The Republic of Ireland’s 2,600 kilometre long Wild Atlantic Way is the world’s longest coastal route, incorporating magnificent coastal views, remote islands, quaint villages and numerous historical monuments. It follows the shores of nine western Irish counties, crossing mountain passes and wild expanses of bog to visit bays, strands and rugged headlands. With over fifty Blue Flag Beaches, seventeen “Scenic Points of Interest” of exceptional scenic interest and such activities as golf, surfing, hill walking and fishing, the Wild Atlantic Way has rapidly become one of Europe’s paramount travel destinations.

 This guide offers an overview of the entire Wild Atlantic Way from Derry in the north to Kinsale in the south. The text covers natural wonders, human settlements and historical sites, with background information on the culture and history of coastal Atlantic Ireland; it also suggest detours to nearby off-route tourist attractions. Illustrated by the renowned landscape photographer Liam Blake, this Real Ireland Guide both introduces and celebrates the beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way.

Ireland is a feast for the eyes and for the spirit. For more than six thousand years, this island set like a jewel at the edge of the Atlantic has been inhabited by people who appreciated its special qualities, both physical and spiritual. Here is a land where the past is more than palpable. The past is to be seen, touched, climbed, explored, experienced. Glen and mountain and valley are peopled with memories that will not die, and spirits that are not extinguished. In a world which seems constantly in flux, some aspects of Ireland are changeless. Dublin is a modern European city, yet only a few miles away, the wind blows across Tara hill as it has done since before the dawn of history, and sheep graze on the grass where once walked the magic people, the Tuatha De Danann.

« L’Irlande est un régal pour les yeux et l’esprit. Pendant plus de six mille ans, cette île posée comme un bijou au bord de l’Atlantique a été habitée par des peuples qui appréciaient ses qualités physiques et spirituelles particulières. Voici une terre ou le passé est plus que palpable. Ce passé s’offre à être touché, remonté, examiné, et vécu. Glens, vallées et montagnes sont non seulement peuplées par des souvenirs qui ne mourront pas, mais aussi par des esprits qui ne sont pas oubliés. Dans un monde qui semble être en situation de flux constant, quelques aspects de l’Irlande ne changent jamais. Dublin est une ville européenne moderne, mais seulement à quelques kilomètres, le vent souffle sur Tara comme cela s’est fait au début de l’histoire, et des moutons broutent l’herbe sur lequel le peuple magique marchait, le Tuatha De Danann. »

„Irland ist ein Fest für die Augen und den Geist. Seit mehr als sechstausend Jahren liegt diese Insel wie ein Juwel am Rand des Atlantiks und ist von Menschen bewohnt, die seine besonderen Qualitäten wertzuschätzen wissen, sowohl körperlich als auch spirituell. Es ist ein Land, in der die Vergangenheit mehr als greifbar ist. Die Vergangenheit kann erblickt, angefasst, erklommen, entdecket und durchlebt werden. Schluchten, Berge und Täler sind bevölkert mit Erinnerungen, die nicht aussterben werden, und Geistern, die nicht ausgelöscht werden. In einer Welt, die in konstanter Veränderung zu leben scheint, sind einige Aspekte Irlands unveränderlich. Dublin ist eine moderne europäische Stadt und dennoch weht der Wind einige Kilometer weiter über den Tara-Hügel, wie er es schon seit Anbeginn der Zeit tut. Schafe weiden auf dem Gras, über das einst das Volk der Danu, das Tuatha De Danann, wandelte.“

«Irlanda es un festival para los sentidos y para el espíritu. Durante más de seis mil años, esta isla, una joya en el extremo del Atlántico, ha sido habitada por pueblos que apreciaban sus cualidades especiales, tanto físicas como espirituales. En esta tierra, el pasado es más que tangible; el pasado tiene que ser visto, tocado, escalado, explorado, experimentado. Los glen, las montañas y los valles están plagados de recuerdos que no morirán y espíritus que no se extinguirán. En un mundo que parece estar en constante movimiento, algunos aspectos de Irlanda permanecen sin cambios. Dublín es una ciudad europea moderna y, sin embargo, a tan solo unos kilómetros, el viento sopla a través de la colina de Tara como lo ha hecho desde los albores de las historia y las ovejas pastan en el césped en el que en otros tiempos caminaron los seres mágicos, los Tuatha De Danann».

Las fotografías de Liam Blake ofrecen un archivo visual inigualable de las maravillas de Irlanda y de la vida cotidiana de su gente. A lo largo de los años, su trabajo para la colección de postales de Real Ireland ha su puesto un logro artístico significativo y ha influido en la imagen que tienen del país tanto el público como otros fotógrafos. En este libro, sus fotografías muestran una amplia variedad de  experiencias que se pueden disfrutar en Irlanda y que abarcan desde pequeños detalles de la vida diaria hasta paisajes panorámicos espectaculares. Su visión y su entendimiento del paisaje de Irlanda y de su gente son el principal motor de este libro.

Dublin, like most great cities, did not grow overnight. Founded by the Vikings over a thousand years ago, it has evolved through the Middle Ages and Georgian Era to become one of the friendliest and most fashionable capitals in Europe. This illustrated guide tells the story of Dublin and introduces some of its more important sights to the visitor - from medieval cathedrals and eighteenth century architectural masterpieces to museums, public houses and parks. Featuring the photographs of Liam Blake, one of the city’s most renowned photographers, it is equally an aid to exploring Dublin and a tribute to its culture and history.

Despite its fame around the world, Dublin is a remarkably small and intimate city. This is an important aspect of its charm, for within the compact central districts are museums, art galleries, medieval cathedrals and churches, Georgian terraces and great public buildings – all part of a history that goes back over a thousand years. Yet Dublin is equally renowned for its lively pubs, theatres, music venues and literary heritage. All of these contribute to the contemporary city’s uniquely vibrant atmosphere and great social and cultural scene. 

