Caroline Crick - Irish Times Are Good Times

 Read more from Caroline here.

Irish-born Nelsonian Rachel Ryan can’t believe her luck (but being Irish one would expect her to be at least slightly serendipitous) – her job these days takes her and small groups of travelers from New Zealand’s winter shores back to her homeland where they spend 10 summer days tripping about in Ireland on a cultural-immersion walking experience. Rachel runs her walking tour business, Walk the West of Ireland, from her home in Delaware Bay near Nelson.

Rachel’s Irish credentials are impeccable – born in County Limerick to an Irish father and a Kiwi mother, she came to NZ in her early twenties and fell in love – with the country and a Kiwi bloke - and stayed to make a life of it. But as any ex-pat knows, the pull of home is always strong, maybe even stronger when home is Ireland’s western shores with its wild landscapes, cultural treasure trove and ancient civilisations.

Rachel still has close family in Ireland, and it was on a visit home in 2006 that the idea for Walk the West of Ireland was born. “We were in the Burren, overlooking the Atlantic, walking through this incredibly rich limestone landscape. I felt instinctively that this was a place New Zealanders would respond to and love – and that I could be the person to share with them its wonders,” said Rachel.











Rachel’s first tour in 2008 was a life changing experience for some of the participants, who came from all walks of life and were aged from 19 to 70 years – proof that the tour’s off the beaten track exploration of Ireland’s rich rural character appeals across the generations.

Cynthia Midgley joined up with Rachel and the rest of the group having toured Ireland, Iceland and Scotland by bus, and said that of her nine week odyssey her time with Walk the West was the most memorable.

“We felt like family. That’s the only way to describe it – for that time I was part of Ireland and part of Rachel’s wonderful family, one of their own,” said Cynthia. Cynthia’s grand daughter was the 19-year-old on the trip and she described the experience as “like meeting long lost relatives you never knew you had”. Cynthia had met Rachel before the trip – Rachel tries to meet up with all her clients before they leave NZ so that everyone knows what to expect – but apart from that she and her granddaughter knew none of the other travelers.

“I made some wonderful friends on the trip and I’m looking forward to a reunion in November,” said Cynthia “We all became part of that big family.”

Cynthia said that among the high points of the tour was the wonderful local Irish cuisine prepared by the tour’s  gourmet chef – Elin.

“The mixture of healthy activity every day and wonderful food at night was perfect – we always had a good appetite and the meals Elin provided were of superb quality,” said Cynthia.

The tour takes in visits to places of gastronomic interest such as an artisan cheese maker and the long established Clonakilty Black Pudding Company where the Twomey family make their own puddings to an ancient recipe kept in a locked safe.

The well-chosen accommodation also delighted the walkers, with self contained cottages and traditional lodges providing comfy beds and hot showers at the end of the day. At least six of the 10 days are spent walking, with Rachel’s handpicked highly knowledgeable local historians and story tellers – all wonderful characters in themselves - guiding the group and interpreting the landscape and culture of each unique region. “They were really lovely people,” said Cynthia, “They made it come alive and you start to wonder, are all Irish people like this?”

Cynthia liked the fact that despite being an organized group they could each take as long as they liked, there was no pressure to meet a rigid schedule and they often did spontaneous things that weren’t on the itinerary just because they could. “We went to a summer solstice play at midnight because it just happened to be on that night, and then we went to the pub. The bar tender found out it was my birthday and a free Guinness appeared in front of me. Things like that just made it magical for me.”

Rachel’s brother Hugh Ryan escorts and walks with the group and helps to ensure that everyone is taken care of, making a true family atmosphere on the trip.













Photo: Photo: Guide Micheal Moroney talks to walkers about a heritage plaque on Galtymore, the highest peak in Ireland’s inland mountain range.

The 10-day Walk the West tour takes in three distinct locations – the Beara Peninsula, the Glen of Aherlow and the Burren. The group visits islands rich with legends and stories of ancient Ireland, takes in the rural heartland of County Tipperary and feels the might of ancient cultures at Lough Gur and on the Burren.  “It’s a total immersion experience for anyone wanting to get under the skin of Ireland’s local character,” said Rachel.

Rachel has a second tour on offer in 2010 – Connemara’s Calling will visit North Mayo, Achill Island, Inisbofin and Connemara. “We’ll be walking in the footprints of the ancients in the Céide Fields, the world’s most extensive Stone Age monument, and rambling through the Delphi Valley – the most beautiful untouched valley in Europe. The whole area is rich with authentic Irish character,” said Rachel, “We’ll be making sure our guests get a feel for  ‘grass roots’ Ireland.”

Rachel agrees she is lucky to have found such a wonderful way of sharing her love of her birthplace, and she comments that Kiwis seem to have a special appreciation of Celtic culture and people. “Maybe it’s because we both live on small islands in the middle of big oceans, and many Kiwis have some kind of Celtic connection so the links are strong – it’s a real cultural exchange.”

To find out more visit www.walkthewestofireland.com or contact Rachel on 03 545 1071.

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