Blue Guide Ireland (Blue Guides)

Rating:
Summary: Useful, But Not Fully Up to the Usual Blue Guide Standards
Review: As my other reviews will indicate, I'm normally a big fan of the Blue Guide series. Alas, this volume isn't up to the standards of many of the others in the series. It needs revising and retooling.

The problems with this guide aren't necessarily the fault of the current author. Brian Lalor, an artist and archaeologist with some significant accomplishments to his credit, appears to be potentially well-qualified to take over the stewardship of this volume, which is now in its 8th edition. But a lot of the current text dates back to earlier editions and other authors, and thus it is hard to know who was originally responsible for some of the mistakes I noticed. Other mistakes reflect a failure to update this volume adequately. Given the sheer amount of data a Blue Guide includes, I'm sure that updating a volume is an incredibly daunting task. But some of the problems here are nevertheless hard to excuse.

For example, if you're interested in touring the Waterford Crystal factory, the text advises you (p. 202) of the following: that you have to apply at the main tourist office on the quay in Waterford (you don't); that tours are offered only on weekdays (this is wrong); that children are not admitted (they are); that photography is not allowed (it is, except in certain areas where the craftsmen are actually cutting the glass and don't need to be distracted by camera flashes); and that glass is not sold at the factory itself, but only in shops in town (actually, the company energetically hawks its crystal on the factory premises, and good buys are to be had there).

Even when I first read all this before arriving in Waterford, I found these assertions hard to believe. Yes, there was a time in Britain and Ireland when they would have been capable of being obtuse enough about commercial matters not to sell Waterford Crystal at its own factory, but I found it difficult to imagine that had been the case since, say, about 1985. And, indeed, this particular block (blot?) of blatantly erroneous text dates back to at least the mid 1980's - I found it in the 1988 edition of this Guide at the local library after returning from our trip. But it is a major embarrassment that it had not been corrected by the time this edition came out in 1998.

Another big complaint I had about this volume was the dearth of town maps. There are only 9 in this volume - Derry, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Armagh, Belfast, Cork, Kilkenny, Waterford. In contrast, the Blue Guide to Greece has more than 70. At a minimum, this volume should also include maps of towns like Cashel, Tralee, Kilarney (and its environs), and Ennis, among others. There are some good maps of old priories, but there could stand to be even more. It is partly because of its abundance of useful town maps that I would recommend getting the Lonely Planet Guide in addition to, or even in place of, this one. (The Lonely Planet Guide is also very detailed and often more accurate about historical matters, locations of archaeological sites, etc. It definitely isn't just for the young backpacking set.)

Other illustrative errors and complaints:

(1) I passed on seeing the celtic crosses at Kilkieran because this Guide said they were mere "remains." Later I saw photographs of these crosses, and they appeared substantially intact.

(2) The Guide indicates it takes 30 minutes to reach Skellig Michael by boat from the mainland. Actually, it takes more like 90 minutes.

(3) The Index is incomplete and error-ridden. Skellig Michael isn't listed at all; Craggaunowen is on page 281, not 294; and some key people who have a number of references in the Guide (e.g., St. Brendan) are completely omitted.

(3) One of the easiest ways to reach the monastery island of Inchagoill in Lough Corrib is by boat from Ashford Castle in Cong, but the Guide indicates that boats are only available from Oughterard.

(4) There is often an absence of adequately specific directions to help you reach referenced sites: for example, how to reach Ross Erilly friary from the main road, or the ring fort where the Clare gold hoard was found on the grounds of Drumoland Castle.

That said, this volume still has a wealth of information. I did use it with profit on our trip, and I found Brian Lalor's pen-and-ink sketches throughout quite charming. If I could give this book 3.5 stars rather than 3 stars, I would. But if a book is part of the Blue Guide series, it has very high standards to live up to. And I'm afraid that the current edition of this Guide doesn't entirely measure up.

Rating:
Summary: Useful, But Not Fully Up to the Usual Blue Guide Standards
Review: As my other reviews will indicate, I'm normally a big fan of the Blue Guide series. Alas, this volume isn't up to the standards of many of the others in the series. It needs revising and retooling.

