Ireland

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Essential Reading

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For the Love of Ireland, A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers

For the Love of Ireland, A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers

by Susan Cahill

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 458 PAGES

Organized geographically, this rich anthology introduces Ireland through the words and lives of such luminaries as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Frank McCourt and Samuel Beckett. (IRE77, $15.95)

The Book of Kells

The Book of Kells

by Bernard Meehan

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 95 PAGES

Written by the keeper of manuscripts at Trinity College, this book features 110 color illustrations, including enlargements, of some of the more spectacular decorations in this most famous of medieval manuscripts. (IRE09, $19.95)

Eyewitness Guide Ireland

Eyewitness Guide Ireland

by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 384 PAGES

A compact and profusely illustrated guide to the country's history, culture and attractions. (IRE02, $25.00)

Ireland Map

Ireland Map

by Michelin

  • 2011
  • MAP

A colorful map at a scale of 1:400,000. (IRE23, $11.95)

 
Fodor's Dublin's 25 Best

Fodor's Dublin's 25 Best


by Fodor's

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

Take along this handy pocket guide, which includes a map and information on city highlights. (IRE30, $11.99)

A Book of Migrations, Some Passages in Ireland

A Book of Migrations, Some Passages in Ireland


by Rebecca Solnit

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

In this intriguing book, the American-born author (now an Irish citizen) introduces the country, its history and literature in a series of essays. Solnit, a wonderful writer, is a thoughtful questioner of the modern Irish identity. (IRE44, $16.95)

A Traveller's History of Ireland

A Traveller's History of Ireland


by Peter Neville

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 288 PAGES

From the Celts to the Norman invasions and modern-day Ireland, this short history is highly recommended for those who would like a brief overview of the Emerald Isle through the centuries. (GBR39, $14.95)

How the Irish Saved Civilization

How the Irish Saved Civilization


by Thomas Cahill

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 236 PAGES

This best-selling history tells the generally unknown story of Ireland's preservation of classical learning in the Dark Ages. (IRE07, $15.95)

In Search of Ancient Ireland

In Search of Ancient Ireland


by Leo Eaton | Carmel McCaffrey

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

This spirited, illustrated history, the companion to a PBS documentary series, traces the foundation, archaeology and legends of ancient Ireland from 9000 B.C. to 1167 A.D. with style and substance. (IRE222, $16.95)

Magnum Ireland

Magnum Ireland


by John Banville

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2005
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

This evocative collection of 250 photographs captures the people, landscapes and changing face of Ireland from the 1950s to the 21st century. (IRE170, $60.00)

Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction

Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction


by Senia Paseta

  • HISTORY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 184 PAGES

A remarkably concise history in the well-regarded series, touching on the major aspects of Irish history, politics, and society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (IRE195, $11.95)

Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland

Most Beautiful Villages of Ireland


by Hugh Palmer | Christopher Fitz-Simon

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 200 PAGES

With hundreds of color photographs, this illustrated portrait of Ireland, its landscape, architecture and people includes maps and a travel guide. (IRE136, $26.95)

The Aran Islands

The Aran Islands


by J.M. Synge | Tim Robinson

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 208 PAGES

A much-loved turn-of-the-century account of the islands (as contrasted with mainland Ireland), drenched in the Celtic soul of the Irish. (IRE26, $15.00)

The Truth about the Irish

The Truth about the Irish


by Terry Eagleton

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 181 PAGES

An irreverent A-to-Z guide to all things Irish by a native son and shrewd comic commentator, who casts aside many myths, starting with the first entry - A for alcohol (the Irish have the lowest per capita consumption of alcohol in the E.U., after Greece and Italy). (IRE167, $14.95)

Spectacular Ireland

Spectacular Ireland


by Peter Harbison

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2009
  • HARD COVER
  • 136 PAGES

This stunning overview of Ireland, brought to life both in 140 color photographs and in illuminating essays, presents the lore and beauty of the Emerald Isle, highlighting its castles, cathedrals, people and landscapes. (IRE304, $25.00)

Vanishing Ireland

Vanishing Ireland


by Turtle Bunbury | James Fennell

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 180 PAGES

Through their own words and memories, the men and women interviewd in this illustrated oral history transport readers to a time when people lived off the land and the sea, music and storytelling were essential parts of life, and a person was defined by their trade. (IRE302, $35.00)

A Course Called Ireland

A Course Called Ireland


by Tom Coyne

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES
  • NEW

Not just a quest to play every seaside course in the Emerald Isle (60 by the time he got to Ulster), Tom Coyne's entertaining portrait of Ireland, its people, pubs and quirks illuminates "Uncommon Acts of Irish Hospitality." (IRE251, $16.00)

A Pint of Plain

A Pint of Plain


by Bill Barich

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Drawing on the wit and wisdom of O'Brien, Joyce, Behan, and Synge, Barich explores Irish culture (and popularity around the world) from the vantage of the local pub. (IRE266, $15.00)

Ireland, a Bicycle, and a Tin Whistle

Ireland, a Bicycle, and a Tin Whistle


by David Wilson

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

Whether it's the author's adventures in crowded pubs or out in the wild, this travel account is a modest, humorous report on Ireland, its people, festivals and cultures. (IRE17, $19.95)

