An I wanted te cry inside meself. I wasn't dead any more, I was lifted away, far away. I can do anythin. I can be somebody, I can be beautiful, I can be gentle, I can be rich, I can smell good. The world is waitin fer me. I can be what I want. Then it ended. An I was back in the room. I opened me eyes slowly an took in everythin aroun me. One day I'll be able te stop this. Nobody will keep me down. I'll work hard, an I'll be at the top, cos I don't want anyone lookin down on me.'Born a bastard to a teenage mother in the slums of 1950s Dublin, Martha has to be a fighter from the very start.As her mother moves from man to man, and more children follow, they live hand-to-mouth in squalid, freezing tenements, clothed in rags and forced to beg for food. But just when it seems things can't get any worse, her mother meets Jackser.Despite her trials, Martha is a child with an irrepressible spirit and a wit beyond her years. She tells the story of her early life without an ounce of self-pity and manages to recreate a lost era in which the shadow of the Catholic Church loomed large and if you didn't work, you didn't eat.Martha never stops believing she is worth more than the hand she has been dealt, and her remarkable voice will remain with you long after you've finished the last line.

    His five novels–collected here in one volume–are a monument to his inspired lunacy and gleefully demented genius. O’Brien’s masterpiece, At Swim-Two-Birds, is an exuberant literary send-up and one of the funniest novels of the twentieth century. The novel’s narrator is writing a novel about another man writing a novel, in a Celtic knot of interlocking stories. The riotous cast of characters includes figures “stolen” from Gaelic legends, along with assorted students, fairies, ordinary Dubliners, and cowboys, some of whom try to break free of their author’s control and destroy him. The narrator of The Third Policeman, who has forgotten his name, is a student of philosophy who has committed murder and wanders into a surreal hell where he encounters such oddities as the ghost of his victim, three policeman who experiment with space and time, and his own soul (who is named “Joe”). The Poor Mouth, a bleakly hilarious portrait of peasants in a village dominated by pigs, potatoes, and endless rain, is a giddy parody aimed at those who would romanticize Gaelic culture. A naïve young orphan narrates the deadpan farce The Hard Life, and The Dalkey Archive is an outrageous satiric fantasy featuring a mad scientist who uses relativity to age his whiskey, a policeman who believes men can turn into bicycles, and an elderly, bar-tending James Joyce. With a new Introduction by Keith Donohue

    "Children will delight in the cunning way that Fiona triumphs over the leprechaun king, as well as in the rhythmic language of this well-told tale." - Kirkus Reviews

    Although her beloved grandfather wants to keep her and little brother Kevin with him in Birmingham, the authorities decide it’s best for the girl to live with her maternal grandmother, on a farm in Donegal. So Molly is packed off to Biddy Sullivan, who’s a hard, cruel woman who loves to bear a grudge.Years of hardship follow and just as Molly begins to grow independent, war breaks out. She learns that her grandfather has died – so what’s become of ten year old Kevin? Surely he must need her? So the naive country girl sets off for her home city, little guessing what perils are to befall her before she can discover her brother’s fate…

    His stories have since appeared in The New Yorker and in the Granta Book of the Irish Short Story. His debut novel, City Of Bohane, was published by Jonathan Cape in April 2011. Could easily have been titled These Are Little Masterpieces'. Barry gathers all the bewildered exasperation that Irish playwrights from Tom Murphy to Marina Carr and Enda Walsh have identified, and brings it, most brilliantly, to his dark, blackly hilarious and horrifically realistic narratives.'-Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times

    Here, Frank MacEowen explains this intuitive way of seeing by retelling a traditional Irish story, "The Settling of the Manor of Tara." The story is essential because it introduced to Irish culture the concept of the four directions — north, south, east, and west. For the Irish, just as for Native Americans, the directions act as guides and protectors. Once seekers learn to “see” the directions, spirituality becomes a living thing, making each seeker not just an observer but a participant. After retelling the ancient story in beautiful, prose evocative of ancient Ireland, MacEowen then places its wisdom in contemporary terms, and shares exercises and practices that help readers incorporate the teachings into daily life.

    And many from around the globe proudly lay claim to ancestral ties there. S is for Shamrock: An Ireland Alphabet gives readers a guided A-Z tour of this small island country whose influence extends far beyond its sea borders.

