Ruairí McKiernan - Hitching for Hope: A Journey Into the Heart and Soul of Ireland

PRAISE FOR HITCHING FOR HOPE

In Hitching for Hope , Ruair McKiernan sets out on a pilgrimage to capture truth and to hear stories that deserve to be heard. He sticks his thumb out, and somehow a healthy dose of humanity manages to roll up alongside him. McKiernan is a writer who finds home in the elsewhere. This book is a paean to nuance, decency and possibility.

COLUM MCCANN , author of Let the Great World Spin ; co-founder of Narrative 4

Ruairs tale of his journey comes as a breath of fresh air, awakening us to the adventures in store when we embark beyond well-trod routines into new encounters. It reminds me of my own hitchhiking trip in the UK seventy years agofull of spunk, resilience, and zest for discovery. Whether hitching for hope or working together in a neighbourhood garden, we can link arms for the sake of the Great Turning to a life-sustaining future.

JOANNA MACY , author of Coming Back to Life

Ruair McKiernan takes time to look behind the stone walls of Ireland. Travelling from pillar to post, he takes note of what many of us sometimes fail to see. Always revealing, always caring and compassionate.

CHRISTY MOORE , singer-songwriter

The act of hitchhiking demands spontaneous interactiona subversive moment of community between strangers that is increasingly lost or avoided in lives dictated by algorithms and automated route planners. The insights Ruair McKiernan shares from people he meets on these freewheeling journeys somehow defy cynicism. The many voices in this book, from undocumented immigrants to young farmers, capture Ireland at a time of deep crisis but also radical change.

CAELAINN HOGAN , author of Republic of Shame

Ireland went through its Celtic Tiger phase, all consumerism and growth. And then it crashed. In the aftermath, Ruair McKiernan found that, like humans everywhere, what people really yearned for was community and connection, even if theyd almost forgotten how any of that worked. This is a tale that will resonate all over the world.

BILL MCKIBBEN , author of Wandering Home

Making a reader stop and think is something we should all want to achieve, and Ruair McKiernan succeeds. Ordinary people and their lived experiences are at the heart of this book. Hitching for Hope demonstrates that, despite a diversity of backgrounds, we all want the same things: to find peace and to help our families and communities flourish.

LYNN RUANE , Independent Senator; activist; author of People Like Me

After travelling around Ireland and listening rather than speaking, McKiernan has produced a personal diary, a guided tour of his native country and an Irish Canterbury Tales for the twenty-first century. Hitching for Hope is a package of hope itself, full of kindness, political observations and of course the craic. Irish at its core and international in its search for optimism and communal involvement, its an easy and uplifting read.

PEGGY SEEGER , singer-songwriter; author of First Time Ever

In this pilgrimage around modern Ireland, Ruair takes us to the peopleto the nations beating heart. At times we glimpse the light that, since the old Dark Ages, has been Irelands gift to a hungry world.

ALASTAIR MCINTOSH , author of Soil and Soul and Poachers Pilgrimage

Listening requires focus, attention, and awarenessskills that Ruair has perfected. He listens to so many different perspectives without reacting or debating, and opens his mind and heart to each of them. I highly recommend this book. I guarantee that you will not be able to put it down.

FRANCES BLACK , Independent Senator; singer; founder of RISE Foundation

Hitchhiking is the ultimate act of surrender and vulnerability where one must depend on the kindness of strangers and ones own inner patience. At a time of social and ecological transition, McKiernan opens himself to the road, offering up a moving window into the fears, dreams, and possibilities of the Irish land and people. More transporting than a travelogue, Hitching for Hope is a tale full of serendipitous encounters and the spirit of Irelands byways.

CHUCK COLLINS , Institute for Policy Studies; author of Born on Third Base

Funny, philosophical, and moving, this book illuminates a lesser-seen map of a better and kinder humanity. In an age of cynicism and despair, the stories and insights Ruair unveils are exactly the medicine we need to wake up and remember who we really are. Whether or not it persuades you to hitchhike to your next business meeting, this book will certainly remind you that peopleand the futuremay not be as scary as you thought.

AMANDA PALMER , singer-songwriter; author of The Art of Asking

Ruair McKiernan hitchhikes through Irelands soulits heartbeatto bring us an authentic and utterly compelling narrative. Think McCarthys Bar for the socially conscious. An important and enjoyable read from a trusted voice.

BRIAN OCONNELL , journalist; author of The Personals

Burnt out from his work as a community organizer, Ruair McKiernan decided to hit the road. He stuck out his thumband his neck, toohoping to learn something about himself and his country. A wholehearted testament to the power of deep listening and a beautiful glimpse into the Irish spirit, Hitching for Hope tells the story of his journey. There is cause for hope in these dark times, and Ruair found it in the people.

ANDREW FORSTHOEFEL , author of Walking to Listen

Hitching for Hope

A Journey into the Heart and Soul of Ireland

RUAIR MCKIERNAN

CHELSEA GREEN PUBLISHING

White River Junction, Vermont

London, UK

Copyright 2020 by Ruair McKiernan.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

Acquisitions Editor: Jon Rae

Developmental Editor: Natalie Wallace

Project Editor: Michael Metivier

Project Manager: Sarah Kovach

Copy Editors: Sarah Ingle and Jo Mortimer

Proofreader: Laura Jorstad

Indexer: Peggy Holloway

Designer: Melissa Jacobson

Printed in the United Kingdom.

First printing March 2020.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 20 21 22 23

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: McKiernan, Ruair, author.

Title: Hitching for hope : a journey into the heart and soul of Ireland / Ruair McKiernan.

Description: White River Junction, Vermont : Chelsea Green Publishing, [2020] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019049685 (print) | LCCN 2019049686 (ebook) | ISBN 9781603589574 (paperback) | ISBN 9781603589581 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: McKiernan, RuairTravelIreland. | Ireland--Social conditions1973- | IrelandPolitics and government1949- | IrelandHistory21st century.

Classification: LCC HN400.3.A8 M345 2020 (print) | LCC HN400.3.A8 (ebook) | DDC 306.09415dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019049685

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019049686

Chelsea Green Publishing

85 North Main Street, Suite 120

White River Junction, VT 05001

Somerset House

London, UK

www.chelseagreen.com

This book is dedicated to you, the reader,
for wherever you may need more hope in your life.

CONTENTS

WHEN THE CALL TO ADVENTURE COMES, IT DOESNT always make sense. It doesnt really need to. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith to jump in and trust that things are going to work out.

Hitchhiking teaches you this. It leaves you at the side of the road, thumb to the wind, not knowing who might stop, where they might be going and what conversations might follow. When youre hitching, you either let go of your plans and go with the flow, or risk frustration and impatience over that which is outside your control. In many ways its about surrendering to the path ahead.