The Shannon Sailors

Kevin, Christopher, Rory, Cormac-how Irish the names are themselves! They belong to Leonard Wibberley's four Sons, then ranging in age from ten to twenty, for whom he planned this voyage-that they might see with him the land where he was born; and that he, in turn, might see it afresh through their eyes. Two factors dictated the mode of travel: one, Mr. Wibberley's affinity for water; and, two, the circumstance that the Shannon, running north and south, divides Ireland almost exactly in two and provides, therefore, unique viewing points all along its course. And so in Limerick the Wibberleys rented a cabin cruiser, a craft which quickly became a major actor in the piece. For Leonard Wibberley is a mariner, all right: but he is a deep-water sailing man and a cabin cruiser on the twisting, shifting Shannon was something else again. Even as far into the voyage as the Grand Canal, which heads into Dublin, minor perils, misadventures and surprises were the order of the day, adding their considerable weight of humor and excitement to the book. All the while, opening up, to front and to starboard, was the storied countryside, both to be explored and to be commented upon. Whether the subject is a quest for a precious violin or the unspeakableness of Irish food; the castle the Wibberieys coveted or the Irish concept of time (extremely devil-may-care); a salute to the town of Limerick or homage to the priceless Book of Keils, the author's observations and reflections are acute, humorous, inimitable. In short, a delightful and sustaining reading experience, with that special glow - that proceeds from a man of Irish extraction writing about his native sod.