    Youthful woman warrior Liath Luachra has survived two brutal years fighting with mercenary war party “The Friendly Ones” but now the winds are shifting. Dispatched on a murderous errand where nothing is as it seems, she must survive a group of treacherous comrades, the unwanted advances of her battle leader and a personal history that might be her own undoing. Clanless and friendless, she can count on nothing but her wits, her fighting skills and her natural ferocity to see her through. Woman warrior, survivor, killer and future guardian to Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhaill – this is her story.

    Now she has delivered her next, much-anticipated book, Walk the Blue Fields, an unforgettable array of quietly wrenching stories about despair and desire in the timeless world of modern-day Ireland.  In the never-before-published story “The Long and Painful Death,” a writer awarded a stay to work in Heinrich Böll’s old cottage has her peace interrupted by an unwelcome intruder, whose ulterior motives only emerge as the night progresses. In the title story, a priest waits at the altar to perform a marriage and, during the ceremony and the festivities that follow, battles his memories of a love affair with the bride that led him to question all to which he has dedicated his life; later that night, he finds an unlikely answer in the magical healing powers of a seer.A masterful portrait of a country wrestling with its past and of individuals eking out their futures, Walk the Blue Fields is a breathtaking collection from one of Ireland’s greatest talents, and a resounding articulation of all the yearnings of the human heart.

    Hold tight as the ordinary turns extraordinary in Mark O’Rowe’s exhilarating new play. A blackly comic vision of Dublin infested with demons, from the author of Howie the Rookie.

    They appear in the ancient Irish brehon laws and early nature poetry for which Ireland is famous. As with its companion 'Irish Trees', this book is illustrated with specially commissioned watercolours by Grania Langrishe.

    Patrick's relevance for the 21st century through hisConfessio and Letter to Coroticus andthe beautiful discourse of Pope JohnPaul II given in Drogheda. With fullerappreciation, pray with St. Patrick in anewly composed Novena based onearly Irish source.

    From Ireland's highly literate lineage to its storytelling traditions, from its intriguing history to its fantastical myths and folk tales passed down for thousands of years, from delectable Irish recipes to its inspirational cultural traditions, Irish and non-Irish alike will immerse themsleves in the spirited offerings of Ireland in this beautifully illustrated book. The Little Big Book of Ireland includes:LITERARY EXCERPTS from such writers as James Joyce, Frank McCourt, Samuel Beckett, and Edna O'Brien.POETRY by William Butler Yeats, Seamus Heaney, Patrick Kavanagh, Michael Longley, J. M. Synge, and others. FACTS & FANCY to inform and delight from A Wee Bit o' History and Emerald Isle Gems to Irish natural wonders and Irish toasts and blessings. SONGS include classics such as "A Bunch of Wild Thyme," "Danny Boy," "An Irish Lullaby," and "Wearing of the Green."RECIPES for traditional favorites including Irish potato griddle cakes, corned beef and parsnip, steak and Guinness pie, and Irish soda bread. MYTHS & FOLK TALES about such ancient figures as Deirdre and Naoise, Finn Mac Cumhal, banshees, leprechauns, and fairies. More than 150 full-color illustrations.

    The accounts they give are intimate, recalling their personal lives but their memories and experiences extend beyond the personal. Collectively, they provide a commentary on the changing face of Ireland. These women, who are familiar with the hedge schools and the famine from the first hand accounts of their grandparents, now connect with their grandchildren on their mobile phones. In their youth, healing relied on the use of herbs and such traditional healers as the bonesetter; today they have medical centres and home help. They have seen the arrival of radio, television, flush toilets and the page-three pin-up; new-found affluence and political, clerical and local scandal. They have taken much in their stride, and their vitality and resourcefulness continue to glow.

    Volume II includes many incantations for luck, love and good health. This volume also has numerous poems about plants and animals, and extensive notes on the lore associated with them.Besides the complete English and Gaelic text of the poems, and the beautiful initials, this etext includes the extensive glossary, which occupies the last third of the book. This appendix has not been reprinted in any of the contemporary anthologies of the Carmina Gadelica, and appears for the first time on the Internet at this site. It is a treasure trove of Scottish and Celtic lore, and makes fascinating reading. The glossary includes crucial background information about the main text of the book, many shorter poems, and Carmichael's personal insights into the life and beliefs of the people he studied for many years.About Author:Alexander Carmichael (1 December 1832, Taylochan, Lismore – 6 June 1912, Edinburgh) was a Scottish writer and folklorist, best known for his multi volume work Carmina Gadelica. He also contributed to John Francis Campbell's work the Popular Tales of the West Highlands. Throughout his career, Carmichael sought to explore and document the traditions of the Gaelic Highlanders, particularly their mythology, much of which is also common to Irish mythology.

