What better way to celebrate my 750th blog post than to not only review one of the later Nancy Drew digests (which is how fans refer to the later books in the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series) and compare it with my own trip to Ireland. Yes, that's right - David and I recently joined my Dad on a trip to Ireland, so in anticipation of that trip, I read the 168th Nancy Drew mystery story, The Bike Tour Mystery. I was curious to discover whether any of the places referenced in the book actually existed in Ireland and whether any of the facts described in the book were real. Well, surprisingly enough, there was actually quite a number of references in the book that were grounded in reality, leaving me to wonder if the author of this story had actually visited Ireland, or if he/she simply did considerable research to be able to integrate the reality of Ireland into the book. Whichever the case, such realities made this story all the more enjoyable!
There's Bob Prendergast, the tour group leader who is insistent that nothing is wrong. Carl Thompson is the assistant college professor from Boston who is also a chemist ... and a geologist ... and perhaps something more? Jim and Natalie de Fusco are the young couple from San Diego, California - he works in construction and she manages a surf shop - so why are they in Ireland at the height of surf season? Rhonda and Rachel Selkirk are the sisters from Australia who are expert bikers, and who also appear to be the target of the attacks. Terry O'Leary is the rumpled Irishman with the gloomy expression who will be the tour group's driver. Derek Thorogood is the handsome playboy who likes to flirt, while Camilla Collins is his girlfriend who seems oblivious to his flirtatious nature. But everyone is not who they say they are. One of them is a reporter looking for a big story; one of them is hiding a troubled past; one of them is fearful of their father's overwatchful eye; one of them is willing to keep another's secret; and one of them is careless enough to lead the entire group into terrible danger!
And one mustn't forget the man in black (no, not THAT man in black!). Described as "broad-shouldered ... in a black wool overcoat..." there was "something about his heavy-browed, tight-mouthed face [that] made Nancy uneasy" (p. 4). That, and that fact that she immediately noticed "that the little finger was missing from his left hand" (p. 4). With a description like that, you know this man is going to be trouble, and his connection with two of the members of the tour group definitely doesn't look good. Why is it that the villains in a Nancy Drew book are never described as beautiful or handsome? Instead, they are always disfigured or otherwise "ugly," as if good-looking people can never be bad.
In any event, Nancy does solve the mystery, with the author managing to integrate a little Gothic spookiness through the nighttime adventure into a foggy bog. For astute readers, many of the clues are easily seen, and the ultimate revelations are not really that big of a surprise. But for me, it was not the mystery itself that held my attention - it was all of the wonderful descriptions of Ireland that had me captivated. I read the book on the flight from Florida to Dublin (and with eight hour flight time, I had plenty of time to read the book and take notes) so that by the time I reached Ireland, I would have the story fresh in my mind to see if I could find any of the locations from the story!
The book starts off with the girls arriving in Ireland via the Shannon Airport (p. 12) - which is a real international airport located in County Claire, lying half-way between Ennis and Limerick. Bess accurately describes Ireland, with its "[t]hatched-roof cottages, woolly white sheep, crumbling stone walls..." (p. 2). Of course, that "crumbling wall" reference made me think of the 22nd Nancy Drew Mystery Story, The Clue in the Crumbling Wall, published back in 1945. But Ireland definitely has its fair share of sheep and stone walls - and is most certainly "one of the greenest places on Earth" (p. 7). What is interesting is that, like Jim describes in the book, mortar was not used to build a lot of those dividing walls. "They just pick up stones from the fields and fit them in place. But they're remarkably strong - some of those walls are well over a hundred years old" (p. 12). On our journeys through the country, we saw plenty of lush, green land, many a herd of sheep, and a lot of those stone walls.
The girls' first night in Ireland is spent at the Ballyrae House in a town called Lahinch (p .13). While Lahinch is a real town on the northwest coast of County Clare, there is no Ballyrae Hotel - but there is a Ballyroe Heights Hotel on the southwest coast of Ireland (Ballyroe Heights Hotel) and there is a Ballyrane House Estate on the southeast coast of Ireland (Ballyrane House). So, the author could have been using either of these as his/her inspiration for the place where the girls stay on that first night in Ireland. (NOTE - David and I did not see either of these places in our jaunts around Ireland, as they were not in the path of our tour at any time.)
We did, however, experience the same awestruck wonder that Nancy felt when she visited the Cliffs of Moher, where the bike tour stopped for a picnic lunch (p. 33). The author's description does not truly capture the majestic nature of these cliffs:
Stretching ahead before them, for about five miles, was a stretch of spectacular coastal cliffs, their sheer sides ribboned with five layers of different-colored rockface. One the stone ledges nestled huge flocks of puffins and other seabirds. To the left the Atlantic Ocean gleamed and danced. (p. 36)
The view from the cliffs is truly awe-inspiring, and David and I walked from one end (where there was a small tower) to pretty nearly the other end (we didn't quite make it all the way due to time constraints). And while we were told that we were visiting right at the end of the puffin season, we did not see any of those birds along the cliffs, although we did see some other white seabirds hanging out along the cliff sides. And, just like Nancy, we were able to see the Aran Islands from where we were standing on the cliffs (p. 37).
