Since September 1919, Moeran had not set foot on the island of Ireland. The abrupt termination of that visit had probably been due either to his having found himself in difficulties with some faction of the Republican or Nationalist movements or to his having become disillusioned with the increasing violence. Remaining away from Ireland may well have been a condition imposed by his mother in exchange for her supporting him in London. However, sixteen years later, the influence of his mother on his behaviour and actions was much less, and the passage of time since the establishment of the Irish Free State may perhaps have lessened any residual risk. Moeran travelled to Ireland for a visit in early January 1936, and by mid-month he was staying in The Lodge at the Lansdowne Arms Hotel in Kenmare. The letter that he had written to Harriet Cohen on 27 September confirms that his visit to Ireland had been planned some time in advance. It is, therefore, reasonable to ask why he decided after all these years to visit Ireland and with whom, if anybody, he travelled. Largely through his own fault, the previous year had been very trying for Moeran, but the possible rejection by his family may well have affected him emotionally. While a reconciliation was made later in the year, he had already made his plans to undertake an extended visit to Ireland.

According to Cunningham and Fleischmann, Moeran visited Ireland with Arnold Bax: ‘In 1936, Arnold Bax brought another English composer to the Fleischmanns who, like himself, felt very much at home in Ireland: E. J. Moeran.’1 While Bax had originally met Moeran in 1918, and they had also associated with each other during the Eynsford cottage years, it is not clear how close their friendship had become during that time. In writings on Moeran hitherto, much has been made of his friendship with Bax, but this has largely been predicated on Bax's unreliable memories as recorded in his writings. Nonetheless, it may be significant that Moeran addressed Harriet Cohen in his letters as Tania, which was Bax's private name for Cohen and was shared only with close friends. It is possible to identify at least five visits that Moeran made to Ireland in 1936, and Cunningham and Fleischmann do not specify when in that year Bax introduced Moeran to the Fleischmanns.