    But after the boom came the bang. South Dublin's most eligible married man is left penniless and alone thanks to pure bad luck. Well, that, an investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau into the source of his old man's wealth and getting caught conkers-deep in the family nanny. Are the good times really over? Is it too much to hope for another economic miracle?Available here: https://www.landmarkproductions.ie/pr...

    "TALK POETRY is so hot. High bandwidth textblocks buzz with wonderful conversations. Verbal quadrats frame teeming diversifications. It's just gorgeous...Don't let this one slip through your fingers. Unmissable"--Randolph Healy.

    This book tells the story of their genesis. It explores the invasion myths of Ireland, the link between the ancient astronomers and St Patrick, and the true inspiration behind Newgrange's white quartz facade.

    By the mid-ninth century vikings had established a number of settlements in Ireland and Britain and had become heavily involved with local politics. A particularly successful viking leader named Ivarr campaigned on both sides of the Irish Sea in the 860s. His descendants dominated the major seaports of Ireland and challenged the power of kings in Britain during the later ninth and tenth centuries.This book provides a political analysis of the deeds of Ivarr's family from their first appearance in Insular records down to the year 1014. Such an account is necessary in light of the flurry of new work that has been done in other areas of Viking Studies. In line with these developments Clare Downham provides a reconsideration of events based on contemporary written accounts.

    In this history, Platt explores the captivating story of smuggling in 18th & 19th century Britain.

    Both vanish. Notorious Dublin criminal Patric York arrives from Holland to investigate his missing haul. The heat is on, particularly for his son Vinnie and for Patrick's longtime cohort Edward Naughton, father of Ashley. Rookie detectives Sarah Kenny and John Quigley are called in by the missing girl's mother. As fears grow for Ashley, they must piece together a dangerous puzzle—and try to dodge the bullets. Would Edward Naughton sacrifice his own daughter to keep ahead of a multimillion-euro industry? And why, just when they're getting somewhere, does their client call off the search?

    Its compact format - about the size of a mobile phone - means you can slip it in your pocket on a day trip or short stay in Ireland's vibrant and friendly capital. DK Eyewitness Pocket Map & Guide Dublin showcases all the best things to do in Dublin, from visiting magnificent Dublin Castle to checking out the pubs in Temple Bar. Concise descriptions and practical information for the top sights in each area of the city are complemented with vivid photography and illustrations, plus recommendations on where to eat, drink and shop. DK Eyewitness Pocket Map & Guide Dublin includes a sturdy pull-out map of Dublin city center, along with a street-finder index and transport map.Winner of the Top Guidebook Series in the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2017.

    In 1933 he drew 90,000 to London's White City to see him fight and was making £600 (GBP) a week on stage as a singer. He was 19. By the age of 30 he had earned and squandered a £250,000 fortune (worth millions today). His motto was, 'A generous man never went to hell,' and he lived his life like a hellraiser. In his heyday as a heavyweight boxer, singer and playboy, his celebrity rivalled the Prince of Wales, and he and his wife - the beautiful Mexican film star and singer Movita, who later married Marlon Brando - were as popular in the thirties and forties as Olivier and Leigh or Burton and Taylor.This remarkable biography rescues a glittering period of social and boxing history from obscurity and restores Jack and Movita to their rightful place in the showbiz and sporting pantheon. Jack's ring presence and personality reached back to the days of the Regency Buck and his friendships with the Royal Family, his fist-fight with Clark Gable, his life as a film star and gigolo, his throwing of a fight by knocking himself out, and his extraordinary post-war career as an all-in wrestler, are the stuff of legend confirmed here by seven years' exhaustive research, during which Taub tracked down and interviewed the leading player's in Jack's life.The book was released in autumn 2007 in conjunction with the screening of the RTE documentary "Jack Doyle: A Legend Lost", for which Michael Taub acted as consultant and in which he appears throughout.

