Interview with Barry Moloney
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| Always a hit in Kinsale, now Barry covers the whole of Ireland. |
Barry Moloney is as Irish as a four leaf clover, and the greenest guide on our Ireland team. But that doesn't mean he's wet behind the ears. For several years, he's led half-day local tours for our Best of Ireland tour groups (to rave reviews), so this past summer Rick gave Barry a shot at leading his first 14-day Ireland tours. He's a big hit and one of our rising stars. Here's Barry's take on how it feels to be a new guide...and a soon-to-be newlywed!
You live in the very southern part of Ireland in the lovely town of Kinsale. What makes it different from other Irish towns?
Kinsale is a bright, exciting harbor town where food, sailing and history are kings. I live up river from the town so it's nice to have the balance between the vibrant, multicultural town and the rolling green fields and beaches of the countryside. I grew up on a farm with lots of hard work. This background gives me plenty to talk about as my groups and I pass through the countryside.
Kinsale has changed loads in my lifetime. When I was young, unemployment and emigration were huge problems. Nowadays Kinsale has three major employers; tourism, farming and multinational firms. (The Eli-Lilly pharmaceutical company has a base here, manufacturing most of the world's supply of Prozac. I often joke to tourists that, without knowing it, they have stumbled into Happy Valley!)
What has it been like making the transition from being a local guide to leading Best of Ireland tours?
From the moment I began guiding with Rick Steves I've felt part of an amazing team. From hotel staff to local guides to everyone in Edmonds I've felt everybody is on my side. To prepare, I firstly went along on three Best of Ireland tours as an assistant guide, which gave me a flavor of different guiding styles. And on my first two tours as a lead guide I had an assistant guide to help me!
What surprised me about the Best of Ireland tour is how well it covers modern history and the peace process in Northern Ireland. Listening to the other Rick Steves guides, I had some spine tingling moments connecting me deeply with my own history, especially the Potato Famine. The diversity of my home island — the accents, landscape, laughter, traditional music styles and literature — has been a joy to experience myself and to reveal to visitors. Especially to such open, grounded and responsive people as those who travel on Rick Steves tours.
| Is U2's Bono really the most popular man in Ireland? |
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| I must tell you a funny story that could only happen in Ireland. A friend of mine, Jackie, is Bono's biggest fan. Her dream came true last year when her husband got her tickets to see U2 perform in Dublin. They stayed in Dublin the night before, and went out for a meal. Jackie was amazed as she looked across the restaurant and saw Bono eating with a few friends! She said to her husband, "This is my chance to get his autograph!" He said "Calm down, let the man eat in peace. He must be annoyed by fans every few minutes." So Jackie resisted interrupting Bono's meal. However, when a guy who was eating with Bono walked past their table towards the rest rooms, she stopped him and begged him to get Bono's autograph for her. The guy laughed and later returned with a signed photo of Bono. Jackie was so happy, especially since Bono and his friends left shortly after. When Jackie and her husband had finished their meal, Jackie asked for the bill. The waitress said, "Don't worry, that's all paid for." Jackie said, "What? Bono paid for our meal? That's fantastic!" The waitress said, "No, his friend Bruce Springsteen did." Only in Ireland would "The Boss" be asked to get Bono's autograph! |
Do you really give language lessons to your tour members?
Some of the funniest differences between Americans and the Irish are in our use of English. Here are some examples of "Irish" English:
- "Cute" in Ireland means to be sly or cunning: "He is as cute as a fox!"
- "Craic" means fun: "Did you have good craic last night?"
- "Savage" can mean very good: "We had a savage night out last night" is a good thing!
- "Gas" means funny: "He's a gas man!"
- "Cat" means bad: "The weather was cat last winter."
I have great fun teaching my tour members Irish slang and phrases — and learning some American slang too. For example, I've learned that in America a "scheme" is something dodgy. But here in Ireland the government proudly funds many of them: "drainage schemes," "road schemes" and even "saving schemes"!
Tour members tell us you are a passionate surfer. In the freezing North Sea? Are you crazy?
Refreshing is the word for it! We get some amazing waves here though I need a thick wetsuit to enjoy the wild winter swells. There is nothing like it — surfing in a breathtaking natural landscape followed by the warm glow of great food, music and conversation! The best surf in Ireland is on the west and north coasts, as offshore winds prevail there.
You're about to take the big step and get married. What's it like to plan an Irish wedding?
My favorite place in Ireland is Dingle because that's where I proposed to Satoko, my fiancé — and she said Yes! So that was the first step.
We are planning a traditional "white wedding" in a beautiful small church in West Cork, attended by close family and friends. My girlfriend Satoko is from Japan, so we are going to combine Eastern and Western traditions (she might wear a kimono for the evening celebrations). In the evening we will have a meal in a local hotel near the sea, followed by music, dance and celebrations into the night. There will probably be hundreds of people at the evening celebrations, as I have 45 first cousins! I'm the last to get married from a family of 7 so we have plenty of wedding advisers. My sisters loved going wedding dress shopping with my fiancé and just this weekend she bought her dress!
Most people in Ireland have a church wedding, christening and burial even though church attendance is now at an all-time low. Traditions have a very strong hold on Irish people as we are a very spiritual and superstitious. My Mum will bake a rich fruit and whiskey wedding cake and all my family will have a turn in stirring the mix with a wooden spoon to give us luck. On the night before the wedding we will put a statue of the Infant of Prague in the garden to ensure that the weather will be fine on the wedding day (although here we say it's good fortune if it rains on your wedding day — so it's a win-win situation really)!
We are planning a European honeymoon, so when I come to Seattle in January to meet all of Rick Steves' European guides I will be picking their brains for ideas. At the moment we are thinking of the Cinque Terra in Italy!
What Barry won't tell you — here's how his tour alums rave about him:
"Barry is very well organized, very intelligent, conveys all his stories with great confidence and wit, always has a smile and is ever so thoughtful to everyone...and his enthusiasm and energy are fantastic. Aren't you lucky to have him! Rated: A+!"
— Eldrid in Santa Ana, CA — Best of Ireland in 14 Days, Sept. 2010
"Barry is now the bar by which I will measure any other tour guides. I do not want to gush, but he was so personable, so proud to show his country to others, so well versed in all matters of the tour that he literally brought the history to life. My trip will always be tied to my guide who so proudly showed us his Ireland."
— Cheryl in Kenmore, WA — Best of Ireland in 14 Days, Aug. 2010