When Walking in Ireland
Avoid the Slurry Pits!

by Gail M. Davis
(Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA)

What do you mean it's not mud???

In 2004, I had the opportunity to spend three weeks in Ireland. It was my first trip to Europe but I went with two friends, both of whom had been to Ireland several times.

We rented a car and drove from tip to tip, staying in B&B's along the way. We spent our first day in Ireland on a dairy farm, visiting with a farmer that my friends met on a previous trip.

We walked for hours and hours on his gorgeous land, stepping over mud and cow patties as we went along. The closer we got to the barn, the more treacherous our path became.

We were walking on the very edge to avoid the deep mud when I lost my footing. My fleeting thought as I was falling was that my feet would be covered in mud. Imagine my shock and horror when I sank to my thighs and realized that I was standing in a slurry pit! One arm and both legs were covered in cow manure!

After what seemed like endless laughter and pictures, I asked my friend to help me out of the pit. Her instant reply was, “I’m not touching you.” Thank goodness I had one clean hand or I’d probably still be there.

The only one who didn’t think it was hysterically funny was the farmer. When we asked if he would tell his pub friends about the crazy Americans, he said no because they wouldn’t believe it.

He added in his Irish brogue, “Even the cows know better!”