    Sligo in 1970. Bernadette vanished while cycling her bike; her body was found at a bog four months later. Also profiled in Unsolved is the fatal shooting of Chief Prison Officer Brian Stack the only murder of a prison officer in the history of the state. Another case examined is the double killing of Eddie McCabe and Catherine Brennan in Tallaght in 1995. Gardai believe Eddie McCabe was the intended target of the attack and Catherine was shot in the head simply because she was a witness to the killing.Unsolved also looks at the murder of Galway taxi driver Eileen Costello O'Shaughnessy, and the murder of Marie Kilmartin whose body was found hidden in a bog drain in Co. Offaly in June 1994. This book also charts the investigation into the tragic disappearance of two men in Cork and the murder of a third man in the city eight months later.The murder of 15-year-old Tyrone schoolgirl Arlene Arkinson is also examined in detail. Arlene disappeared after a night out in August 1994. Despite extensive searches in both Donegal and Tyrone, Arlene's body has not yet been found.Through in-depth interviews with a number of families of murder victims, Unsolved illustrates that their grief is compounded by the failure to catch those responsible: evil, violent people, still living among us.

    And for generations of Irishmen, the Shillelagh was a badge of honor - a symbol of their courage, their martial prowess and their willingness to fight for their rights.

    Maria Luddy uncovers the extent of prostitution in the country, how Irish women came to work as prostitutes, their living conditions and their treatment by society. She links discussions of prostitution to the Irish nationalist and suffrage movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, analysing the ways in which Irish nationalism used the problems of prostitution and venereal disease to argue for the withdrawal of the British from Ireland. She also investigates the contentious history of Magdalen asylums and explores how the infamous red-light district of Dublin's 'Monto' was finally suppressed through the actions of the Legion of Mary in the 1920s. Revealing complex social and religious attitudes towards prostitution in Irish society, this book opens up a new world in Ireland's social and political history.

    Focusing on the repeated use of grammatical patterns, this Workbook develops an understanding of the structures presented, making the forms familiar and automatic for learners.This user-friendly workbook includes:terminology introduced and explained with multiple examples exercises in the grammatical forms introduced in the text translation exercises an exercise key.

    It tells the story of the whole island and its people. The book's 27 chapters chronicle the big picture of invasions, wars, Christianity, famine and a divided island, mixed with tales of Celtic head hunters, mysterious stone tombs, the Vikings, the black death, life in castles, the Titanic tragedy, music, mobiles and computers. When it ends a new story is just beginning.Included in the International Youth Library's White Ravens 2008 collection and winner of the Irish Children's Book of the Year (Irish Book Awards) 2008.

    Josie Gray is a proud inheritor of this tradition, a yarn-spinner whose evocative and authentic stories are steeped in the rural west of Ireland community to which he belongs.Beautifully crafted, subtly paced, and richly textured, Gray's stories vividly and affectionately bring to life a disparate castoff characters and recreate the fabric of their everyday lives. Disputes, laughter, courting, death, drink and general all-round skullduggery are the other of the day as Gray skillfully weaves together myth and fact, truth and near-truth.Captivated by these tales, acclaimed poet Tess Gallagher worked with Gray to give his oral stories written form. The result is a stunning collection that preserves the intimacy, melody and rhythm of Gray's voice.Beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned linocuts, Barnacle Soup is a lyrical feast for all those who love hearing and reading stories.

    This engrossing, illuminating, and beautifully illustrated guidebook explores the personal and professional histories of writers such as W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, and Sean O’Casey and examines their relationships with the people, culture, and landscapes of Ireland. From Galway and the Aran Islands, to County Mayo and County Sligo, and from Dublin to Wicklow, this guide to the places that inspired Irish Literary Revival showcases the locations where many of Ireland’s finest writers shaped an enduring vision of the country.

    Patrick's Day symbols of shamrocks and leprechauns lies the story of a man determined to share the message of salvation with the people who made him a slave. Read this true story of the heroic martyr who loved Jesus more than his own life. ages 3 and up. 10.28" L x 10.41" W

    Now the country's third largest party, Sinn Féin have been one of the central architects of the peace process and are increasingly setting the terms of political debate in Ireland north and south. Despite this, the party remains much misunderstood and often misrepresented.In Sinn Féin & The Politics of Left Republicanism, Sinn Féin activist Eoin Ó Broin explores the ideological and organisational origins of the party, charts their history and recent political development and assesses their possible futures.He argues that Sinn Féin is part of a distinct left-republican tradition in Irish society whose future lies in the globally resurgent radical democratic left.

