Ireland with B&I

May 1985 and the legendary unofficial ringing holiday to Ireland.
Masterminded by the equally legendary John Goldrick et al.


Bells are booming down the bohreens,
White on black the contents of the glass.
Now we intrepid ringers by various means,
Move between lands on a tour no other will surpass.
On the boat some turned green as an apple,
Others with listing pints did grapple,
Sloping floor and carpet stained,
But at last our goal it was attained,
With many a thankful ringing lass.

Now after those painstaking preparations,
We are ready to do Ireland in seven days,
One of our number goes off to grab the stations,
The rest to "The Yaught" with no delays!
Dublin, and to the challenge of St Patrick's we rose,
Then to Drogheda, distant by several stone throws,
Back to St Audeon's our navigation perfected,
Blessington are anticlockwise, maybe that's why we detected,
Something wrong with the raise!

In Bray a lady with tape-recorder,
Put our ringing to the test,
We thought Grandsire Triples in order,
And she was duly impressed.
Then with microphone averted,
Soon striking deserted,
Eight-spliced got as far as,
Three, perhaps not all of us,
Were giving of our best.

Heavy bells, far and foreign,
Roads with craters all over the place,
Largest stone circle will not be forgotten,
Handbell notes for a while filled that space.
Nocturnal ringing at Doneraile was plotted,
But that hoax was very soon spotted.
Stone walled cabins, thatched with reeds,
Supplied our accommodation needs,
Of sleepless nights there was not a trace.

Will it hold this hot May weather?
Draining the deepest vessels dry,
When we tower-grabbed together,
And the time just seemd to fly.
Till there arose abrupt and lonely,
A ruined abbey, chancel only,
Imediately by handbell ringers befriended,
The tower had a belfry with floor, splendid!
Plain Bob Minor soon rang out from on high.

Would a tower escape detection?
Why is it the navigator hesitates,
At an unexpected change in direction?
Panic over there are the church gates.
Oh no! They're beginning to lower,
Run, or we'll miss the tower!
It was close, but all grabbed that green Kingdom,
In a week without a moment of tedium.
Where next I wonder, the United States?