Weird Ireland: An Unofficial Guide to the Island

by Brinsley McNamara

A hill that cars roll up. A bridge that plays music. A chair to cure madness. An underworld gateway. Bizarre foods, films, phrases and creatures. Welcome to weird Ireland.

In a journey across the island, Brinsley McNamara - curator of the popular social media channel Weird Ireland - shares his oddity obsession to bring you an off-the-beaten-track account of unique Irish wonders.

From UFOs and fairy forts to lake monsters and healing rocks, from standing stones and moving statues to fizzy
drinks and fast food, Weird Ireland is a book to be cherished by all seekers of the strange, rare and peculiar.

Featuring illustrations by Eoin Whelehan.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ireland, History, Mythology

206 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2024

Reviews

[Sam McAleese · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, educational book showcasing Ireland’s wonderful weirdness. I started following Brinsley on Instagram early in 2024 and love the quirky videos. My Grandad grew up in Edgeworthstown and I always played him the highlights, especially those around County Longford and Westmeath. They would initiate stories of his youth and even weirder tales! He sadly passed away 2 months ago at the grand age of 94 and I knew I needed to get this book to continue learning Ireland’s weird ways and history now he’s not here to tell me about them!

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and funny, short and easy to read. Wish it had been a bit longer though and I found parts of the contents a bit random, the structure seemed random too. But I don't regret reading it. If I was still teaching at university, I'd try to include bits and bops in my classes. Slán leibh, a Bhrinsley.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, light read that has led to a whole raft of places to visit.

[Bridgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I follow Weird Ireland on Instagram and his content is top notch! The book is has similar casual tone and is generally and easy, fun, interesting read. Thanks Brinsley!

[Krista Kruszewski-Menter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable and Educational. Funny how I am hearing the words in my head in the authors voice since I’ve watched plenty of his videos. The only downside is that I stopped after every chapter to google an image of what the author was describing. The reasons I love the videos so much is because the image is right there. I wish there were more photos or drawings in the book. Or maybe even a QR code to scan with a full album of every image in order of the chapters. Would still recommend to a friend!

[Karen Tomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun little book about all the random things to love about Ireland. Some I was familiar with and some I was hearing for the first time. Loved the fact that the stories had directions for where to find the place of interest and the illustration of the cat lady from the simpsons was so unexpected that I snorted and laughed lol. Looking forward to a follow up, hopefully there is one ☺️

[Peter Rempel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read. A great collection of interesting folk-lore and locations across Ireland. I kept thinking, well, I'll read just one more story.

I guess this also means I need to plan a trip to Ireland around some of these spots...

[Dermo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stranger, unfamiliar with Ireland, upon reading this book, would be forgiven for thinking that Louth and Westmeath are Ireland's most interesting and tourist-friendly hotspots. Certainly Mr McNamara brings us along to some interesting places and there's plenty more where that comes from!

[Connie Hasman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow on Instagram and wanted to preorder and forgot. Finally ordered it and read in one day. Was excited to see some of the places we have visited in Ireland are included in the book! Loved it and hoping to go back and visit more places that were mentioned.

[✨️Kayla✨️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I have to say Ireland is a pretty weird place

[Máirín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and filled with oddities I was both familiar and unfamiliar with having lived in Ireland my whole life. Bonus points for mentioning the Dodder Rhino

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book. Simple and sweet and has definitely given me a list of places to see in Ireland throughout the entire country!

[Aisling Doonan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the Instagram account and the videos, book is a lovely add on.

[Cordell Spears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good craic!

[Robert Dhom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good information to know if you are planning a trip to Ireland.

[Neil Kenealy]

Lots of little snippets of information here on ancient and modern Ireland. A longer form version of Brinsley's tiktok account where he actually films the places themselves and comments on them.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this from Ireland and it was light and very very funny. Just what I needed for these dark times!

[DaisyReadsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and easy read, some interesting bits to see in Ireland and funny stories.

[Siofra Murtagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice to read a book from home when on the other side of the world - won't take you long to get through and there will be plenty of places added to your travel list