist areas, and get a sense of local life. Whether it’s sitting on a bench in Amsterdam or under a tree in a Mexican village, I want to see where people actually live, what they do. I avoid shopping roads, avoid the buses, and just walk until I find something that surprises me. That’s my happy place.

There’s one place I know I’ll return to: Ethiopia. In 2008, I did a walking trip there that started in Lalibela and followed the source of the Blue Nile. It’s organised by Tesfa Tours, a network of tribal communities that host you as you walk from one village to another. You stay in traditional roundhouses, eat local food, and they look after you. You don’t feel like a tourist; they truly honour your presence, and 65% of what you pay goes straight to the communities. It’s still the best holiday I’ve ever had. I said I’d go back one day with my partner, and I will.
- by Manchán Magan, illustrated by Megan Luddy O’Leary (Gill Books) is out now