At the Edge of Ireland

Chapter One

Coming into Dublin

Way back in my neophyte days as a wannabe adventure-travel writer, a curmudgeonly editor of a long-defunct travel magazine once insisted that I should avoid all negativity in my submissions because "people reading pieces such as yours really don't need to hear about the ‘reality' of places—just give 'em the cheerful, positive, upbeat stuff," he said. "Tell 'em only what they want to hear."

In hindsight I realize that most of my erratic life has been based on the motto "learn the rules first and then break them fast." So I begin this particular chapter awash in negativity. For example: it was not a good idea for us two neophyte "blow-ins" (tourists, visitors, and other "outsiders") to head straight into the heart of Dublin on our first hour after arrival from New York in a hired, right-hand-drive car with manual shift and all the turbo power of an egg-laden sea turtle. In fact, following the dire warnings from the rental car staff about Ireland being one of the three most dangerous places i ... read full excerpt from: At the Edge of Ireland ebook