Wisdom of our elders

IN 1998, I returned to Ireland after a three-year stint in Hong Kong, with a plan to drive around the four provinces in a tractor, talking with old timers about the way things were before the Celtic Tiger.

Shortly after my plane touched down, I rang a publisher with the idea.

He was quick to respond: “Round Ireland with a Tractor? Have you ever heard of Round Ireland with a Fridge?” I hadn’t but Tony Hawkes book was already No 1 in Ireland and I glumly shelved my tractor plan.