Illustrated with maps and photographs, this guide comprehensively describes all the islands and explores not only their geology, archaeology and history but the flora and fauna, fishing methods, architecture, rigours of island life and many other related matters.

From rustic towns and emerald valleys to lively cities and moss-draped ruins, experience Ireland with the most up-to-date 2021 guide from Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Ireland you'll find: Comprehensive coverage for planning a multi-week trip through Ireland Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites Top sights and hidden gems, from the Rock of Cashel and the Ring of Kerry to distilleries making whiskey with hundred-year-old recipes How to connect with local culture: Hoist a pint at the corner pub, enjoy traditional fiddle music, and jump into conversations buzzing with brogue Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight The best places to eat, sleep, and relax with a Guinness Self-guided walking tours of atmospheric neighborhoods and awe-inspiring sights Trip-planning tools, like how to link destinations, build your itinerary, and get from place to place Detailed maps, including a fold-out map for exploring on the go Useful resources including a packing list, Irish phrase book, historical overview, and recommended reading Updated to reflect changes that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic up to the date of publication Over 1,000 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down Coverage of Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, County Wexford, Kinsale, Cobh, Kenmare, The Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula, County Clare, the Burren, Galway, the Aran Islands, Connemara, County Mayo, Belfast, Portrush, the Antrim Coast, Derry, County Donegal, and much more Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Ireland. Planning a one- to two-week trip? Check out Rick Steves Best of Ireland.

On an Irish Island tells the remarkable story of a remote outpost nearly untouched by time in the first half of the twentieth century, and of the adventurous men and women who visited and were inspired by it. In a love letter to a vanished way of life, Robert Kanigel brings to life this wildly beautiful island, notable for the vivid communal life of its residents and the unadulterated Irish they spoke well into the twentieth century. With the Irish language rapidly disappearing, Great Blasket became a magnet for scholars, linguists, and writers during the Gaelic renaissance. As we follow these visitors—among them John Millington Synge, author of The Playboy of the Western World—we are captivated both by the tiny group of islanders who kept an entire country’s past alive and by their complex relationships with those who brought the island’s story to the larger world.

A wealth of information on the wildlife, stories and history of the islands.For those wishing to visit in small boats or kayaks there are details of:? Landings? Camping? Drinking water? Tidal informationOileain is a detailed guide to almost every Irish offshore island. The guide is comprehensive, describing over 300 islands, big and small, far out to sea and close in by the shore, inhabited and uninhabited. Oileain tells it as it is, rock by rock, good and bad, pleasant and otherwise. It concentrates on landings and access generally, then adds information on camping, drinking water, tides, history, climbing, birds, whales, dolphins, legends or anything else of interest.Oileain will, I hope, appeal to all who go to sea in small boats, divers and yachtsmen as well as kayakers. The sheer level of detail contained in Oileain must surely throw new light on places they thought they knew well. It is not a book about kayaking. It so happens that a practical way of getting to islands is by kayak, and that is how the author gets about. Scuba divers and RIBs get in close too. Yachtsmen get about better than most, and they too enjoy exploring intensively from a dinghy. With the increasing availability of ferries, boatless people will also enjoy Oileain. Offshore islands are the last wilderness in Ireland. Hillwaking is now so popular that there are few untrampled mainland hills. Ninety per cent of offshore islands are uninhabited outside of the first fortnight in August, and eighty per cent even then. You won't meet many other people, if any at all, out beyond an Irish surf line. It is a time of change though, and holiday homes are very much the coming thing in some offshore areas. Sea going will never stop being a great adventure. Therefore, offshore islands are still the preserve of the very few. Now is a golden era for exploration.

Ireland Before You Die's Irish Bucket List is an inspiring, enthusiastic and insightful travel guide to help you discover the best sites that Ireland has to offer. From climbing Ireland's tallest mountain to a pint in Ireland's oldest pub, this book offers a brief overview of the best things you can do on this magical island. This concise book is perfect for someone who wants to see the best places in Ireland but doesn't know where to begin. It is a stimulating, concise and informative guide to the 101 best places to see in Ireland. The book was written and researched by Stevie Haughey, founder and driving force behind Ireland Before You Die. Since its foundation in 2014, Ireland Before You Die has reached millions of people worldwide, gained over 300,000 followers on social media and encouraged many people to visit and experience the emerald isle for themselves. After writing hundreds of articles about the best places to visit in Ireland, having literally over 3 million people reading them and regular requests for a book, Stevie felt it was time to write to write something that brings it all together. The Irish Bucket List is his and Ireland Before You Die's first book. "This book is an accumulation of all that I have seen, learned and experienced on the island of Ireland. It includes the 101 places, in my opinion, you should see in Ireland before you die." Stevie Haughey (Author and Founder of Ireland Before You Die) Ireland Before You Die's Irish Bucket List includes: - A trip to the world's most haunted castle - An ancient wonder older than the pyramids - A ride on Ireland's only cable car - A hike to the top of Ireland's tallest mountain - A pint in Ireland's oldest pub - Much more...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ONSIDE NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2018 The islands off the coast of Ireland have long been a source of fascination. Seen as repositories of an ancient Irish culture and the epitome of Irish romanticism, they have attracted generations of scholars, artists and filmmakers, from James Joyce to Robert O'Flaherty, looking for a way of life uncontaminated by modernity or materialism. But the reality for islanders has been a lot more complex. They faced poverty, hardship and official hostility, even while being expected to preserve an ancient culture and way of life. Writing in her 1936 autobiography, Peig Sayers, resident of Blaskets island, described it as 'this dreadful rock'. In 1841, there were 211 inhabited islands with a combined population of 38,000; by 2011, only 64 islands were inhabited, with a total population of 8,500. And younger generations continue to leave. By documenting the island experiences and the social, cultural and political reaction to them over the last 100 years, On the Edge examines why this exodus has happened, and the gulf between the rhetoric that elevated island life and the reality of the political hostility towards them.It uncovers, through state and private archives, personal memoirs, newspaper coverage, and the author's personal travels, the realities behind the "dreadful rocks", and the significance of the experiences of, and reactions to, those who were and remain, literally, on the very edge of European civilisation.