''Round Ireland with a Fridge'' is a book by

Tony Hawks Antony Gordon Hawksworth, MBE (born February 27, 1960), known professionally as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author. Early life Born in Brighton, Sussex, Hawks was educated at Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School and Brighton ...

, first published in the UK in 1998. It sold over half a million copies. The book is loosely based on a journey made by Hawks in 1997, when he

hitchhiked Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

around Ireland while re-evaluating his life and career. He made the trip as a result of a £100 bet with a friend, after he had seen a man in Ireland hitchhiking with a

refrigerator A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...

. '' Publishers Weekly'' called the book "a bad parody of

Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comic ...

's travel books" but added that "In the end, Hawks's book becomes a lively celebration of contemporary Irish society and the goodwill of its people that neither revels in irony nor descends into mawkishness.

Film version

A film based on the book, directed by

Ed Bye Edward Richard Morrison Bye (born 12 June 1955) is a British film and TV producer and director. He directed the episodes of the Science fiction, science-fiction British sitcom, sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' from List of Red Dwarf episodes, Series I-IV and V ...

and starring Tony Hawks as himself,

Valerie O'Connor Valerie O'Connor is an Irish television actress, theatre actress and singer. She is best known for playing Det. Insp. Nikki Grogan in soap-opera '' Red Rock'' and Miss Jervis in ''ROY''. Personal life O'Connor lives in Dublin city centre, but ...

as Roisin Mulvaney, Ed Byrne as Dylan Daley, Sean Hughes as Brendan, Josie Lawrence as Sandra, Andy Taylor as Kevin, Sara Crowe as Nicole. The film was released in 2010. It was shown at the Cambridge Film Festival, to mixed reviews, and then released on DVD.

References

{{reflist 1998 non-fiction books