Ireland for Dummies

I think this book will be very handy for my first trip to Ireland. It really gives lots of hints for people going alone, not involved with a tour.

I was given the opportunity to speak at a user group meeting in Dublin this upcoming June, and I decided I didn't want to be completely ignorant about the country. While it won't be a touring vacation, I'd still like to know a bit more about where I'll be visiting. To that end, I received a review copy of Ireland for Dummies by Liz Albertson. It's a fun and easy read, and at least I won't be a *completely* stupid American tourist now. Contents: Part 1 - Introducing Ireland: Discovering the Best of Ireland; Digging Deeper into Ireland; Deciding When and Where to Go; Following an Itinerary - Four Great Options Part 2 - Planning Your Trip to Ireland: Managing Your Money; Getting to Ireland; Getting around Ireland; Booking Your Accommodations; Catering to Special Travel Needs and Interests; Taking Care of the Remaining Details Part 3 - Dublin and the East Coast: Dublin; Easy Trips North of Dublin - Counties Meath and Louth; Easy Trips South of Dublin - Counties Wicklow and Kildare; The Southeast - Counties Wexford, Waterford, Tipperary, and Kilkenny Part 4 - Counties Cork and Kerry: County Cork; County Kerry Part 5 - The West and the Northwest: Counties Limerick and Clare; County Galway - Galway City, The Aran Islands, and Connemara; Counties Mayo and Sligo; County Donegal Part 6 - Northern Ireland: Counties Derry, Fermanagh, and Tyrone; Belfast and County Antrim; Counties Down and Armagh Part 7 - The Part of Tens: Top Ten Traditional Irish Dishes and Drinks; The Top Ten Items to Buy in Ireland Appendix: Quick Concierge Index For what I was looking for, this book was perfect. I'm not moving over there, nor was I looking for an in-depth discussion and critical analysis of Irish history and culture. I needed something that would give me an overall understanding of the country and the different areas. For instance, not having spent much time going beyond the nightly news, I didn't understand the relationship between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country. At least now I have a basic feel for the forces at play. I was also fascinated by the colorful history of the island over the centuries. It's amazing to think there are buildings and institutions there that are approaching a thousand years of existence. Makes the history of the United States look rather insignificant. If I were going to be headed off on my own for a week or so, the travel and sightseeing information here would be incredibly useful. Not only is there good information about what to see (and what possibly to avoid), the author also gives suggested amounts of time you might want to allocate towards a site. If you're thinking you might like to spend half a day somewhere and she suggests an hour, you might want to give your plans a second thought. I also liked a feature of this book that I haven't seen in others... They include a page of Dummies Post-It flags that you can use to tag important (to you) pages for further reference as you're traveling. A simple thing, bu

As a fairly frequent traveler to Ireland, I appreciate a lively, well-researched guide with a real "feel" (and love) for the country, and this is it! I love the style. The writing is breezy and fresh, chock-full of sharp observations and savvy tips. We're already using the guide to plan our next trip.

I traveled to Ireland right after college. Of course this meant that I had little to no money. I looked through everything I could find online and bought a few books and this book by far was the most helpful. It told what were the "must sees" in Ireland that allowed me to get a healthy overview of the country and a memorable trip in only a week. I agree with some other reviews that it doesn't go into too much depth, but it was my first time in Ireland and I had 7 days, so depth was not an option. The most appreciated part of this book was the detailed directions to all sites. Trust me, when you're used to street signs, Ireland roads can be tricky to navigate. Unless you're spending a month on the Isle, I say buy this book.

You dont have to be a dummy to grab this book...whether your of Irish descent or have been to Ireland before...this book gives you all youll ever need to know about Ireland from its history to the popular touristy places and more...it has many pubs covered all over Ireland including Northern Ireland...you cannot go without this book...