Dublin ist wie viele großartige Städte nicht in einer Nacht erbaut worden. Die vor über tausend Jahren von Wikingern gegründete Stadt, hat sich über das Mittelalter und das georgianische Zeitalter zu einer der freundlichsten und modernsten Hauptstädten Europas entwickelt. Dieser illustrierte Reiseführer erzählt die Geschichte Dublins und stellt einige der wichtigsten Sehenswürdigkeiten vor - von mittelalterlichen Kathedralen und architektonischen Meisterwerken aus dem 18. Jahrhundert zu Museen, Pubs und Pärken. Mit den Fotografien von Liam Blake, einer der renommiertesten Fotografen Dublins, dient er auch als Hilfe bei der Entdeckung Dublins sowie als Tribut an ihre Kultur und Geschichte. 

Trotz weltweiter Berühmtheit, ist Dublin eine bemerkenswert kleine und intime Stadt.  Dies ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil des Charmes der Stadt, wozu auch zentral gelegene Museen, Kunstgalerien, mittelalterliche Kathedralen und Kirchen, georgianische Reihenhäuser und beeindruckende öffentliche Gebäude gehören - alles Teile einer Geschichte, die auf über tausend Jahre zurückgeht. Dublin ist ebenso bekannt für lebhafte Pubs, Theater, Konzerthallen und ihr literarisches Erbe. All dies trägt zur einzigartig dynamischen Atmosphäre und der tollen gesellschaftlichen und kulturellen Szene der heutigen Stadt bei.

The Irish Pub is a unique institution, without any real equivalent elsewhere. Some may speak of Irish Christianity or literature as being the great contribution of our wet little island to the greater world beyond these shores. The true connoisseur of Irish culture knows, however, that these are pale shadows compared to the worldwide influence of our public houses and alcoholic beverages.

“Those who don’t know Irish pubs, and the interesting people who frequent them, will always possess only a superficial knowledge of Irish life and culture. The Irish pub is not only an excellent guide to many attractive centres of celebration; it is also a helpful and civilised introduction to higher education in a convivial atmosphere. This is a necessary text for all those in search of enlightenment and laughter.”

Haunted Ireland -  Haunting Tales from an Ancient Land

The dead are always with us. Banshees, witches, haunted castles and much more from the ‘world beyond’ form part of the everyday existence for some in Ireland in the 21st century. Tales of hauntings of many of the best known dwellings, both urban and rural, of the Irish landscape are still told on dark evenings by cosy firesides. For some, evidence of a further existence after the present one is reassuring. For others, however, paranormal experiences bring little relief and indeed may induce an occasional sleepless night but at least provide a thrill. It has yet to be satisfactorily explained why Ireland should have such a rich history of tales from beyond the grave. One possible explanation may involve the long tradition of storytelling for which the natives are renowned and the enjoyment from telling and hearing a good ghost story. Whatever one’s reason for perusing the topic, few books currently available will give a more comprehensive retelling of the best of these stories.

One might think that the number of people to have encountered a spirit from the other world would be quite low. In fact many hundreds have been recorded and as we will see in the following pages, almost fifty of the most engaging accounts are presented here. Close to half of these involve castles from all parts of the island. From Dunluce Castle in the north to Charles Fort in the south and from Gormanston in the east to the Cliffs of Moher in the west, no corner of the country is safe from a visitation or from those willing to tell of the same.

Also, if you expect hauntings to have originated in times long past, think again. I offer the example of the poltergeist activity witnessed in Glin Castle, Co Limerick as the result of a tragic incident in the 1960s. Indeed, it has been reported within the past year that an apparition was witnessed watching television at three o’clock in the morning in the home of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Mansion House!

However, this publication is not intended to frighten the reader. It is rather intended as a joyous travel companion to highlight the many and varied aspects of our rich Irish history, geography, literature and storytelling culture that awaits the open minded traveller to this ancient land of myths and legends.

So, as your travels take you to the varied parts of this land, have a look inside to see if you are close to one of the featured haunted locations but just don’t read it at night!

The Easter Rising of 1916 stands as one of the most significant events in modern Irish history.  For Britain, fighting for its survival on the battlefields of the First World War, it was an unexpected and unwanted diversion, to be quickly and mercilessly crushed. Yet Pearse, Connolly and the comparatively small group of rebels who took up arms, knew that they were fighting not only for control of their nation’s capital but also the future of the Irish people.

This pictorial history offers an overview of the background, course and aftermath of the Easter Rising.  Incorporating short biographies of the most important Rebel figures, it tells the story of the intense fighting that broke out in Dublin during the last week of April 1916 and the executions that followed.

Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the oldest in Europe. Established in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth 1 it is a central part, both physically and philosophically, in the story of Dublin for over 400 years. It is also a unique institution as apart from its role as a leading teaching and research establishment, it is home to the world renowned Book of Kells and Old Library building. Details on these magnificent treasurers along with the history of the college, its famous alumni, its buildings and grounds and current student life are outlined within this booklet. Fascinating images, many unseen before, help to chronicle the architecture and art works which can be enjoyed by visitors, staff and students in this oasis of learning in the heart of the capital city.

In this introduction to the best known film and TV series where the majority of the filming was undertaken in Ireland, we take a look behind the scenes and explore the spectacular locations used by the filmmakers. 

Which Irish road was renamed after a Star Wars character?What John Wayne did during the filming of The Quiet Man?That Ryan’s Daughter was based on Flaubert’s Madame Bovary?That a vampire story was filmed in the library used by Bram Stoker?The Dublin location used for filming The Italian Job, Michael Collins and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones?