1 comments about Walking Dublin (Interlink Walking Guides).

1. I am planning to visit Dublin and I want to walk and explore sites connected to literary figures as well as famous areas. I enjoyed this book
   because it has route maps and they seem to be easy to follow. Beautiful color illustrations of everything I'd like to see when I get there.If you want to appreciate this wonderful city as I do. This is the book I want to have with me.

2 comments about The History and Topography of Ireland (Penguin Classics).

1. I found the chapters relating ot the topography of Ireland to be seriously flawed and containing inaccurate descriptions of the rivers and areas of Ireland. However it does give a very good idea of the mindset of the early Norman invaders in their conquest of Ireland and offers some to moder day readers humourous rhetorical accounts of native Irish tribal behaviour.



2. Have you ever seen a medieval map? People had only the vaguest idea of the world they lived in - and when men such as Gerald of Wales set out to gather information they very often had to rely on what local people told them (as did Herodotus over 1000 years earlier). So of course Gerald's History and Topography of Ireland is going to be riddled with factual errors - if you want to find out about the history and geography of Ireland you should look at modern maps, produced by satellites, and modern histories, written by scholars with hundreds of thousands of documents at their fingertips. Books written in the eleventh century tell you what people thought THEN, in the eleventh century, and are as such fascinating journeys into the early medieval mindset. Myths mingle with facts as the locals tell Gerald about things that matter to them, and really brings home history - in a way that reading of battles and kings doesn't. It tells you about daily lives and what people thought - we are really quite amazingly lucky that books such as these have survived a thousand years to tell us what life was like then.

No comments about Dublin Eyewitness Travel Guide (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1 comments about Irish Country Style.

1. Celebrate the Emerald Isle's lush green fields, distinctive architecture, charming homes, and exquisite handmade crafts. With more than 150 striking color photographs, this gorgeous volume showcases the breathtaking designs and whimsical style of the Irish countryside.

1 comments about Birds of Ireland: An Introduction to Familiar Species (Pocket Naturalist - Waterford Press).

1. Great pictures of the Birds of Ireland. Quick shipping. Thanks.

1 comments about Ireland: From the Air.

1. 
   This is another one of those awesome books of photographs by Antonio Attini called Cube Books. It is 640 pages of top quality photographs,printed on excellent glossy paper,using excellent color reproduction and printing techniques. It's hard to imagine how these excellent photographs could be printed any better. Oh,I suppose these photos would be even better ,if larger,but there is a limit to it all.Besides can you just imagine the size of book you would get with over 500 pictures if they were all five times as large?
   I have visited Ireland 3 times and it has often occurred to me that ,no matter where you look or what you look at ,a beautiful picture could be taken. There is no limit to the landscape,buildings, water,people and history that is spread before you at every turn. I have often thought what wonderful views there would be, if only one could get up in the air,like in a hot air balloon and float above it all like on a magic carpet. Well,that is just what Attini has attemptd to do. In this book he gives us just a miniscule taste of it all;and what a taste it is. In reality,a taste is all that is possible because the scenes that await one are endless.All one can do is just sit back and thumb through the book and enjoy it all and wish you could see even more. It is just impossible to be satisfied with it all.
   There is just one small problem with this book,and others like it. The weight of all the pages impose a big challenge on the binding and spline of the book ,and if not handled with care,and shudder the thought the book should be dropped;it will surely be damaged.
   No book of this nature can begin to cover all of Ireland and you will find only a very few pictures of places you have been,but the few that are included will be from a totally different perspective.
   It's one thing to sit at the top of the Cliffs of Moher,and even dangle one's feet over the edge;but what a sight it is from the air, as we see on pages 268 and 269!
   Besides;if you've never visited Ireland,and wondered about the expression,"Forty Shades of Green",this book will show you that never mind forty, there are literally thousands. And did you know that it was the great Johnny Cash who wrote that song when he was inspired by it all,from the window of the plane as he was leaving Ireland, after his visit.

5 comments about The Traveller's Guide to Sacred Ireland: A Guide to the Sacred Places of Ireland, Her Legends, Folklore and People.

1. Meehan does a wonderful job of documenting and suggesting sites to visit. The ones we visited (that we could find) were great! However, the sites which aren't 'signed' (ie. listed as having signs pointing to it from the main road) are diffcult to find. Even some of the sites that are 'signed' aren't signed well, or consistently. Sometimes you'll have to guess at a cross roads, and if you don't get to the site, you'll have to backtrack and take the other. The problem we had most often is that the directions say to take a dirt road for about 1/2 mile (bring your metric conversion charts since they use kilometers in Ireland) and walk across a pasture at a cow gate. Sounds like an easy thing, until you get to Ireland and realize there are 25 cow gates on that particular road. We also found an error on a road number, which would have put us at least 30 miles in the wrong direction.
   My suggestion--get this book! It really is a great one to have to plan your visit. But also get an Ordinance map, and plan on asking directions once you get to the nearest village. In addition to getting correct and more detailed directions, you may also be told about other sites not mentioned in the book! Some of the coolest places we went were suggested to us by locals!