Nancy and her friends, along with the rest of the bike tour troupe, end their evening at a local bar called Currach Pub (p. 39), where they were able to enjoy delightful Irish sea chanties (p. 40) and watch the Irish step-dance (pp. 100-01). First, there really is a Currach Irish Pub - but it's located in New Zealand and not in Ireland! But, even without the Currach Pub, we did manage to enjoy an evening out at Taylors Three Rock in Dublin (Taylors Three Rock), which offered up a band playing Irish music, as well as some wonderfully fun Irish step-dancing - even offering members of the audience an opportunity to get up and join the dancing! (No, David and I stayed in our seats and simply watched all the fun!) And I could definitely understand how Nancy, despite how tired she was from all of the bike riding, couldn't help but get caught up in the spirit of the music and enjoy herself (p. 40) - because despite how tired we were after the long flight over the Atlantic and very little sleep, we still had a great time that night!
Nancy, Bess, and George eventually make their way to Galway (p. 77), which was the last town we stayed in during our trip. The author provides a fairly accurate description of the town:
"Lots of people think Galway City is Ireland's prettiest city," [Bob] said. "The downtown area is remarkably well-preserved and quaint, but there's a university here and lots of arts and culture. In its heyday as a port, Galway had a thriving trade with Spain..." (p. 77)The girls plunged into the narrow medieval streets of downtown Galway City. Like a maze, the streets twisted and wound between overhanging old buildings. (pp. 77-78)
There can be no doubt that Galway is a beautiful city, and much of its history has been preserved. From the old stone churches to the canals that run through the heart of the city to the remnants of the wall that used to surround the city (including the Spanish Arch that is still in place today - one of Galway's most recognizable landmarks that bears testament to its importance as a medieval seaport!) - the city is still well-preserved and filled with culture and history! In fact, while I was wandering the streets of Galway (my Dad and David were off on an excursion to see Kylemore Abbey), I stumbled across this glass-enclosed area which featured what appeared to be stone foundation poking out of the dirt. It turns out "The Hall of the Red Earl" was discovered by archaeologists during redevelopment work at Galway Custom House - a portion of the old castle that belonged to Lord Richard de Burgo, the red Earl! And a portion of the building unearthed dates back o the 13th century!
Later in the story, the tour group eats dinner "at a seafood restaurant on Quay Street, near the Galway harbor" (p. 84). There is a Quay Street (pronounced "key" street) in Galway that runs through downtown to the harbor, and there are plenty of restaurants along the street, so without a doubt, Nancy and her friends could have easily found a seafood restaurant there.
The book goes on to reference Rossaveal (p. 93), which is a village in the Connemara area of County Galway, as well as Kilronan (p. 93), which is the main setlement on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands. It is there where the girls visit Dun Aengus (which is also spelled "Dun Aonghasa"), which the author describes as:
...broken stone ruins, perched at the edge of the cliff ... It had been built in three concentric circles, the highest int he middle. Shallow depressions in the sparse grass showed where missing parts of the once-grand design had lain. The remaining stones, bleached pale by years of sea wind, reflected the sunshine with a hard glitter ... The stern gray stone was softened by patches of velvety moss and greenish gray lichens, flourishing in the wet sea air. (p. 95)
David and I, unfortunately, were unable to make it over to the Aran Island during our all-too-brief stay, but information about the Don Aengus can be found online (Dun Aengus). It is definitely something we want to check out if we visit Ireland again some day!
Now for a funny story- while on the bus traveling one day, my Dad starts to tell me about how the tour guide the previous day had discussed what the people did with "peat" - before he could continue, however, I interrupted him to describe the process to him:
"A bog is - well, its a bog. The ground is soft and mucky for miles. The surface is what we call peat: a sort of gluey, dense soil. People cut it into chunks, cart it away, and let it dry into hard bricks to use for fuel. Most folk hereabouts hear their homes with peat fire." (p. 138)
He was shocked I knew what he was going to talk about, as I was not with that particular tour. He asked how I knew about that process, and I told him I learned it in the Nancy Drew book! So, I guess it seems that the digests (at least this one) continued the tradition of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams in having educational facts in the stories.
Overall, the book was a fairly decent read, even if it was fairly simple to figure out. Of course, for me it was less about the story itself and more about the Irish elements in the book that I was able to discover for myself while in Ireland! For those headed to Ireland (or even for those who live there!), this is definitely a book to check out.
RATING: 9 falling pub signs out of 10 for merging the real elements of Ireland with the suspense and Gothic mystery of Nancy Drew to create a pretty good tale!
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