I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with Dublin’s Inkslingers this weekend. They are a writing group based in the Irish Writer’s Centre, and each week you get half an hour to write a piece based on a given prompt.

I’ve always wanted to do the Viking Splash tour and wear the helmet and roar at unsuspecting passers-by. I’d asked for tickets for the tour for my birthday a few years ago, but covid hit, birthdays were cancelled and then I heard the Viking Splash Tours were no more.  

But earlier this year, I saw one of those big yellow yokes driving through the city with behelmeted tourists doing their best impression of a roar. I resubmitted my request for tickets and in June my family and I donned the helmets and off we went.  

I didn’t know how things would go. I’ve a one child with Down Syndrome who can object to the most random of things, and another child who is excelling at teenage angst. My husband doesn’t like anything touristy, or Oirish so I was the only one looking forward to it. But feck it, it was my birthday and I’d enjoy it if I wanted to. 

Once on board we were given our Viking helmets and instructed on how to do the roar. With much eye rolling, my family obliged and off we trundled at low speed through the city streets. Somewhere along the way, we acquired a nutter on a tricycle who, along with his little dog, raced us through the streets of Ringsend and Irishtown, shouting and roaring at us to the great bemusement of all. 

To the mortification of my family, the tour guide got everyone to sing Happy Birthday and, despite their best efforts to look cool and above such nonsense, the beaming smiles of my little family was the best present on the day.