skip to main content

FRANCIS BRENNAN’S GRAND INDIAN TOUR ***FINAL***

Nurse Karen Hurley with Francis Brennan, Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Nurse Karen Hurley with Francis Brennan, Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Description: Nurse Karen Hurley with Francis Brennan, Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Description: Andrew McKenna, Nollaig McAndrew, Eddie Mc Daid, Edel Corcoran, David Martin, Francis Brennan, Josephine Walsh, Sean O’Mahony, Jo Coughlan, Kathleen Mac Donald, Karen Hurley, Deirdre McDonagh and Noreen Coughlan - Francis Brennan's Grand Tour, RTÉ One
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Description: (LtoR) Nollaig McAndrew, Eddie Mc Daid, Andrew McKenna, Deirdre McDonagh,Karen Hurley, Francis Brennan, Jo Coughlan, Edel Corcoran and Sean O'Mahony - Francis Brennan's Grand Tour, RTÉ One
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Description: Deirdre McDonagh, Eddie Mc Daid, Kathleen Mac Donald, Karen Hurley, Nollaig McAndrew, Andrew McKenna, Tour guide Davinder Singh, Francis Brennan, Josephine Walsh, David Martin, Sean O'Mahony, Jo and Noreen Coughlan and Edel Corcoran. Francis Brennan's Grand Tour, RTÉ One
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Description: (LtoR) Andrew McKenna, Edel Corcoran, Karen Hurley, Noreen Coughlan, Kathleen Mac Donald, Jo Coughlan, Nollaig McAndrew, David Martin, Josephine Walsh, Eddie Mc Daid, Francis Brennan, Deirdre McDonagh and Sean O’Mahony - Francis Brennan's Grand Tour, RTÉ One
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One
Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Image Name: Francis Brennan's Grand Indian Tour, RTÉ One Description: Nollaig McAndrew, Kathleen Mac Donald, Jo Coughlan, Edel Corcoran, Deirdre McDonagh, Francis Brennan, Noreen Coughlan, Eddie Mc Daid, David Martin and Andrew McKenna. - Francis Brennan's Grand Tour, RTÉ One

FRANCIS BRENNAN’S GRAND INDIAN TOUR

PROGRAMME 6 – DELHI  – SYNPOSIS

This summer Francis Brennan is putting his 5 star day job on hold as he takes 12 paying guests on a surprise trip of a lifetime to India’s Golden Triangle.

This is the final episode of the Grand Indian Tour – so far the 12 have seen it all from spectacular forts and palatial monuments to the grimy allure of Delhi’s backstreets.

Always keen for his tour to absorb the diversity of Indian culture, Francis is looking forward to sharing the delights of India’s national rail system. Preschool teacher Kathleen Macdonald from Co Dublin had imagined travelling in luxury;  “It’s just not what I expected. I was visualizing the Orient express with the trolley going past with tea and cakes”.

Meanwhile sisters Jo & Noreen Coughlan from Co Cork had a scary experience when they accidently board the wrong carriage on the train and get separated from the rest of the group. “I got an awful fright, we were jammed in the middle. I actually thought I was going to pass out”. The experience was equally frightening for younger sister Josephine, “We were actually afraid there, just desperate, daunting like”.  

Painter Decorator Eddie Mc Daid from Co Donegal is delighted to be on the train as he explains, “I haven’t been on a train for about 15 years because as you know there are no trains in Donegal. I didn’t think it would be as smooth and as easy as this, it’s great”.

After the train journey, 24-year-old nurse Karen Hurley and B&B owner Josephine Walsh go for some much needed pamper session – Indian style. Francis has booked them in for an Ayurvedic treatment, one of the worlds oldest holistic healing treatments. It’s definitely not your average massage as Josephine Walsh soon discovered, “This is scary. I don’t know what’s happening next”.

Meanwhile the rest of the group go for some Bollywood dancing, but Francis is  concerned, “I wouldn’t be sure about my Bollywood dancing. I think it’s a whole pile of us doing the same thing at the same time and I wouldn’t be good at that”. Noreen Coughlan from Co Cork loved it – “ Oh I loved it. It was fun! Even though I was getting half of it wrong. I thought I was doing Riverdance”, and Francis didn’t hold back on correcting Noreen – “She got it wrong again. What are we going to do with you? She’s all over the place doing roly-poly’s. I don’t know what that was about”.

On their last full day of Francis Brennan’s Grand Indian Tour, the twelve holidaymakers are now confident to head off on their own, and it’s not long before they are targeted by a friendly group of henna artists. The temporary tattoo is made from the ground leaves of the henna plant, mixed with water, lemon juice and strong tea.  It doesn’t take long for Painter Decorator Eddie Mc Daid from Co Donegal is completely covered in henna tattoos, “It’s a good job I’m not here for another week. I’ll never be let out on my own again!”

On the last evening of Francis Brenna’s Grand Indian Tour – the time has come to reflect on the highs and lows of a full- on, ten day immersion in the culture and climate of the world’s most diverse, populous and astonishing country. “Some I think when they go home now they’ll be changed people which is interesting”.

For 66 year old Painter decorator Eddie McDaid from Co Donegal, “It got me out of my comfort zone, gave me confidence. That’s what India and this trip done for me”.

24 year old nurse Karen Hurley from Co Cork, “ India’s been a life changing experience. Everything here is different. It’s been really cool to see”.

Financial advisor Sean O’Mahony admits, “I’m going to look at life totally different”. And it is clear that the trip has had a big impact on B&B owner Josephine Walsh from Bantry; “We all reach a moment of finding ourselves and questioning ourselves and India’s done that with me”.