Our foodie tour has come to an end, so we’re on our own again. We’ve been enjoying Dublin and we’re feeling good. I’m feeling especially good because I had to help my Better Half with her share of the tastings at the Celtic Whiskey Shop. Hey… this might be a good time to tell you about our first trip to Ireland, quite a few years ago. It started on the road to Kilkenny.
We had come to Ireland because I’d entered the World Handball Championships. They’re held in Ireland every three years. The location alternates between the United States and Ireland. The year we went, tournament headquarters was in Kilkenny, a beautiful little town 80 miles south of Dublin.
What’s the Steering Wheel Doing over There?
Our flight from California landed in Dublin in the late afternoon. We rented a car at the airport, and in no time we were on our way. Well, we were on our way to the car, at least.
I had never driven a right-hand drive car. It was a little daunting, but millions of people do it. How hard could it be? Our first clue was when we both got into the car on the wrong side. “Hey! Who put the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car? Ha ha!” It was pretty funny at the moment. Not so funny later on.
We both knew the steering wheel would be on the “wrong side.” We just forgot. Force of habit. It turns out that “force of habit” can be pretty strong.
Going in Circles
Starting from Dublin Airport, Kilkenny is about 80 miles southwest. Just find the M1 to get to the M50. Take the M50 to the M7, then the M9 and you’re there. Step one: find our way to the M1. It’s never fun finding your way out of an unfamiliar airport. Dublin Airport was no exception. We hit the first snag almost immediately…
“Is that a roundabout up ahead? It is. And everyone’s going around BACKWARDS!”
That first roundabout was no fun. We’re not used to roundabouts to begin with. From my perspective, I was driving on the wrong side of the car, going in what felt like the wrong way around a roundabout. Definitely not a comfortable feeling.
“Stay to the outside! No. Get in towards the middle! Which exit are we supposed to take? Why is everyone going so fast?” Let’s just say the stress level was high. The stressometer was approaching the red zone.
The good thing about roundabouts, though, is that you can keep going around until you think you know where to get out. I don’t know how many times we went around. (It was quite a few). But we got off at the right place. We’d found our way to the M50. After that wee bit of excitement, things were OK for a while.
Scenic Drive to Kilkenny
The M9, at least back then, was a two-lane highway much of the way to Kilkenny. If you’re behind the wheel on the right side of the car, you’re the closest one to oncoming traffic. If you’re not used to it, oncoming cars look like they’re coming right at you. So logically, in order to not smash into oncoming traffic, I’d try to leave a little extra room between myself and the center line.
The passenger is closest to whatever is on the outside of the road. In this case, that would be a gigantic hedge that ran for miles. In some places the hedge was right up against the side of the road.
Right-Hand Drive, but Stayin’ Alive
The countryside on the way to Kilkenny was green and beautiful, but now the sun was going down and it was getting dark. Instead of cars and trucks coming toward us, it was just headlights. I cheated over a little more. Right about that time the conversation went something like this…
“If you come over one more inch, we’re gonna be in the bushes. Move it over!”
“I’ve got cars and trucks coming straight at me over here.”
“We’re brushing up against this hedge. Move over or we’re gonna be IN it!”
“Would you rather brush up against a hedge or run head-on into a truck full of sheep coming at us at 60 miles per hour?!”
Ahhhh… traveling is so much fun sometimes!
We made it to Kilkenny, of course. There wasn’t much left of us, though. Kilkenny isn’t a large town, but we couldn’t find the hotel. We saw a young girl walking by the side of the road. We pulled over to ask for directions.
With no trepidation at all, she came up to the car window. She was a beautiful young lass. We explained our situation and told her the name of our hotel. She was fascinated by our story. She wanted to know more. “You came all the way from California? To Kilkenny??!!” She had the most beautiful Irish country accent.
We had a brief conversation. She was as nice as she could be. We were mesmerized, just listening to her talk. She gave us detailed directions. By the time we said good-bye, we felt like we’d been talking to a long-lost family member. As we moved on, I had to check the rear-view mirror to make sure I hadn’t just dreamed this encounter. There wasn’t anyone there. Whoa.
To be continued…