McCarthy's Bar, A Journey of Discovery in Ireland

McCarthy's Bar, A Journey of Discovery in Ireland


by Pete McCarthy

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

A droll account of McCarthy's encounters on a bar-hopping jaunt from Cork along the west coast to Donegal. His motto, assiduously followed, was never to pass up a bar with his name on it! (IRE168, $16.99)

O Come Ye Back to Ireland, Our First Year in County Clare

O Come Ye Back to Ireland, Our First Year in County Clare


by Niall Williams | Christine Breen

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 233 PAGES

The first of four engaging chronicles of life on a farm in Kilmihi in rural County Clare, by an Irish-American couple who realized their lifelong dream of returning to Ireland. (IRE16, $12.00)

Silver Linings, Travels Around Northern Ireland

Silver Linings, Travels Around Northern Ireland


by Martin Fletcher

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

An account of travels, as well as the people, politics and traditions of Northern Ireland, infused with the author's humor and insightful reporting. (IRE146, $16.95)

Death in Dublin, A Novel of Suspense

Death in Dublin, A Novel of Suspense


by Bartholomew Gill

  • MYSTERY
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

This gripping mystery, the last of the Peter McGarr series, revolves around the theft of the revered Book of Kells. Darkly atmospheric and impossible to put down! (IRE159, $6.99)

Dubliners

Dubliners


by James Joyce

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 317 PAGES

James Joyce's unsurpassed collection of short stories depicting ordinary life in Dublin among the lower middle class -- a milestone in the history of prose fiction. (IRE15, $11.00)

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales


by W.B. Yeats

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 380 PAGES

Edited by the Nobel Prize-winning poet who spearheaded the Celtic Renaissance in the early 20th century, these enchanting stories introduce a cast of changelings, ghosts, mermaids, demons, saints, priests and fairies. (IRE04, $16.00)

Opened Ground, Selected Poems 1966-1996

Opened Ground, Selected Poems 1966-1996


by Seamus Heaney

  • LITERATURE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 464 PAGES

The publication of Heaney's book North in 1975 changed Irish literature -- and poetry worldwide -- forever. Dive into the physical and emotional rhythms of Irish life in this volume, which chronicles the Nobel Laureate's best work from the last 30 years. (IRE65, $18.00)

Sun Dancing, A Vision of Medieval Ireland

Sun Dancing, A Vision of Medieval Ireland


by Geoffrey Moorhouse

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 280 PAGES

This wonderfully inspired combination of scholarship and historical fiction, set at the monastery on Skellig Michael, carries the reader back to Ireland's early monastic tradition. (IRE13, $22.95)

The Hill Bachelors

The Hill Bachelors


by William Trevor

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

No one writes better short fiction than William Trevor. This collection of 12 stories captures the life and people of rural Ireland. (IRE42, $15.00)

The Rebels of Ireland, The Dublin Saga

The Rebels of Ireland, The Dublin Saga


by John Rutherford

  • LITERATURE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 896 PAGES

Rutherfurd spins the saga of Ireland's 400-year path to independence in all its drama, tragedy and glory in this sweeping follow-up to The Princes of Ireland. (IRE253, $16.95)

The Sea

The Sea


by John Banville

  • LITERATURE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 195 PAGES

Recently widowed Max Morden, a middle-aged Irishman, returns to the seaside of his youth in this exquisite novel of love and the power of memory. Banville's 18th novel and winner of the 2005 Booker Prize. (IRE295, $13.95)

The Teapots Are Out and Other Eccentric Tales from Ireland

The Teapots Are Out and Other Eccentric Tales from Ireland


by John B. Keane

  • LITERATURE
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

A collection of 17 sentimental, sad, outrageous and just plain fun stories by the prolific North Kerry saloon-keeper, balladeer, playwright and novelist. Keane, who died in 2002, had an eye (and ear) for Irish rural life. (IRE144, $13.95)

Treason at Lisson Grove

Treason at Lisson Grove


by Anne Perry

  • MYSTERY
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 306 PAGES

Perry's latest Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery is a thrilling evocation of Victorian-era Europe, especially Ireland. Pitt chases an assassin from London to coastal France and Charlotte gets more than she bargained for when she heads to Dublin to investigate a case involving Pitt's supervisor. (IRE303, $26.00)

Troubles

Troubles


by J.G. Farrell

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 459 PAGES

Set on the eve of the Irish Rebellion, this first novel in Farrell's remarkable Empire Trilogy illuminates the British Empire's decline in Ireland and the Anglo-Irish to hilarious, haunting effect. (IRE171, $16.95)

Wild Decembers

Wild Decembers


by Edna O'Brien

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

A haunting novel of clan enmities and forbidden love in rural Ireland. Few writers have as sure a sense of place as Edna O'Brien, whose lyrical prose builds inevitably toward final tragedy. (IRE94, $13.95)

Yeats's Poetry, Drama, and Prose

Yeats's Poetry, Drama, and Prose


by W. B. Yeats

  • LITERATURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 518 PAGES

An authoritative anthology, heavily annotated and with biographical and background information. (IRE208, $25.00)

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