The problems with this guide aren't necessarily the fault of the current author. Brian Lalor, an artist and archaeologist with some significant accomplishments to his credit, appears to be potentially well-qualified to take over the stewardship of this volume, which is now in its 8th edition. But a lot of the current text dates back to earlier editions and other authors, and thus it is hard to know who was originally responsible for some of the mistakes I noticed. Other mistakes reflect a failure to update this volume adequately. Given the sheer amount of data a Blue Guide includes, I'm sure that updating a volume is an incredibly daunting task. But some of the problems here are nevertheless hard to excuse.

For example, if you're interested in touring the Waterford Crystal factory, the text advises you (p. 202) of the following: that you have to apply at the main tourist office on the quay in Waterford (you don't); that tours are offered only on weekdays (this is wrong); that children are not admitted (they are); that photography is not allowed (it is, except in certain areas where the craftsmen are actually cutting the glass and don't need to be distracted by camera flashes); and that glass is not sold at the factory itself, but only in shops in town (actually, the company energetically hawks its crystal on the factory premises, and good buys are to be had there).

Even when I first read all this before arriving in Waterford, I found these assertions hard to believe. Yes, there was a time in Britain and Ireland when they would have been capable of being obtuse enough about commercial matters not to sell Waterford Crystal at its own factory, but I found it difficult to imagine that had been the case since, say, about 1985. And, indeed, this particular block (blot?) of blatantly erroneous text dates back to at least the mid 1980's - I found it in the 1988 edition of this Guide at the local library after returning from our trip. But it is a major embarrassment that it had not been corrected by the time this edition came out in 1998.

Another big complaint I had about this volume was the dearth of town maps. There are only 9 in this volume - Derry, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Armagh, Belfast, Cork, Kilkenny, Waterford. In contrast, the Blue Guide to Greece has more than 70. At a minimum, this volume should also include maps of towns like Cashel, Tralee, Kilarney (and its environs), and Ennis, among others. There are some good maps of old priories, but there could stand to be even more. It is partly because of its abundance of useful town maps that I would recommend getting the Lonely Planet Guide in addition to, or even in place of, this one. (The Lonely Planet Guide is also very detailed and often more accurate about historical matters, locations of archaeological sites, etc. It definitely isn't just for the young backpacking set.)

Other illustrative errors and complaints:

(1) I passed on seeing the celtic crosses at Kilkieran because this Guide said they were mere "remains." Later I saw photographs of these crosses, and they appeared substantially intact.

(2) The Guide indicates it takes 30 minutes to reach Skellig Michael by boat from the mainland. Actually, it takes more like 90 minutes.

(3) The Index is incomplete and error-ridden. Skellig Michael isn't listed at all; Craggaunowen is on page 281, not 294; and some key people who have a number of references in the Guide (e.g., St. Brendan) are completely omitted.

(3) One of the easiest ways to reach the monastery island of Inchagoill in Lough Corrib is by boat from Ashford Castle in Cong, but the Guide indicates that boats are only available from Oughterard.

(4) There is often an absence of adequately specific directions to help you reach referenced sites: for example, how to reach Ross Erilly friary from the main road, or the ring fort where the Clare gold hoard was found on the grounds of Drumoland Castle.

That said, this volume still has a wealth of information. I did use it with profit on our trip, and I found Brian Lalor's pen-and-ink sketches throughout quite charming. If I could give this book 3.5 stars rather than 3 stars, I would. But if a book is part of the Blue Guide series, it has very high standards to live up to. And I'm afraid that the current edition of this Guide doesn't entirely measure up.

Rating:
Summary: The best, most current guide to Ireland available.
Review: Brian Lalor has written a charming, witty guide to Ireland. Lalor, trained as an architect, and a marvelous artist, shares his intelligent insights on his home country in this up-to-date Blue Book. Included are the well-known as well as unusual places. This is an indispensible guide for a novice or experienced traveller to Ireland. Brian Lalor is a fine writer and a grand observer.