John O'Sullivan Letter from Samoa Scorchio, as they would say in the Fast Show. Descending from 35,000 feet and hitting the runway with a thud that raised one or two eyebrows, a final glance at the flight screen statistics showed the outside air temperature was 25 degrees; it was 11 o'clock on Monday night.
It offered an inkling of the wall of heat that would assail the Irish squad as they stepped from Air New Zealand flight NZ56 to the tarmac of Apia airport, the final stop on a summer tour that had taken them from Perth in Australia to Nuku'alofa in Tonga and finally Samoa.
Another airport, another set of paperwork, this time three forms to be completed and the usual silent shuffle past immigration and customs officials. The travelling party are now multiple-choice veterans, able to complete any form in under 60 seconds, capable of reciting passport numbers backwards and discussing at length the merits of departure tax.
The drive from the airport to Aggie Grey's hotel takes a little under 45 minutes and immediately one is struck by the affluence of the dwellings in comparison to Tonga. Ireland's base for the last four nights is acclaimed throughout the Pacific and beyond.
Accommodation is a mixture of "fales" - endemic wooden structures - and beautifully maintained and spotlessly clean rooms, complete with a wonderful air conditioning system. Many famous Hollywood stars have bedded down at Aggie Grey's. There are two Marlon Brando (filming Mutiny on the Bounty) fales, another named after William Holden.
The Gary Cooper poolside bar needs little elaboration while hundreds of celebrity faces stare down from the walls in signed and framed photographs. Its most famous occupant though was the lady after whom it was named, Agnes (Aggie) Grey.
She presided over the establishment - since her death in 1988 it has been renovated - until just after her 91st birthday and the hotel is run and owned by her children and grandchildren. She was, by all accounts, a remarkable lady, celebrated in Samoan culture, a fact illustrated by her likeness on postage stamps.
Aggie's father, Willie Swann, roving son of a British colonialist, arrived on the island in 1888 and fell in love with Pele, a 15-year-old daughter of a Samoan chieftain. Aggie (1897) was the second of three daughters and a son born to the couple before her mother died of tuberculosis at the tender age of 30.
She witnessed momentous times through a life that was at times burdened by bankruptcies, bereavements and several ill-fated love affairs.
She watched Samoa oscillate between German and American control before the country finally gained independence in 1962. Her legacy is manifest not just in the bricks and mortar of the hotel but in the 16 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren to whom she was devoted.
Situated on the harbour in Apia the decor and structure is a throwback to the colonial era, a luxurious resting place for battle-fatigued Irish limbs. Another famous immigrant was the author Robert Louis Stevenson, who spent the last six years of his relatively short life on the island.
His magnificent house and grounds have been lovingly restored by the US-based Robert Louis Stevenson Museum/Preservation Foundation Inc. Stevenson's library contains over 400 first and subsequent editions of his works, including three rare first editions: Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde.
His tomb is situated on top of a hill that affords stunning views of the island, a wonderful reward for those who are prepared to tackle the ridiculously steep incline. The media party, being culture vultures, refused to be daunted but it was a photo finish.
Michael Corcoran and Billy Stickland were reduced to sweaty, gibbering wrecks, as the toil of the climb caused palpitations. Several stops and the removal of several items of clothing, stopping just short of contravening the decency laws.
Apia offers little in the way of distraction, the Irish players venturing farther afield to snorkel and play golf at Royal Samoa Golf Club. Here I would like to point out that Ireland's defensive coach Mike Ford is a fine, if short-hitting, 16-handicap golfer and was the fully deserving, and in no way jammy, winner of those six "skins".
The sweltering heat and humidity ensured that the first couple of training sessions were gruelling affairs for the players, the acclimatisation a slow process, probably explaining why many of the party were content to lounge by the pool.
The team's arrival has generated plenty of column inches in the local English-language newspaper, the Samoan Times, although the crew of a local television network were less than happy when refused entry to an Irish training session. They devoted a good three minutes on the news to the lack of access.
For David Quinlan and Paddy Wallace the last few days, since the team announcement, have been difficult as they became the only two players in the 30 who will not tog out for any of the three matches on the tour. Jonathan Bell's excellent performance against Tonga was the death knell for Quinlan's chances while Wallace has been injured for much of the tour.
The Ireland squad splinters on arrival in Auckland tomorrow with several players jetting off for holidays in America, Mexico and Australia. For the remainder there is the prospect of a 42-hour journey home and the knowledge that while their experiences of Tonga and Samoa may never be repeated, they won't easily be forgotten.
