On The Road: 8th February 2006

Thank heaven for a hearty constitution and a serviceable pair of sea legs! The crossing from Liverpool was less than serene, and though I am relieved to say that I have never suffered from sea sickness, the same is not true for Clive for whom 06.00 could not come quickly enough.

We gathered our scattered possessions together with minimal fuss, and within half an hour of disembarking we were once more in possession of Clive's car. The ferry arrived punctually and as a result we have had the whole day before us to put to maximum use.

Unfortunately it has become almost a cliché, but Dublin is a beautiful city which really must be experienced at least once. Sadly for us on this occasion our visit was to be brief and after little more than an hour of perfunctory sight seeing, we were once again on our way. The route was once again a straightforward one; we were to head South from Dublin then West along the N7 towards Limerick .

Despite my time with Bob Longfellow, he was unable to provide me with a clear itinerary of the route taken by the band, rather, he tells me that it was very much in the nature of the band to “make it up as they went along”. Having received a brief confirmation that the band had reached Dublin, Bob informs me that he heard nothing until later that evening when a clearly exasperated Nick Young telephoned to say that they were completely lost and would be camping down for the evening in the van. In the early hours of the following morning there came a further call to inform him that the van idea had proven to be impractical and that they had decided to press on, finally locating the house shortly after 11.30pm. We know that the band telephoned from somewhere near to the town of Killaloe in County Clare, thus we resolved to make a similar stop ourselves.

Our route would initially take us to Limerick at the Mouth of The Shannon Estuary. Even here, although some distance away from Kildubhan we could almost sense our relative proximity to it. We were now deep within the old province of Munster, and something about the expanse of the river Shannon seems to be inextricably linked with that dark tributary in a certain tiny village to the west. To offer a brief insight into Limerick, she (for the city I am told is celebrated in song as a Lady) has once again a charm which is at once Irish yet clearly individual. As we drove around the city streets we found Limerick to be a very agreeable location, modern and vibrant yet blessed with such historical treasures as the imposing King John's Castle.

It was in Limerick itself that we were due to collect our commemorative oak saplings at midday from a local nursery. Although Oak may seem to be a very obvious selection, its connotations are such that it would be difficult to choose otherwise. The three young band members are, at least for the present moment, lost to us and it is our hope that the three saplings will, with good fortune, grow to symbolize the strength and longevity that their namesakes have been denied.

We arrived in Killaloe shortly after one o’clock and it is in this delightful town that we will spend the afternoon and evening. We have journeyed several hundred miles passing through five different counties and in truth, we are in fact quite glad to be breaking our journey for the day. It is very likely that The Secret Method would have passed through the town of Killaloe itself on the final stage of their journey to Black River House and with this in mind we decided to go a step further and spend the night here.

I conclude today’s report once again from my hotel room; Clive and I have found an inexpensive bed and breakfast establishment for the night and we will both be glad to get some sleep. Tomorrow we will journey a little further to the West where we will plant our three new saplings before holding a three minute silence in memory of The Secret Method.

Sincerely,