Whilst in Ireland for an International Song Competition, Tony Hawks was amazed to see a hitch-hiker, trying to thumb a lift, but with a fridge. This seemed amazingly optimistic - his Irish friends, however, thought nothing of it at all.
"I had clearly arrived in a country", writes Tony, "where the qualification for ‘eccentric’ involved a great deal more than that to which I had become used". Years pass... but the fridge incident haunts our author.
Until one night, heavy with drink, he finds himself arguing about Ireland with a friend. It is, he insists, a "magical place", so magical in fact, that a man could even get a lift with a fridge.
The next morning there is a note by the bed. "I hereby bet Tony Hawks the sum of One Hundred Pounds that he cannot hitch hike around the circumference of Ireland with a fridge within one calendar month." The document was signed. The bet was made. This book is the story of Tony’s adventures through that incredible month. The people he meets, the difficulties, the triumphs. The fridge.
Round Ireland With A Fridge became a top 10 Sunday Times bestseller in 1998 in the United Kingdom, was serialised on BBC Radio 4, and led to a six month TV advertising campaign for HARP Irish Lager.
It has now sold over 500,000 copies worldwide including the US and Australia,and has been translated into several languages; Hebrew, Italian, Dutch and German.
In 2010, a movie was made based on the book, see
http://roundirelandwithafridge.com/
