My favorite book for getting a look at what I might enjoy is still
Eyewitness Travel Guide to Ireland
The Eyewitness Guide SHOWS you with excellent photographs and good text - the places you might want to visit all around Ireland. We have found it helpful to SEE places we're thinking about visiting.
Our other favorites include:
Rick Steves' Ireland 2008
Rick Steves hosts a wonderful series of programs on ETV taking you to special, less traveled places around the world. His guide through Ireland is packed with great ideas, delightful connections, and interesting places... along with good background about them.
Ancient Ireland: An Explorer's Guide
For those of us interested in the history and pre-history of Ireland, this book tells the stories AND takes you on three different driving tours around Ireland during which you visit key locations during that era. Very well-written and helpful in planning your trip.
The Dingle Peninsula
For people who want to explore the Dingle, Steve MacDonogh's book is the complete guide. It seems like every special place in each little town is chronicled with often funny or interesting background. Reprint available in March 2007. One limitation, you may need to keep your Ordinance maps 70 and 71 handy to actually find some of the places he describes.
Sun Dancing
A carefully written historic novel telling the stories of the establishment of the monastic settlement at Skellig Michael, and life through the various eras of life there. Inspiring and exciting!
The Brendan Voyage
The true, thrilling story of Tim Severin's adventure seeking to construct a boat like St. Brendan sailed across the Atlantic, and his 2 year voyage across the ocean! Great writing and true!
The novel Cindy & Marsh have loved reading - Ireland by Frank Delaney
A wonderful read! Written by a master story teller, it will catch your heart and your soul! The story of Ireland is told through an array of different voices, each rich and stirring. Each one is woven into the tale of a young boy drawn into the role of storyteller, and the sad and beautiful adventures of his life journey. It is available as hardback and read by the author as an audio book, unabridged. The recording is superb!.
PBS produced a tremendous three-part series In Search of Ancient Ireland. It's available on DVD or VHS tapes and a book version is also well worth reading for additional background (but few photos).
The Complete Road Atlas of Ireland
If you can tolerate the book-style map, this is sturdy and well done and probably the best book-map of the country.
For exploring the Dingle Peninsula, you may well want more detail showing the numerous small roads. Ordinance Survey Maps Discovery Series #70 and #71