2. This is an excellent long overdue guide to sacred sites in Ireland. Background information is very accurate and coherent.It's much more than a guide book, as it includes history , myth and some archaeological information, as well as personal reflections on the "vibes" from different spots. Fascinating reading for anyone who has even a remote interest in Irish culture.Well worth the money. Look forward to more books by the same author.



3. I was driving in rural Ireland in late September 2003 and was very interested in locating sites sacred to pre-Christian people. The Insight Guide to Ireland had a few mentions of sites of interest. However, to my luck that I discovered this book (the last copy) in a small bookstore in Westport, County Mayo.

   What a find! The book was *exactly* what I was looking for, and was most fortunate that I discovered it early on, as I was going to spend at least one more week in the country.

   The author's attention to historical detail as well as her fine directions to finding the sites are most noteworthy. What I also liked was her bias-free and academic approach to the subject. Christians, as well as Pagans like myself, will find the book a treasure trove of information. Other reviewers have extolled the book's other virtues, so I will go no further, except to say--if you're interested in Ireland's prehistory, folklore and legends, this book is a must have. [I paid thirty Euros (approximately $35) and Amazon sells it for half that price! But I would pay 35 Euros again if I had to--it's THAT good.]

   I hope you will be as fortunate as I was to be actually in a car with this excellent reference in your lap, deciding which of the many holy wells, towers, stone circles, castles, cairns, fairy trees, fairy mounds, and other places that you'll visit next!




4. I'm planning my third trip to Ireland this October. In the past I have bought two other guide books to help me see the sights. They were okay but missed many of the old "pagan" prechristian sights of intrest. This book takes you the the Hill of Tara and Hill of Uisneach for the druidic fires of Beltane and Samhain. It tells you about the history of Ireland and her people from the stone age till the last century. And takes you to many,many, standing stones and sared sites allover Ireland. If you follow the druid path or have a deep intrest in ancient Ireland this is your tour book.



5. This book is humongous and very heavy (even in its paperback format). The photos are in black and white, which was disappointing, and there's no mention of the sites in the biggest cities because that stuff is apparently common knowledge (not). Overall, it's a pretty good book to help you research a trip in advance, but you will definitely need to leave it at home.

1 comments about Southwest Ireland, 5th (Country & Regional Guides - Cadogan).

1. I carried this around during my 9/2007 trip. It was one of the few guides I could find that focused on the S/W, and it was slim enough to easily carry around. I appreciated the specific recommendations on where to stay and eat. Being a nature lover, I also appreciated those recommendations. I had some minor wishes: A couple of restaurants were (long) closed, and ideally this book would be pocket-sized with fold-out maps.

5 comments about Spectacular Ireland.

1. I bought this book because my dad's side of the family is Irish and I'd hoped to one day go. The book is a gorgeous addition to my photography book collection...and my desire to go to Ireland has been upgraded from 'one day hope to go' to 'can't wait to go!'.
   --Vicki Landes, author of "Europe For The Senses - A Photographic Journal"



2. First of all, please note that this is a coffee table-type book. It is oversized and oddly-shaped. So if that bothers you, steer clear.
   
   BUT the size is very appropriate to the pictures! It's a large-rectangular book that fits the panoramic wide-angle photography inside of it! The photos are intensely colored and the paper used in side the book is a thicker, glossy high-quality paper. Some of the most gorgeous photographs of Irelands landscapes, castles and towns are in this book. It also includes a bit of history.
   
   FYI... the book normally comes with a slip-cover that has the same cover design printed on it that the actual book cover underneath has. Nice touch. A lot of books of this fashion do not have the same cover printed on the actual book itself, but only the slip-cover.
   
   Very nice. If you love photography or Ireland...or both....this is the book for you!



3. This is a great book to give to someone who will be traveling to Ireland in the future, has visited before, or is just a huge fan of this amazing country and wants a good coffee table book. The photos are gorgeous and really showcase the beauty of the Emerald Isle. There's also a great variety of photos: not just from one area of the country. It also gives you a bit of historical background. There are several pages that fold out to reveal huge panoramic shots. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Ireland. It really is spectacular!



4. This is the best photo book of Ireland I have seen over ten years, and the text is excellent.



5. This gorgeous giant book, measuring in at 16" x 12", capture the beauty and uniqueness of Ireland through spectacular photographs. At times in this book, not only do you see a panoramic photograph spanning two 16" wide pages, some actually extend further through a folding flap to measure over 38" wide! In addition to the beautiful photographs the authors have included detailed written descriptions.
   
   People of all ages that are interested in the history, landscape, and culture of Ireland will thoroughly enjoy this book. The list price is $75 according to the inside flap, making it a bargain at the current Amazon price.

No comments about Hadrian's Wall.