Ireland Handbook: The Travel Guide (Footprint Handbooks) Book

The Footprint series has long been one of the most reliable available: a genuine boon to the serious traveller, with a comprehensiveness that manages to stay just this side of the encyclopaedic (while still remaining portable--these guides are designed to be carried by the traveller). The Ireland Handbook is a guide to the whole of Ireland, and covers in lively and accessible detail everything from the Glens of Antrim to the bays of West Cork. Those looking for umpteen spreads of sumptuous colour photography should look elsewhere; while there are enough colour shots here to convey the requisite flavour, the emphasis remains on hardcore information, and it is here that the guide excels. If the traveller wants to take a long-distance walk along the Kerry Way, then route plans and suggestions are here in full. But if you prefer to spend an hour in your hotel room soaking up a country's culture and traditions, that's here too in sharp and pithy detail. The section on Dublin exemplifies the guide's accessibility: we are led from O'Connell Street through Parnell Square and the Phoenix Park, and sidebars on the area's history are seamlessly incorporated along with the maps and essential information (the guide maintains a balanced tone when touching on Ireland's troubled history). There is a clear rush of enthusiasm from the writers (Sean Sheehan and Patricia Levy) when we are taken south of the river, and sections on Trinity College (and, of course, the Book of Kells), Temple Bar and Dublin Castle suggests that these are clearly favourite destinations. But the guide is equally adroit at conveying the delights of County Galway, which it describes as the one place in Ireland that sums up what the country is all about. This ancient but culturally dynamic part of Ireland is granted the same sympathetic and comprehensive treatment. At times travel details could be more comprehensive, and the design is functional rather than striking, but the final effect of the guide is to make the reader impatient to visit Ireland, with Sheehan and Levy's book securely packed in a rucksack.--Barry ForshawRead More