A Traveller's History of Ireland (Traveller's History of Ireland)

Rating:
Summary: Needs less history, more travel
Review: Starry-eyed and with a deep-seated love of the history of the place even before I had set foot there, I travelled to Paris after graduating university, armed not only with the obligatory budget guide to hostels and el-cheapo cafes, but with a last-minute find: "A Traveller's History of Paris". It was fabulous. Not only could I bore my travelling companion to tears photographing every angle of every building, but I could also talk her ear off from Notre Dame to the Louvre, recounting the historical anecdotes and trivia that went with each site.

I was looking forward to much the same when I ordered "A Traveller's History of Ireland". And from the point of view of history, this book certainly strives for thoroughness. However, in the end I left this one at home because it told me very little about specific histories of specific sites that I intended to visit throughout Ireland. Certainly it makes an effort, with the historical gazetteer at the back, to link the history to the geography; however, as a traveller, I much prefer to have the *places* enumerated and detailed than the periods.

As a history of Ireland, this book is not even that inspiring. Rather dry and sometimes pedantic, it lacks the lyrical energy that so informs the Irish love-affair with the written and spoken word. To get a sense of the flavour of Ireland's history, you'd do far better to read such personal accounts as Frank McCourt's deservedly popular memoirs, or the alternately funny and heart-rending novels of Roddy Doyle. For the romantic, browse Yeats' poems; for the ancient, explore the rich Irish folklore and mythology. Any of these will give you a better feel for the country and its spirit than this book, detailed and scholarly as it is.

I recommend this book mostly for that detail and scholarly approach. The title is misleading, though - this is not a book written with the traveller in mind.