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The Rough Guide to Ireland 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Rough Guides Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1843536145 |
Book Description
Explore every corner of this beautiful island (North & South) with the revised eigth edition of The Rough Guide to Ireland. The 24-page, full-colour introduction will inspire you on where to go and what to see, from the spectacular scenary of the west coast and the strange geometry of the Giant''s Causeway to the wild Aran Islands and lively bars of Dublin City. In addition, there are three, full-colour, 4-page inserts: ''Irish Music'', ''Under-rated Cuisine'' and ''Lively Festivals''. The guide includes listings for all the very best hotels and restaurants, plus information on all the top bars, shops and the best places to hear traditional Irish Music. The guide takes a detailed look at Ireland''s history and culture with details on everything from the megalithic remains at Brú na Bóinne to how to play the uilleann pipes. The guide comes complete with maps and plans for the whole island.Customer Reviews:
Always a great guide.......2007-06-08
Almost Blue.......2007-05-29
Great!.......2007-03-08
The Rough Guide to Ireland 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).......2006-11-10
Great Book, especially when traveling in the countryside.......1998-01-14
I ended up spending 3 nights in the Trim area which wasn't covered in the other guide books I looked at. Very useful and complete, I highly recommend it.
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The Rough Guide to Ireland Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map)
Rough Guides Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Map Similar Items:
ASIN: 184353214X Release Date: 2003-09-25 |
Customer Reviews:
Not that much detail.......2007-05-29
Rough Guide.......2007-01-10
two sided map.......2007-01-01
Indispensible!.......2006-12-01
The Rough Guide to Ireland Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map).......2006-11-10
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The Rough Guide to Dublin 3 (Rough Guide Mini Guides)
Mark Connolly , Margaret Greenwood , and Geoff Wallis Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1858289130 Release Date: 2003-01-27 |
Book Description
INTRODUCTIONA vibrant and compact city, Dublin has a pace and energy quite at odds with the relaxed image of Ireland as a whole. Prosperity generated by the Republic's economic boom has brought fundamental changes to the life of its capital, reversing the tide of emigration and creating a dynamic cultural centre. The ongoing rapidity of transformation is constantly apparent; new exhibitions, chic bars and restaurants and fashionable shops all signify a major shift in Dublin's identity, no longer dominated by the insularity of the past, but increasingly adopting a more global outlook.
The city's emergence from provincialism is, however, only part of the picture. Increases in population have left Dublin bulging at the seams which, of course, brings its problems, not least in terms of the high cost of housing and rents: spend just a couple of days here and you'll come upon inner-city deprivation as bad as any in Europe. Furthermore, the arrival of numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers has challenged perceived notions about Ireland's homogeneity - and not all Dubliners have embraced the concept of multiculturalism.
Dublin's collective spirit has its contradictions, too, with youthful enterprise set against a deeply embedded traditionalism. However, the collision of the old order and the forward-looking younger generations is an essential part of the appeal of this extrovert capital, and, despite their differences, its inhabitants' famous wit and garrulous sociability are a constant feature of Dublin life. In the legendary - and plentiful - bars, the buskers of Grafton Street and the patter of the tour guides who ply the streets with visitors in tow, there's an unmistakable love of banter. The city's considerable literary heritage owes much to this trait, and on either side of the Liffey you'll find reminders of literary personalities who are as intrinsic to Dublin's character as the river itself - from the bronze pavement plaques following the route of Leopold Bloom, hero of James Joyce's Ulysses, to the Oscar Wilde statue striking an insouciant pose in Merrion Square.
Ireland's economic growth during the 1990s has lent new impetus to just about every facet of the capital's cultural life. Historic treasures are being innovatively promoted and displayed, from the new Millennium Wing of the National Gallery to the wealth of decorative arts on show at the Collins Barracks, while the city's social and political history is evoked with flair, both in the abundance of theme-based tours and in the fabric of the city itself. Everywhere in Dublin you'll find evidence of a rich past well worth exploring: exceptional Viking finds excavated at Wood Quay (and now on show in the National Museum); impressive reminders of Anglo-Norman and British imperial power; elegant Georgian streets and squares; and monuments to Ireland's violent struggle for independence from the British. The visual arts are enjoying a higher public profile too, with mouthwatering exhibitions in the city's numerous galleries supplemented by the development of a unique design scene that's characterized by subtlety, experimentation and exploration of Ireland's Celtic past. Throughout the city there's a palpable sense that Dublin's cultural heritage is coming into its own - with striking confidence.
