Ireland in the sun
Wherever you go in Jamaica you will find an Irish influence and a warm welcome akin to our own
IT’S RARE that anyone can easily call to mind 30 of the best minutes of their life. But as I sit on the wooden veranda of the tiny Eggy’s Bar at Treasure Beach on the south-west corner of Jamaica I’m hard pushed to think of anything that could beat it. Watching pelicans dive-bombing into the turquoise waters of the Caribbean ocean for fish with a cold bottle of Red Stripe in hand certainly has to be up there.
The only other people here are some local kids darting across the golden sands in between the fishing boats and a rather striking Rastafarian I assume to be the eponymous owner sitting with two customers shooting the breeze, if there was one. I don’t really have the time but determined to drag this out for as long as possible I order another.
I get chatting to Eggy and once he hears my accent he insists I come behind the bar to see last year’s poster for his annual St Patrick’s Day beach party.
‘Jamirish!’ he exclaims to the two ladies he has been sharing a drink with. With that one of them rises to her feet with arms open and wraps me in a hug. Her name is Dee who hails originally from Glasnevin. Surprising? Not entirely. The Irish and
the Jamaicans go way back and this welcoming show of friendliness is just one of the traits that we share and which can be found all across the island. In 1655 the British captured Jamaica from the Spanish.
Initially Oliver Cromwell’s army shipped thousands of men, women and young girls in shackles from Connaught to Barbados.
But with Jamaica being the larger, and therefore more lucrative, of the two islands it was here on its sugar plantations that many would eventually end up.
Today the island is dotted with towns such as Dublin Castle, Sligoville and Athenry, locally pronounced At-Henry.
Most surprisingly in some parts of the island many Jamaicans speak with a distinct Cork lilt and in others you can find stone built walls more reminiscent of Donegal than the West Indies.
And the similarities don’t end there. Jamaicans are some of the warmest, friendliest people you could meet. While I was told they might not be as immediately open as the Irish once they warm up there is no denying a shared sense of humor.
Capital Kingston is without doubt full of character but most visitors typically use it as a starting point before hitting the beaches but if you are a music lover a couple of days in town is a must. Its most famous son of course is reggae legend Bob Marley.
Trench Town was home to Bob growing up and it is where he formed the Wailers and learnt the musical skills that helped him write some of his biggest hits.
Today it is home to the Trench Town Culture Yard housing exhibitions in some of the former dwellings. To get to sit on the steps where Marley co-wrote ‘No Woman No Cry’ is something of a thrill.
It is well worth a visit for any Reggae fans to get a feel for Marley’s world.
Breakfast the following morning consists of rum cake and some of the world’s finest coffee at Craighton Estate in Irish Town.
Our host Junior explains that the surrounding mountain peaks poking through the clouds is not a sign of impending bad weather but just the midday mist putting up her umbrella to shade the coffee beans against the afternoon sun.
WE NEXT head to the resort town of Ocho Rios and the sprawling ClubHotel Riu. With its pristine beaches and opulent rooms it would be very easy not to leave at all.
But we were here to escape the comfort of the resorts and get out and explore the island.
To be honest I’m more used to exploring cities where museums, cafes and bars take up much of my time. Not on this tropical playground.
We spend the next few days freefalling from rope swings into warm rivers and scaling cascading waterfalls. A bike ride through the rainforests high up in the Blue Mountains offers incredible views of the canopy of eucalyptus and banana trees in the valleys below.
Earlier during the week we had climbed up into the mountains past the ‘Shamrock Sports Bar’ and the ‘Pot o Gold’ gas station through villages named Content and Tranquility to Strawberry Hill for another taste of home, a cocktail in the company of U2.
The former home of Island Records founder Chris Blackwell is now a luxury retreat and its walls are adorned with the many gold and platinum discs of those signed to the label including Bono and Co.
There are huge photographs everywhere too of the like of Grace Jones, Sting and Marianne Faithfull but unfortunately the staff are far too discreet to be drawn on the details of any of the parties which have taken place there over the years.
We visited Jamaica during hurricane season but luckily the weather couldn’t have been better. Ironically we would fly home just as Ireland’s first, Ophelia, was touching down. We experienced one afternoon tropical storm that left us slightly stranded on a rum plantation meaning that even then it wasn’t all bad!
Both Jamaica’s rum and its traditional food are delicious with jerk chicken and curried goat sold from small roadside kitchens almost everywhere. Chicken is big in Jamaica with even the alligators being big fans. A boat safari through the dense mangroves of the Black River takes us to a clearing where our guide uses some to coax a huge male over to our boat. One of our group is more than happy to lie down and reach in for a handshake but I quickly decline!
Our home for the last two nights is Jake’s at Treasure Beach. Further proof that
the island has music at its very heart the hotel was once owned by film-maker Perry Haskell who directed the most famous feature film to come out of Jamaica, 1972’s "The Harder They Come’. Today Perry’s son Jason and his family look after the place and if you come to Jamaica looking for a corner of paradise then look no further.
Over the years Jason’s mother Sally, a set-designer, set about building a series of cottages on the property for friends to stay in when visiting and now they make up this idyllic boutique accommodation.
A saltwater pool creates a centerpiece shaded by trees with a waterfront bar and a jetty where you can enjoy a sundowner in between swims. No wonder the boys from U2 are frequent guests here as well.
On our last morning I mention over breakfast to Jason that I would have loved to have visited the nearby Pelican Bar having come all this way but unfortunately we have to leave for the airport in a couple of hours.
Described as ‘the best place on the planet’ to enjoy a beer Jason advised me he couldn’t let that happen.
Shortly we were on the 20-minute boat ride to the bar which is built on a sand bar in what feels like the middle of the Carribean Sea.
This ramshackle watering-hole sits on stilts with banana leaves for a roof and really has to be seen to be believed. A very quick beer later and accompanied by a small pod of dolphins we were back on the boat for the penultimate journey of an incredible trip.
I celebrate my birthday in March and with a big one coming up in a few years time I figure that is plenty of notice to round up the troupes and get saving for a Paddy’s Day to remember at Eggy’s!