REVIEWS OF CONNEMARA MOLLIE

This is a well-written account of a journey through Ireland, full of witty observations, a vivid sense of place and wonderful descriptions of people encountered along the way, but it's also much more than that. Essentially, it's a love story. Hilary and Mollie (the Connemara pony she bought for the journey) were strangers at the beginning of their adventure, but as they travelled together through Ireland an extraordinary bond grew between them. Their relationship and their journey are described with such honesty and warmth that I began to feel I was riding alongside, experiencing every joy and setback.

Victoria Eveleigh, author of A Stallion called Midnight

Hilary Bradt (publisher of Bradt Guides) recalls her journey across rural Ireland among the people of Galway, Mayo, Clare and Kerry in the 1980s in this sweet — and surreptitiously affecting — memoir. Quickly sketching her love of travel and adventure and ponies in the first two chapters, she chronicles her ride from Connemara to the Dingle Peninsula. An ode to her youth, horses, Ireland and a momentous event all those many years ago, Connemara Mollie is ultimately a tribute to an unusually personable white pony. The irrepressible Hilary promises a second volume (with a happy ending)

Longitude, USA

 

The straightforward travel diary structure is engaging, but it is the tale of Bradt’s relationship with her pony that really sets this traveller’s tale apart. The fact that she is recounting her journey at a remove of 25 years brings a sense of clarity to the book – she is able to relate with a reflective, dispassionate tone. This only adds to the telling of the story: her writing is never showy, but she has an ability to capture people and places in a few short sentences. This true-life adventure has a charm all of its own.

The Connemara Journal