Dublin is, of course, known for its pubs, and for many, sampling the myriad bars and buzzing nightlife is an integral part of visiting the city. There's also plenty of music on offer and, while the capital has nothing to match rural Ireland, there are plenty of traditional music bars as well as an abundance of rock and jazz venues, and a vital and ever-changing club scene. Theatre, too, has long played a part in the city's cultural life - you can catch plays by O'Casey, Synge and Shaw all year round at venues such as the Abbey Theatre, as well as experiencing the vitality of Dublin's continuing dramatic tradition during the annual theatre and fringe festivals.
Customer Reviews:
Best Dublin Guide Yet.......2000-09-26
It has lots of practical information that the first-time traveler to Dublin should know, like what buses you can take from the airport, the (new) location of the Dublin Tourist Office, and the costs of public transport.
The style of the Rough Guide is very enjoyable as well. Instead of just a few recommendations for rooms and restaurants, the guide includes many suiting virtually all tastes and budgets.
Highly recommended.
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The Rough Guide History of Spain
ROUGH GUIDES Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 185828936X Release Date: 2003-11-27 |
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The Rough Guide History of France
Ian Littlewood Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1858288266 Release Date: 2002-11-21 |
Book Description
INTRODUCTIONFrance had wood, water and stone. To its early inhabitants these were the essential raw materials, and the land offered them in abundance. Less rich in mineral resources, it proved in time to have scattered deposits of coal, iron ore and bauxite. More important, its mixture of soils, climatic zones and different kinds of landscape provided the basis for a variety of agriculture that has been the mainstay of its economy. In shape a rough hexagon about a thousand kilometres long and the same across, France stretches from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, giving it a blend of northern and southern characteristics that can sometimes disconcert its neighbours. For centuries, the more stolid English have looked across the Channel with alternating envy and disapproval at this unpredictable, seductive country, with its flair for style, its dubious taste for the speculative and theoretical, its alarming penchant for revolutions.
Where does its history begin? Popular tradition long ago fixed on Clovis. It was he who dispatched the last representative of Roman power in Gaul and went on to piece together a Frankish kingdom that had at least the rough outlines of what later became France. But only after five ragged centuries of Merovingian and Carolingian rule do we really begin to see the emergence of modern France. Once the Capetian monarchs have established their sovereignty, we can talk with more assurance about the history of a nation. The Hundred Years' War against England left it drained but intact, and before long it was looking towards Italy for foreign conquests. At the end of the 16th century, after decades of religious civil war, the Bourbon dynasty came to the throne. Within a generation, it had set France on a course of expansion abroad and absolutism at home which led at last to the financial chaos, political exclusion and social inequity that precipitated the Revolution. Napoléon's rapidly acquired empire was as rapidly dismantled, leaving France to weave its way through a chequered century of restoration, revolution, empire and republic towards the cataclysm of 1914. In spite of the trauma of two devastating world wars and bitter colonial troubles, the end of the 20th century saw France in confident mood. Its millennium celebrations, by common consent among the best in the world, reflected a country that was still, as it had been for centuries, at the forefront of European powers.
For those living at the time, it is the political history of a nation that looms largest - the wars, the laws, the governments, the national triumphs and disasters. For those who come after, the perspective changes. In the middle of the bloody horrors of the Seven Years' War, Voltaire published Candide. Its words of provocation still ripple across the world; but who cares now about the victories and defeats that in 1759 seemed so much more important? In truth, the impact of a nation's history often has less to do with battles than with books. Measured in terms of the unspectacular events that create a cultural heritage, the significance of France's history is immense. From the poetry of the troubadours and the architecture of the great medieval cathedrals to the dominant artistic and intellectual movements of the 20th century, France has exercised a cultural influence unrivalled by any other country in Europe. If we look for the forces that shaped our way of thinking today, it is to the writers of the French Enlightenment - to Montesquieu, Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau and the rest - that we must return, and beyond them to Pascal and Descartes.
The French themselves have rarely been in doubt about their cultural pre-eminence, which is perhaps one reason why, at a time when the west has in general been eager to shelter under America's umbrella and share its culture, France has tended to stand aloof. A healthy suspicion of American influence has marked French policy on a range of issues from its attitude to NATO to its stance on the Middle East, from pursuit of nuclear weapons to protection of the national film industry. France goes its own way. And this irritating, admirable confidence in the superiority of its own arrangements comes ultimately from a pride in its past. No one demonstrated this more clearly than General de Gaulle. France, he explained at the start of his war memoirs, had always seemed to him to have a special destiny: `France could not be France without greatness.' The conviction came to him from his father in a manner that de Gaulle sums up in a single, brief sentence. Quite simply, `Il m'en a découvert l'Histoire' - He revealed to me its History.
