No comments about CYCLISTS' TOURING CLUB ROUTE GUIDE TO CYCLING IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND (PENGUIN HANDBOOKS).

1 comments about The Irish Diaspora: A Primer.

1. Akenson strives to refute Kerby Miller's thesis that emigrating Irish saw themselves as exiles. He does so by examining emigrants' experiences in Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand besides the U.S.A.

No comments about Knopf MapGuide: Dublin (Knopf Mapguides).

No comments about Ireland (Sunflower Guides Ireland) (Sunflower Guides Ireland).

No comments about Sea Legs: Hitch-Hiking the Coast of Ireland Alone.

2 comments about An Irish Blessing: A Photographic Interpretation.

1. This photographic trip through Ireland is thoroughly enjoyable. The pictures truly capture the beauty of the landscape and the spirit of the people. This book is a wonderful gift for friends and family.



2. This photographic trip through Ireland is thoroughly enjoyable. The pictures truly capture the beauty of the landscape and the spirit of the people. This book is a wonderful gift for friends and family.

No comments about The Sunny Side of Ireland, with a Chapter on the Natural History of the South and West of Ireland (Illustrated Edition) (Dodo Press).

2 comments about A Traveller's History of Ireland (3rd ed).

1. Starry-eyed and with a deep-seated love of the history of the place even before I had set foot there, I travelled to Paris after graduating university, armed not only with the obligatory budget guide to hostels and el-cheapo cafes, but with a last-minute find: "A Traveller's History of Paris". It was fabulous. Not only could I bore my travelling companion to tears photographing every angle of every building, but I could also talk her ear off from Notre Dame to the Louvre, recounting the historical anecdotes and trivia that went with each site.

   I was looking forward to much the same when I ordered "A Traveller's History of Ireland". And from the point of view of history, this book certainly strives for thoroughness. However, in the end I left this one at home because it told me very little about specific histories of specific sites that I intended to visit throughout Ireland. Certainly it makes an effort, with the historical gazetteer at the back, to link the history to the geography; however, as a traveller, I much prefer to have the *places* enumerated and detailed than the periods.

   As a history of Ireland, this book is not even that inspiring. Rather dry and sometimes pedantic, it lacks the lyrical energy that so informs the Irish love-affair with the written and spoken word. To get a sense of the flavour of Ireland's history, you'd do far better to read such personal accounts as Frank McCourt's deservedly popular memoirs, or the alternately funny and heart-rending novels of Roddy Doyle. For the romantic, browse Yeats' poems; for the ancient, explore the rich Irish folklore and mythology. Any of these will give you a better feel for the country and its spirit than this book, detailed and scholarly as it is.

   I recommend this book mostly for that detail and scholarly approach. The title is misleading, though - this is not a book written with the traveller in mind.




2. This interesting little book is a history of Ireland, pure and simple - there is nothing particularly different for the traveler than any other Irish history book. As a history book, I did find this book to have a good deal of information, covering everything from prehistoric Ireland to the contemporary scene.
   
   Now, as already said, this book has nothing in particular to offer the traveler, so if you are looking for that, you will be disappointed. As a history book, this book is somewhat disappointing because the author does not maintain objectivity about his subject. For example, when discussing the massacres of Protestants in 1641, the author minimizes the claims of losses and challenges the objectivity of the witnesses. But, when he comes to the massacres committed by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 he does not similarly challenge the historic record.
   
   Well, am I saying that this is a bad book? No, in point of fact, I did find this to be a highly informative and interesting read. The author does a good job of covering Irish history in a smooth and interesting manner.
   
   So, if you are looking for a good history book for the traveler, then don't get this book. If you are looking for an objective and clear-eyed book on Irish history...then don't get this book. But, if you are looking for a short, but highly informative book on Irish history, then you will enjoy this book. Just know what you are getting.

No comments about Art and History of Greece (Bonechi Art & History Collection).

2 comments about The Irish: A Photohistory, 1840-1940.

1. The collaborative effort of Sean Sexton (who has been collecting historic photographs of Ireland for thirty years) and Irish historian Christine Kinealy, The Irish: A Photohistory 1840-1940 is an incredible compendium of black-and-white period photographs showcasing Irish individuals, Irish culture, and Irish history. The first photographs are from 1840, a year after the discovery of the photographic process became publicized. These still images vividly capture the desperation and death that marked the Great Potato Famine, severe struggles over land rights and politics, the impact of modernization, and much more, up through approximately 1939 and the beginning of the second world war. The text presents an informative and straightforward account of Irish history, and lends the insight of scholarship to the vividly emotional photographs. The Irish is very highly recommended for personal and community library collections.



2. This is a rather pedestrian collection of photos and text covering a century of Irish history that contains some of the most riveting events in an Irish saga never lacking for riveting events. Some of the photos are interesting in that they are unfamiliar to a student of that period of Irish history but the selection overall seemed to me rather dull and not as absorbing as it could or should have been.