Remote From Adventure

A Young American’s Cycling Tour of Ireland in 1973

Matthew Stout

This book is the story of Matthew Stout’s trip to Ireland in 1973, based on his journals from the time and his long letters home. It describes an Ireland that is at once familiar but also now largely lost. Matt cycles all around the country, weaving in and out of counties, stopping for pints, sandwiches, chats with the locals and the ticking off of the ‘wonders of Ireland’. He takes us back to a time that was grim for many reasons, but this account is shot through with the humour of people and with the abandon of youth. He encounters the Irish from every walk of life, and in this way gets under the skin of the country – and tells us about it from his unique perspective.

"Matthew Stout has crafted a charming, accessible, often hilarious and deeply personal account of his travels through Ireland that is at once a personal memoir, a travel book and an ode to this island ... a beautiful travel memoir that will be treasured by anyone who has ever visited Ireland and it is quite possible that this book will remind those of us who live here just how fortunate we are." Eoin Colfer

Matthew Stout lectured on medieval history in the School of History and Geography, St Patrick’s Campus, DCU until his retirement in 2022.