Round Ireland with a Fridge

Ireland may be the one country in the world where the strangest behavior will be received with humour and hospitality. The Irish people are warm, generous and open to all kinds of illogical ideas. There may be no other country where it is possible to go hitch-hiking with a household appliance and experience not a dreadful ordeal but a wonderful journey on which firm new friendships are instantly made.

It had been years since Tony Hawks had seen a man standing in an Irish country lane, trying to hitch a ride with a fridge, but he couldn’t forget the sight, or the idea. One night, he made a bet with a friend, Kevin, that he could hitch-hike around Ireland with a fridge. It was a crazy idea and a foolish bet, but it led to an amazing and amusing adventure.

Tony and his fridge started their memorable journey in Dublin. They took a bus to a small town named Kells, where the people were as friendly else in Ireland, and from there the true journey began. Tony and his fridge hitched lifts from town to town, meeting interesting people and having strange, wonderful and downright silly adventures,. A popular radio show became interested in their journey and covered their progress on air, so that soon almost everyone in Ireland knew about ‘Fridge Man’ and wanted to help in any way they could, if only by thinking of a crazy activity for the fridge to take part in.

Their journey included a trip to Tory Island to meet the poorest king in the world and a bizarre surfing expedition. They entered (and won) a bachelor competition and provided the inspiration for what was possibly the world’s first ‘Fridge Party’. They slept in guest houses, hostels, and even a dog house. They traveled by car, lorry, boat, and even by horse-box. The fridge became a celebrity and was signed by students, landlords, tourists, reporters and nuns. Tony and his fridge attracted attention from newspapers and TV stations, as well as radio stations, because everyone wanted to know what had inspired him to make such an absurd journey.

Despite experiencing some difficulties and set-backs, Tony and his fridge managed to complete their journey and arrived in Dublin once again to find a warm welcome from those who had heard of his travels. He finally met the radio presenter who had been following and assisting his progress and he decided to write a book about his adventure. It had been an amazing experience which he would never forget and which would certainly entertain others. Tony felt happy as he traveled to Dublin airport by taxi. He was leaving Ireland, but he knew he would return one day, with or without his fridge!

Part Three: Reading Comprehension