If Pete McCarthy seemed a bit odd to folks as he traveled the world in search of McCarthys, than imagine what the Irish locals made of Kevin O'Hara, after he decided to travel by donkey cart around the Irish countryside. As eccentric as this sounds, the roots of what became O'Hara's new memoir "Last of the Donkey Pilgrims" lay in pain and suffering. At one point in his life, O'Hara found himself newly married to a beautiful woman. Yet he was full of rage. A Vietnam veteran, he was still haunted by the horrors of war. These memories threatened to tear his life apart. In desperation, O'Hara went to Ireland seeking solace in the green fields, open skies, and presence of friends and relatives. But it wasn't until he plotted to travel the length and width of Ireland by donkey that O'Hara found the therapy he was looking for. Neighbors near O'Hara's grandmother's farmhouse predicted the odd American wouldn't get far, much less circle the entire island of Ireland. But Kevin, as well as Missy (that's the donkey) were determined to complete the months-long 1,800-mile journey, and along the way, locate peace of mind for O'Hara. "Last of the Donkey Pilgrims" is, to say the least, a unique contribution to the vast field of Irish memoirs. ($25.95 / 400 pages / Forge Books)