    B. Yeats, one of the most loved poets of the 20th century. He left a large legacy of outstanding poems, and the finest are collected here: Down by the Salley Gardens, The Lake Isle of Inisfree, The Secret Rose and He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven. They are read by a strong cast led by Olivier award winner Jim Norton.

    Derek's mother, who is ailing, is unwilling to discuss the past, forcing her son on a quest that will plunge him into the early history of Irish diplomacy, taking him to Spain and later to Northern Ireland, until he discovers who his real father was-with tragic consequences. Peeling Oranges is a novel full of personal and political intrigue, fraught with ideology, as it intersects the histories of two emergent nations-Ireland and Spain. It is also a beautiful and lyrically written love story of childhood sweethearts-the apolitical Derek and the passionate nationalist, Sinead Ni Shuilleabhain.

    A poor society on the periphery of Europe, dominated by the conflicts of competing warlords--Irish and English--it later became a centralised political unit with a single government and code of laws, and a still primitive, but rapidly developing, market economy. These changes, however, had been achieved by brutal wars of conquest, while large scale colonisation projects had created lasting tensions between old inhabitants and recent settlers.At the same time the great religious divide of the Reformation had introduced a further source of conflict to Ireland, dividing the population into two hostile camps, while at the same time giving it a new and dangerous role in the conflict between England and its continental enemies. Against this confused and constantly changing background, individuals and groups had repeatedly to adapt their customs and behaviour, their political allegiances and aspirations, and their sense of who they were. A long and complex story, with many false starts and numerous dead ends, it is the story of the people who became the modern Irish.

    This book explores their secrets and their myths, legends and folktales, which persist to this day.

    Clare. Her first poetry collection Tulle was published in 2001, and her poems have appeared widely in Irish and international periodicals and anthologies, including The New Irish Poets (Bloodaxe, 2004). She is an assistant professor of English at Babson College, Massachusetts, and she lives in Boston. Among These Winters opens with an epigraph from Rilke on the heartbreak of parting, and stays mindful of this theme... Yet a striking good humor suffuses the collection, and nowhere more so than in poems like "The Stylist" and "Leading the Apes in Hell," where she displays that distinctly Irish gift of setting out a comic proposition and letting it run its antic course. -James Silas Rogers, Editor, New Hibernia Review

    Today he is hailed as a hero by some, condemned as a drunkard by others. Paul R. Wylie now offers a definitive biography of this nineteenth-century figure who has long remained an enigma.The Irish General first recalls Meagher’s life from his boyhood and leadership of Young Ireland in the revolution of 1848, to his exile in Tasmania and escape to New York, where he found fame as an orator and as editor of the Irish News. He served in the Civil War—viewing the Union Army as training for a future Irish revolutionary force—and rose to the rank of brigadier general leading the famous Irish Brigade. Wylie traces Meagher’s military career in detail through the Seven Days battles, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville.Wylie then recounts Meagher’s final years as acting governor of Montana Territory, sorting historical truth from false claims made against him regarding the militia he formed to combat attacking American Indians, and plumbing the mystery surrounding his death.Even as Meagher is lauded in most Irish histories, his statue in front of Montana’s capitol is viewed by some with contempt. The Irish General brings this multi-talented but seriously flawed individual to life, offering a balanced picture of the man and a captivating reading experience.

    However, almost a decade later, Loyalist paramilitaries were still on the battlefield. After the Peace examines the delayed business of Loyalist demilitarization and explains why it included more fits than starts in the decade since formal peace and how Loyalist paramilitary recalcitrance has affected everyday Loyalists.Drawing on interviews with current and former Loyalist paramilitary men, community workers, and government officials, Carolyn Gallaher charts the trenchant divisions that emerged during the run-up to peace and thwart demilitarization today. After the Peace demonstrates that some Loyalist paramilitary men want to rebuild their communities and join the political process. They pledge a break with violence and the criminality that sustained their struggle. Others vow not to surrender and refuse to set aside their guns. These units operate under a Loyalist banner but increasingly resemble criminal fiefdoms. In the wake of this internecine power struggle, demilitarization has all but stalled.Gallaher documents the battle for the heart of Loyalism in varied settings, from the attempt to define Ulster Scots as a language to deadly feuds between UVF, UDA, and LVF contingents. After the Peace brings the story of Loyalist paramilitaries up to date and sheds light on the residual violence that persists in the post-accord era.

