Ireland: A Traveler's Literary Companion

Traveler's Literary Companion

by James Mc Elroy

What explains the fact that one of the world’s smallest, least assuming countries has consistently been among the top 15 international travel destinations for Americans? Ireland’s appeal can be attributed to many its blend of picturesque villages and bustling modern cities, its people known for their warmth, charm, stoicism, and individuality, its history — one of the most dramatic of any country on the planet — and its rich literary tradition. This engaging collection of short stories captures all these qualities of Ireland and more. Set in the Emerald Isle’s legendary provinces of Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connaught, these varied tales by some of the world’s most renowned writers give prospective visitors an immediate feel for the country’s enduring past and exciting present. Frank O’Connor, Liam O’Flaherty, William Trevor, John McGahern, Benedict Kiely, Patrick Kavanugh, Gerry Adams, Hugo Hamilton, and Desmond Hogan are among the talents represented here.

Genres: Ireland, Travel

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2007

Reviews

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag for me. Halfway through I would have given it a grudging two stars, but the last half was a bit less dreary/whingeful

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it the editor or the national ethos? Should have been titled "tales of the lonely."

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great collection of stories covering a wide range of time periods throughout 20th century. I feel like the stories offered an insightful look at the culture, the people and even to a degree the geography of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The story written by Gerry Adams detailing the short work relationship between a Protestant Loyalist and a Catholic activist was an especially intriguing take on how people of opposite beliefs interacted (or might interact) during the height of the Troubles and even now. As is typical with any collection, some of the stories were more engaging than others; the above-mentioned (titled "The Mountains of Mourne") by Gerry Adams and a story by Elizabeth Cullinan called "A Good Loser" were my favorites, and I intend to look for more of their work while I'm abroad.

[Tanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a pretty spotty selection. Some of the stories are downright unreadable, especially the first few. It's also not a great travel book. There aren't any introductions other than brief, dry biographical sketches of the author. The selection would be much more impactful as a travel guide if there were a few pages of introduction about the history and literature of each area that led into the selected stories. If you don't already know a lot about Ireland, including the history, economy, Protestant/Catholic conflict and literature, you're going to be puzzled rather than educated by this book.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great idea! Rather than just reading a regular travel book (which can get rather boring) this guide consists of short stories written by authors from the country which you are visiting. It was so enjoyable to tour around during the day and then in the evening curl up with this book and see references to places I had just seen and local lingo that I had just heard. I highly recommend this series to all travel bugs. They have editions for several different countries.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely collection of stories. I read it while I was in Ireland and it seemed to capture the flavour of the regions we were in. It's organised according to district.
We were in the west while I read it and the stories captured the harsh difficulty of life in that area. The book is true to it's name.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book to read during a trip to Ireland. I'm not a lover of short stories, but the ones in this book were of excellent quality and conveyed both historical and current culture to enhance my trip.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I want to re-visit (and visit for the first time) all the places that the book refers to! Each chapter is a short story, or an excerpt from a longer work, featuring a particular county or region of Ireland. Sign me up, Aer Lingus!

[Simone Martel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories, almost all in the first person with a nostalgic tone. Only 2 out of 15 by women. Representative? I don't know.