Ireland

by Patricia Marjorie Levy

Book Overview

Learn about the geography, culture, language, and much more in this in-depth overview of Ireland. All books of the critically-acclaimed Cultures of the World(R) series ensure an immersive experience by offering vibrant photographs with descriptive nonfiction narratives, and interactive activities such as creating an authentic traditional dish from an easy-to-follow recipe. Copious maps and detailed timelines present the past and present of the country,...

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1502600757
• ISBN13: 9781502600752
• Release Date: December 2014
• Publisher: Cavendish Square Publishing
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.2" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Good guide for the independent, not-impoverished, visitor

The team of Sheehan & Levy gets around plenty, judging from their publications on an array of travel and other topics. Their experience, in this revision of a 2000 guidebook, makes for an efficient, straightforward, and perhaps more honest account for travelers confident enough to veer of well-trodden paths, but not so spartan as those in a Rough Guide or as quirky as Lonely Planet might cater to. After all, to boot, this is Ireland, and any sense that a visitor today will be far off from civilization or deprived of comforts is ridiculous, no matter how besotten with sylvan stereotypes a tourist might be. I tested its usefulness by sampling two areas I know well, Galway city and O'Connell St, Dublin, to see what Sheehan & Levy found that other guidebooks might miss. For Galway city's bookstores, Kennys is mentioned (although it will close its historic High St store in 2006, by the way) but not the secondhand seller on the next street over Charley Byrne's. McDonagh's bustling chip shop might be hard to find, as it's listed here without the "Mc." But the map of the city centre is well drawn, and avoids the common problem other guidebooks invite by keeping the heart of the touristed areas out of the "gutter" of the spine. Lots of eateries & sleeperies are cross-listed on both the map and the following text; this book gives slightly less attention to sights and more to practicalities of food, bed, and fun pubs than its competitors. For Dublin, it's the only guide I've perused that mentions, for instance, the Royal Dublin Hotel on O'Connell St. Its handsome map of this area is placed within the text itself, again cross-referenced with the surrounding practicalities. Arrows at the start of paragraphs on sights refer you to local DART stops, tell you how far the place is from the train, or send you to another page for additional information. This attention to linking the various aspects of the guidebook together shows the care that's gone into this edition. The general maps at the back lack the numbers for secondary roads, and so are not useful when on the road wondering where the turn is, but maps within the text offer more detail when needed. While the book's two-shade print appears sober, and you do not get the plethora of photos other guides give, the space saved is better spent on hard facts, with sidebars filling you in on certain local legends and contexts when appropriate. The details on where to stay and eat and shop are kept at the back of a section, apart from the sights and maps, but this is common to most guidebooks, allowing you to read about the whole area first and then figure out later where to stop. It is a bit tricky to find your way back and forth within the pages due to the reliance on only two colors, but the marginal colors for different regions/counties on the page edges mitigate this. Culture and history chapters append the book, in short essays, and the books recommended are up-to-date and varied in their approache