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The Rough Guide Map to Dublin - Edition 2 (Rough Guide Country/Region Map)
Rough Guides Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Map Similar Items:
ASIN: 1843536234 |
Book Description
Synopsis This 2nd edition of "Rough Guide Map Dublin" combines clear modern mapping and bang-up-to-date research, and is the essential companion to anyone travelling around Ireland's capital city. "The Rough Guide Map" pin-points the best the city has to offer, from the cobbles of Trinity College to the legendary Guiness brewery. The useful 'Time Map' charts the opening days and times of all the city's sights. The map's detailed transport information and clear layout will help you make the most of the tubes, buses and taxis which serve the city.
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The Rough Guide to Ireland
Mark Connolly , and Margaret Greenwood Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items: ASIN: 1858286905 Release Date: 2001-05-31 |
Book Description
INTRODUCTION Landscape and people are what bring most visitors to Ireland - the Republic and the North. And once there, few are disappointed by the reality of the stock Irish images: the green, rain-hazed loughs and wild, bluff coastlines, the inspired talent for talk and conversation, the easy pace and rhythms of life. What is perhaps more of a surprise is how much variety this very small land packs into its countryside. The limestone terraces of the stark, eerie Burren seem separated from the fertile farmlands of Tipperary by hundreds rather than tens of miles, and the primitive beauty of the west coast, with its cliffs, coves and strands, seems to belong in another country altogether from the rolling plains of the central cattle-rearing counties. It's a place to explore slowly, roaming through agricultural landscapes scattered with farmhouses, or along the endlessly indented coastline. Spectacular seascapes unfold from rocky headlands, and the crash of the sea against the cliffs and myriad islands is often the only sound. It is perfect if you want space to walk, bike or (with a bit of bravado) swim; if you want to fish, sail, or spend a week on inland waterways. In town, too, the pleasures are unhurried: evenings over a Guinness or two in the snug of a pub, listening to the chat around a blood-orange turf fire. But there is another Ireland growing at a phenomenal pace alongside all of this. The extraordinary economic boom enjoyed by the Republic since the early 1990s has brought growth on an unprecedented scale. A country notoriously blighted by emigration is, at last, drawing people home with the lure of work. The conspicuous new wealth of many makes itself felt in every quarter of Irish life, but most especially in cities like Dublin and Galway where a proliferation of new bars, cafés and restaurants reveals a generation determined to enjoy life to the full. The cosmopolitan flavour of these cities is informed, in part, by the complex array of experiences brought home by returning ex-pats, more familiar with the ways of Melbourne and San Francisco, London and New York, than with those of the Aran Islands. The boom has its downsides - notably, spiralling property prices and the tensions brought about by increased immigration - but as a visitor you'll probably be most struck by the t! remendous energy and palpable sense of confidence in the future, most especially in the young. To act as a backdrop, there's a wealth of history. In every part of the island are traces of a culture established long before the coming of Christianity: sites such as Newgrange in County Meath or the clifftop fortress of Dun Aengus on Inishmore (the biggest of the Aran Islands) are among the most stupendous Neolithic remains in Europe, while in some areas of Sligo almost every hill is capped by an ancient cairn. In the depths of the so-called Dark Ages the Christian communities of Ireland were great centres of learning, and the ruins of Clonmacnois in County Offaly, the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary and a score of other monasteries are evocative of a time when Ireland won its reputation as a land of saints and scholars. Fortifications raised by the chieftains of the Celtic clans and the Anglo-Norman barons bear witness to a period of later turbulence, while the Ascendancy of the Protestant settlers has left its mark in the form of vast mansions and estates. But the richness of Irish culture is not a matter of monuments. Especially in the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht areas, you'll be aware of the strength and continuity of the island's oral and musical traditions. Myth-making is for the Irish people their most ancient and fascinating entertainment. The ancient classics are full of extraordinary stories - Cuchulainn the unbeatable hero in war, Medb the insatiable heroine in bed, or Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn Mac Cool) chasing Diarmuid and Gráinne up and down the country - and tall tales, superstition-stirring and "mouthing off" (boasting) play as large a part in day-to-day life as they did in the era of the Tain Bo Cuailngè, Europe's oldest vernacular epic. As a guileless foreigner enquiring about anything from a beautiful lake to a pound of butter, you're ideally placed to trigger the most colourful responses. And the speech of the country - moulded by the rhythms of the ancient tongue - has fired such twentieth-century greats as Yeats,! Joyce and Beckett. Music has always been at the centre of Irish community life. You'll find traditional music sessions all around the touristed coasts and in the cities, too - some of it might be of dubious pedigree, but the Gaeltacht areas, and others, can be counted on to provide authentic renditions. Side by side with the traditional circuit is a strong rock scene, that has spawned Van Morrison, U2, Sinead O'Connor and more recently