On Celtic Tides
by Chris Duff
1999

"I breathed, ate, slept, and lived with the sea and the tides. Within that physical world of listening and patiently watching there was a growing spiritual connection that went beyind the spoken words. the paddling life quieted me and the exposure, both physically and emotionally, made the entire day an ongoing form of prayer." Chris Duff

"On Celtic Tides" has some truly beautiful prose that merit a read of this book on that basis alone. The Isle of Ireland must truly be a magical place.

Duff traverses the perimeter Island in a sea kayak. He writes of treacherous seas and tidal waters that flank him if he is mentally unprepared. Other parts of the journey sport calm seas and a mystical presense of the spirit of the seas. In one magical instance a huge majestic basking shark appears out of the mist on a calm and serene morning.

The coastline of Ireland is filled with special places and special people. Duff sleeps in and around the ruins of monastaries. One night he spends in a stone beehive hut sleeping on a slab of stone. The most engaging parts of the story were the times he spent on the small islands only miles off the mainland. Some islands were deserted, while others were inhabited, clinging to a sense of tradition, at the same time seeking a piece of the economic pie of the mainland. This struggle is happening all over the globe, and it is sad to see the modern pulling at the traditional in Ireland.

At the time of Duff's journey there was some violence prevelant in Northern Ireland and it made for a fair juxtapose to the serenity of the trip. The violence interupted his internal serenity and jolted him at times into the reality of life in a violent society - strife vs. serenity.

"Out of the thicket of briars and ferns it rose like the walls of a fotified city. Eight to ten feet high, perfectly flat on top, and twelve to fifteen feet wide, the walls curved gradually out of sight. Beneath the white-gray sky that mirrored the rock, I walked into the walled monastary."

Chris Duff on his kayak somewhere

around Ireland or England

If I had a criticism of "On Celtic Tides" I would have to say that the book could've been condensed. There were no real surprises or suspense, except when Duff had to swim out to rescue a young boy who was riding in Duff's kayak while the boy's father pushed him around. The boy somehow got loose from his father and was being carried out to sea by the tide. It could have been a real tragedy. Somehow we all learn lessons from such misfortunes. What the book lacks in excitement is made up for in the great nature/travel writing. Additionally, we also have to consider that Chris Duff is not a writer by trade and this is his first book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who plans on travelling in Ireland. It teaches the traveler that the less touristy road less traveled would be the way to see Ireland.