Book Review: Round Ireland with a Fridge

This book’s title, Round Ireland With a Fridge, is a little odd, but that’s exactly what this book is about: the author traveling around Ireland with a refrigerator.

Yup, what started out as a drunken bet turns into a real-life adventure where Tony Hawks, a British comedian, has 30 days to hitch-hike around Ireland, including two somewhat outlying islands, with a small refrigerator.

It sounds silly and impossible and ridiculous…and it is. But, it’s also fascinating to hear about how the journey works and where he ends up, it’s interesting to meet all of the fun characters that help him along the way, and it is absolutely hilarious (I literally laughed out loud several times).

It’s also heartwarming in an unexpected way…as one of Tony’s new friends points out “You may not know it, but you’re spreading joy.” Thanks to a radio show that follows Tony’s journey, people around the country begin to cheer him on and hope for his success. And he finds so much support and so many instant friends in the small towns where he shows up at the pub (a lot of time is spent in pubs–probably should be expected for a book that’s based on the premise of a drunken bet).

There’s also some self-reflection and self-discovery and some interesting lessons about life and travel–about going with the flow, about enjoying the little moments, and about how important it is to have some fun (okay a lot of fun).

It’s a hilarious look at small-town Ireland and a reminder of what travel is all about.