The Divine Comedy and Jack Lukeman. And ever-present are the balladeers, fathoming and feeding the old Irish dreams of courting, emigrating and striking it lucky; there's hardly a dry eye in the house when the guitars are packed away. The lakes and rivers of Ireland make it an angler's dream, but the sports that raise the greatest enthusiasm amongst the Irish themselves are speedier and more dangerous. Horse racing in Ireland has none of the socially divisive connotations present on the other side of the Irish Sea, and the country has bred some of the world's finest thoroughbreds. While association football is as popular as in most parts of the world now, Gaelic football, sharing elements of soccer and rugby (which itself has its hotbeds, notably in Limerick), still commands a large following. Hurling, the oldest team game played in Ireland, requires the most delicate of ball skills and the sturdiest of bones. No introduction can cope fully with the complexities of Ireland's politics, especially the dramatic changes in Northern Ireland in recent years. However, throughout the guide we have addressed the issues wherever they arise, and in the introduction to the North on p.521 and at the end of the book, in the "Contexts" section, we have included pieces that give a general overview of the current situation. Suffice it to say that, just about everywhere hospitality is as warm as the brochures say, on both sides of the border.Customer Reviews:
Complete in some areas- incomplete in others........2002-03-26
A frank, highly accurate and invaluable guide.......2001-07-26
Yours truly has traveled to Ireland for eight of the past nine years, and the Rough Guide has been a consistent and consistently helpful travel companion. The recently updated (May 2001) sixth edition is a candid and comprehensive guide, as it covers all the well-known and little-known aspects of the Irish landscape. What distinguishes the Rough Guide from Fodor's, Frommer's, Let's Go, Lonely Planet, et al., is its writing: frank, literate, hard-to-put-down. This reader has all of the aforementioned guides to Ireland (and more), and it's the Rough Guide that receives the overwhelming bulk of my attention. It's the one guide that I turn to again and again, and the one guide that accompanies me to Ireland.
Beyond it's highly literate style, the Rough Guide is particularly strong in the areas of Irish history, and its relationship to the sites that dot the Irish landscape. In recent years the Rough Guide has increased its emphasis on dining and lodging options (this guide is no longer content with hostels as the only way to go). Indeed, the Rough Guide now caters to a broader geographic. In other words, it's not only for those who want to "rough it." Another noteworthy improvement in recent years is the Rough Guide's expanded index, and, even more noteworthy, is its "Contexts" section, which is a wonderful, most informative 75-page section devoted to numerous things Irish: history, wildlife, books, movies, architecture, and more. The contexts section, come to think of it, may alone be worth the publisher's asking price. As for maps, however, this is one of the Rough Guide's shortcomings. While there are more than 40 (and they are clear and helpful), this dedicated reader would like to see more of a particular region. Three pages of maps for all County Donegal, for example, doesn't do justice to a chapter that runs 45 pages. In the future, it would be helpful to have more detailed maps of, say, southwest Donegal, western Donegal, and the like.
Minor criticisms aside, the Rough Guide's sixth edition is a must-have for the serious traveler to the Emerald Isle. While not nearly as slick as some other guides (i.e., Eyewitness), its depth of subject and highly literate style more than compensates. Perhaps it's the ideal guide for the traveler who intends to return to Ireland again and again.
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Rough Guides Directions to Dublin (Rough Guide Directions)
Paul Gray , and Geoff Wallis Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 1843535432 |
Book Description
Dublin DIRECTIONS has all you need to get the most out of IrelandÂ's capital city. Whether youÂ're on a weekend break or weeklong visit, this guide highlights all the top places to stay, the sights not to miss, the coolest bars and the tastiest restaurants. From learning about DublinÂ's literary greats and fascinating history, to tasting your first Guinness in the legendary brewery, this richly illustrated guide explores the very best the city has to offer. The main section of this stylish guide uncovers the city district by district, with every sight, restaurant, bar and shop located on easy-to-use maps itÂ's like having a local friend plan your trip!Â
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The Rough Guide to Ireland (Rough Guide Ireland)
Margaret Greenwood , Mark Connolly , and Geoff Wallis Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1858284007 |
Book Description
Interest in the Emerald Isle continues to grow, as does Rough Guides coverage. This new edition captures Ireland's new optimism in words--extensive revisions including updates on the Temple Bar scene and Belfast's burgeoning culinary district--and pictures--with pages of rich green hills and bright red braids. The Rough Guide features town and countryside coverage of every corner of Ireland, north and south. Also included are eye-opening looks at recent Irish literature, in-depth info on hiking opportunities, and foot-stomping features on finding traditional music. (43 maps)Customer Reviews:
Out of Date and Innacurate.......2000-01-25
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Britain and Ireland (Rough Guide 25s)
Rough Guides Manufacturer: Rough Guides ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1843538164 |
Book Description
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