    One of Ireland's finest poets, Ledwidge left the familiarity of his Co. Meath home and loved ones and joined the British Army to follow the fate of so many other young men of that doomed generation. Hovering in the hazy half-light of memories and regrets and marking the 90th anniversary of the 3rd Battle of Ypres in 1917, this beautiful new play by Dermot Bolger follows Francis Ledwidge's final journey as he finds himself 'walking the road' alongside all of those who had touched his life. But where is Francis walking to? And will any of them ever see home?

    In this landmark 2007 study - the first significant survey of the archaeology of Britain and Ireland for twenty years - Richard Bradley offers an interpretation of the unique archaeological record of these islands based on a wealth of current and largely unpublished data. Bradley surveys the entire archaeological sequence over a 4,000 year period, from the adoption of agriculture in the Neolithic period to the discovery of Britain and Ireland by travellers from the Mediterranean during the later pre-Roman Iron Age. Significantly, this is the first modern account to treat Britain and Ireland on equal terms, offering a detailed interpretation of the prehistory of both islands.

    Unlike most people, though, he left his home behind to make a bolt for those distant worlds and daring adventures. After one failed attempt to run away to join the British army, his second attempt succeeded, with him stowing away on the mailboat to Britain. Lying about his age, he was accepted into the army and, following his training, was posted to the strategically important island of Malta.The initial pleasures of the Mediterranean island and its beaches and entertainment areas gave way to the reality of unprecedentedly heavy air raids. Harte would later be transferred to Palestine, where he and his comrades were involved in several clandestine raids. Such activities ultimately saw Harte being selected for the elite Special Boat Service - the forerunner of the SAS. Harte was captured, and many of his memoir's most amusing - and occasionally disturbing - episodes cover his internment as a prisoner of war in a German POW camp.Part coming-of-age memoir and part war story, Harte's remarkable, often funny tale reads like a novel and serves to remind us of the vital role played by Irish men and women in the Second World War. To the Limits of Endurance is a testament to the immutability of one man's spirit against extraordinary circumstance. Also included are previously unpublished photographs of the era.

    Sheila MacBride came from a political family—her uncle John MacBride was executed in 1916 for his part in the Easter Uprising—but when she married into the “black, red-roaring, fighting Durcans of Mayo” she was obliged to give up a promising legal career. These poems commemorate his mother as Durcan remembers her: playing golf, reading Tolstoy, and initiating him in the magic of the cinema. He recalls her compassion and loyalty when he was committed to a mental hospital in adolescence and how she endured the ordeal of her old age. In the meantime, Durcan is beguiled by a beggar woman, enraged by a young man picking his nose on the Dublin-Sligo commuter train, and gets into difficulty at the security gate of Dublin airport.

    The introduction gives a brief history of the Celts and an explanation of the birth and development of their artistic style with particular relation to border designs.

    As both former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and Victim’s Commissioner, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield is in a unique position to evaluate the wisdom and long-term effects of the past fifty years of Northern Irish politics and policy.Bloomfield probes a number of crucial questions about the United Kingdom’s management of Irish affairs. Three decades of fighting have had grave consequences for Northern Ireland—what were the costs? Was violence inevitable? Bloomfield delineates the unwise decisions and abrogated responsibilities that led to the civil crisis of the Troubles while emphasizing the United Kingdom’s overriding duty to ensure peace. Peppered with incisive—and critical—portraits of the major political players, including Tony Blair and John Hume, A Tragedy of Errors gives us an unflinching insider’s view of Northern Irish politics and helps us understand the divisions that still dominate the region.

    These elements of people and place combine to give the country a magic all its own. This magic can be found throughout the country; it can be felt at ancient horse fairs or ruined castles, and even on the streets of modern Irish towns. This book encapsulates all that is wonderful about Ireland, from the natural landscape to traditional shopfronts, to give an overall impression of what makes Ireland magical.