1 comments about Literary Tour of Ireland.

1. 'A most beguiling, glittering book that offers riches of information and the pleasures both of recognition and discovery.' That is Elizabeth Healy's subtitle, and very aptly chosen it is.
   
   Ireland is an endlessly rocking cradle of culture and the source of much that is great in literature written in the English and the Irish languages.
   
   There is no better way to appreciate and understand this noble and great country than to take Healy's volume in hand and traverse her green hillsides and rocky promontories overlooking the wild North Atlantic. En route you'll see the homes and favorite haunts of the greats and the lesser known writers.
   
   It is still something of a miracle that such a small place can have produced such literary wealth: Swift, Sheridan, Goldsmith, Burke, Wilde, Joyce, Yeats, Shaw, and Beckett have made a major contribution to world literature over the past 300 years. Ireland's four Nobel prizes for literature have gone to Yeats, Shaw, Beckett and Seamus Heaney.
   
   Ireland is especially blessed with a glorious language of its own: Irish. Healey does not stint in giving us many Irish passages, both from the storied past and present-day writiers, such as Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, whose verses, according to Healy, capture something of the fierce tenderness of Kerry's rocky acres.
   
   Healy is especially good in her maps and illustrations. She literally shows you the way there. I took this book with me to the Aran Isles, County Galway and Connemara. I walked the Bloomsday walk in Dublin, paused for coffee at Davey Byrne's, and also journeyed to Swift's tomb in Dublin.
   
   SWIFT has sailed into his rest;
   Savage indignation there
   Cannot lacerate his breast.
   Imitate him if you dare,
   World-besotted traveller; he
   Served human liberty.
   
   Perhaps my favorite spot of all: Yeats' rebuilt Norman tower of Thoor Ballylee, set in a glen by a flowing stream and overlooking cow pastures near Gort, Galway. And just up the road, Coole Park, with its evocation of the patroness of Irish literature Lady Augusta Gregory:
   
   Here, traveller, scholar, poet, take your stand
   When all those rooms and passages are gone,
   When nettles wave upon a shapeless mound
   And saplings root among the broken stone,
   And dedicate--eyes bent upon the ground,
   Back turned upon the brightness of the sun
   And all the sensuality of the shade --
   a moment's memory to that laurelled head.
   
   William Butler Yeats "Coole Park, 1929"

No comments about Lithuania: The Rebel Nation (Westview Series on the Post-Soviet Republics).

No comments about Britain and Ireland (Rough Guide 25s).

No comments about History and Landscape: The Guide to National Trust Properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

2 comments about Temples of Stone: Exploring the Magalithic Tombs of Ireland.

1. This lavishly-illustrated book details the history, distribution, form and content of Irish megalithic monuments, most of which contain some human remains, and are therefore classed as tombs. But as archeologist author Carleton Jones makes clear, these were much more than tombs. By studying them, we can learn a great deal about the people who built them: their social structure, worldview, and something of their beliefs and rituals as well. Don't expect gauzy twaddle about ancient goddesses and magic here. Jones is a serious archeologist; his work is theoretically informed by the processual and post-processual schools (groups of scholars who look at archeological remains for what they can tell us about the social origins of cultural change, and groups of scholars who use archeological data to hypothesize about ancient beliefs, rituals and human experiences). It is very clear when the author is laying out facts, and when he is hypothesizing or offering interpretations. What I liked is that he is also honest about what we DON'T know about the peoples who built these monuments. Still, it's fascinating to speculate about these ancient humans whose beliefs and practices were so different from our own -- and who, as humans, shared many of our own concerns and experiences, from creating and maintaining group identities to memorializing their dead. Gorgeous color photographs, black-and-white diagrams, tables and road maps enhance this book. The author provides detailed directions for locating each monument, including driving maps and indications of whether you will need Wellies (rubber boots) to visit the site. If you plan to travel to Ireland, photocopy the section in the back with the maps and locations of the monuments so you can make sure to visit some (the book itself is rather heavy and impractical to pack in luggage).



2. An excellent descriptive survey of megalithic monuments and neolithic tombs of Ireland. Whether amateur or professional, or you simply possess a curiosity regarding ancient Irish culture, this book will be highly informative and enjoyable. There is wonderful detail about ancient sites in all counties, as well as a handy "finders guide" included in the book to help locate tombs and sites that are off the beaten path. Though the neolithic 'celebrity' sites are included, the many details on the lesser-known passage graves and wedge tombs sets this book apart. Beautifully written, both professionals and everyday enthusiasts will gain much from it. Excellent photos, diagrams, and I appreciated that the author focused on the significance and role that the surrounding landscape may have played in how the sites for these monuments may have been chosen. If you have an interest in this time period and want to be inspired further, I highly recommend Temples of Stone. Now, If Amazon would just correct the typo in the subtitle...

No comments about Michelin Guide 2008 Britain and Ireland Eating Out in Pubs (Michelin Guides).

No comments about Dublin (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides).

No comments about The Western Island, or the Great Blasket (Oxford Paperbacks).

1 comments about Magnum Ireland.

1. Magnum, a name synonymous with upper echelon of documentary photography. Just a mention of the name brings instant thoughts of Capa, Parr, and Bresson. The most recognized name in the photo world brings their take on a very photographic country: Ireland.
   
   If you are looking for beautiful scenic and landscape shots of the Irish countryside, look elswehere. If you love reportage/documentary photography than this will instantly become a photo book favorite of yours, even if you do not have much interest in the country itself.
   
   What lies here is Magnum's best work from the past 5 decades, breaking each into it's own section. We get some brief text to start each decade, drawing a light timeline for us, and then it's on to the pictures.
   
   You would think the 50's would be mostly black and white shots, but think again. Along with some great shots by Henri Cartier-Bresson, we get some vibrant color images by Inge Morath. All the photos simply have one thing in common: capturing life in this country in all aspsects. Depicting people lounging, fighting, and dancing, and the objects, places, and buildings in which they dwell.
   
   You get over 30 of Magnum's top names, including Eve Arnold, Martin Parr, Steve McCurry, and Bruce Davidson, who lend photos covering both Ireland and Northern Ireland. I didn't recognize of a few of the Parr photos, and I have nearly all his books including Photographs of the West of Ireland, so I am assuming that some of these photos may be appearing in book form for the first time.
   
   It's a real treat for Magnum and documentary fans, and at the price I see right now on Amazon (way, way below list price) this is a must buy!

1 comments about Karen Brown's Ireland: Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries 2006 (Karen Brown's Ireland Charming Inns & Itineraries).

1. We found this to be a very helpful book to use in combination with others while on our trip. You need several different guide books because no one book will give you all of the information that you will want about any given area of the country.