Weird Ireland: An Unofficial Guide to the Island

by Brinsley McNamara

A hill in County Down that cars roll up?
A bridge in County Mayo that plays music?
A chair that can cure madness in County Louth?
Giant monster sightings on the lakes and seas of Ireland?
The sensational Summer of the moving Mary statue in County Cork?
Even Irish ice pop lore?

From the social media phenomenon Weird Ireland comes a journey through strange and fascinating stories from across the island, as Brinsley McNamara shares his oddity obsession in the distinctive voice fans have come to love - witty, precise and straight up weird.

UFOs and fairy forts, whispering arches and matchmaking festivals, relics and Sheela na Gigs, standing stones and moving statues, lake monsters and healing rocks, it's all featured in this strictly off-the-beaten-track journey into the bizarre.

Featuring illustrations by acclaimed Dublin illustrator Eoin Whelehan, this is a book to be cherished by all seekers of the strange, rare and peculiar.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ireland, History

240 pages, Hardcover

Published February 11, 2025

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.

[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!

[✨️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