Stories of hitch-hikers and giving lifts

creeper1 · 06-04-2025 12:01PM #1

Ok I'll try a tamer version of this thread since the other one was closed.

Have you met any interesting characters either getting a lift or giving one?

A while back when I was working nights I gave a hitchhiker that had been drinking a lift.

He was very thankful and invited me into his house that was on the way. I think the family was sleeping since it was about 2 am but he had his family's pictures in the room and introduced and talked a bit about them.

He asked if there's anything I need he'd get it for me (implication being he'd steal it). I declined.

Anybody have stories to share?

Conall Cernach · 06-04-2025 12:10PM

Back when i was a young fella around 89/90 I had a very slight build and long hair. I used to regularly hitch home about 6 miles from town. Got a lift one day from this well dressed fella in a good motor and all the way home (10 minutes probably) he was asking me about was I not afraid some man would make a grab for me and attack me. Every now and then I could see him looking at my legs and crotch area. I said I was well fit to look after myself as I taught karate, which I did. It was only when I got out that I thought he might have initially thought I was a girl due to my long hair when he stopped for me and maybe he was going to attack someone.

amandstu · 06-04-2025 12:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058405236/stories-of-hitch-hikers-and-giving-lifts

Which was the other hitch hiking thread that was closed?

This one was not closed .It just ended naturally -it is still free to view.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058366648/hitch-hiking-a-thing-of-the-past/p1

(the double posting glitch on the site has returned I see)

06-04-2025 12:11PM

I thumbed the whole country as a youth in the early 90s

One day while thumbing from Maynooth to Galway a guy who was going Ballinasloe stopped in Moat because he was "thirsty" and went in for a few pints.

I got out and continued on my way.

Another time a priest gave me a lift from Galway to Castlebar and stopped in a pub in every village and town on the way.

It was Holy Thursday and he was nervous about his duties that night.

I was drunk by the time I got home.

In case anyone thinks otherwise about a priest plying a young hitchhiker with drink, he was sound, nothing suspicious about him ever, he just had a drink problem.

suvigirl · 06-04-2025 12:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123331429#Comment_123331429

Nah, was a super creepy one about young good looking women hitch hiking…..

FishOnABike · 06-04-2025 12:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123331434#Comment_123331434

A Fr. Jack Hackett by any chance? 😉

amandstu · 06-04-2025 12:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123331428#Comment_123331428

One of my first lifts was from a lorry driver who let me know he might not be able to resist doing what you just described. I told him to stop the lorry and I got out.

My first two lifts in this country came ,bizarrely from two priests one of which seemed concerned about whether I had girlfriend and why not.

My later gf was "detoured" into a vineyard off the road and had to fight him off ,calling him an inadequate and arriving home at 2 in the morning.

cj maxx · 06-04-2025 01:06PM

Thumbed the length of the country in my youth . Various highlights include a lift from a hearse , with coffin on a Friday the 13th . Empty coffin .
Getting a lift from Cork straight to Monaghan , very lucky .

Getting lifts with absolutely lunatic drivers and surviving .

I lifted a Scottish girl who also worked as a hooker for lorry drivers . Good looking but needed a wash .
Getting stuck , more than once in the hitchhikers hell that is Longford .

I ended up driving an artic while the driver took a nap .

Dan Steely · 06-04-2025 02:46PM

Was hitch-hiking locally one night and got picked up by a politician heading up to Dublin. He drove slouched back in his seat steering with his right hand and using the edge of the passenger seat as an arm rest for his left arm. Of course he couldn't avoid brushing against my leg. Asked me would I like to go to Dublin with him instead of going home. Said he had a nice apartment up there. Nope.

Another night I couldn't get a lift and had walked about half of the 12km home. No cars passing at all until a speeding ambulance with blues on passed. About 5 minutes later a van pulled over. Passenger window went down and the driver called out for me to jump in quick. He asked did I see an ambulance pass. Said it was it was his wife who was having a miscarriage. He was still good enough to stop. A few months I met the three of them in town.

creeper1 · 06-04-2025 02:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123331468#Comment_123331468

That last paragraph seems a bit disjointed. What happened to your girlfriend?

Presumably that was an entirely separate incident and you were not there?

amandstu · 06-04-2025 02:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123331852#Comment_123331852

Yes ,she was hitching home alone.(no mobile phones then in the 70s).

I had previously advised her not to resist if this sort of thing was to happen but she got angry with the poor excuse for a human and remonstrated with him ,telling him he should get out and find a woman who actually wanted him.

He dumped her in the middle of the countryside (not having had his way) and she continued her journey ,arriving at 2 in the morning as we were waiting for her to show up.

creeper1 · 06-04-2025 03:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123331877#Comment_123331877

I see. That is indeed quite a bit of time ago and it could have been much, much worse.

Mattyonthepatty · 06-04-2025 04:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123331434#Comment_123331434

The good ole days.

z80CPU · 06-04-2025 05:21PM

October 1981

Dad driving me age 9 back to Dublin from County Sligo in the family Ford Escort Mk1

Dad decides to pick up this farmer and boy is he drunk sozzled on whiskey. farmer talked about some miscreant goat of his. Farmer was in good humour. Dad drove inebriated farmer about 7 miles before farmer got out. Better times then.

con747 · 06-04-2025 05:35PM

Back in the 80's when I was driving around the country for a living in a Hiace van if I didn't have much in the back I would throw a 3 seater couch in it for when there was more than 2 hitch hikers. Usually picked up a couple nearly everyday back then especially around the ring of Kerry.

Stories of hitch-hikers and giving lifts

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