At the Edge of Ireland: Seasons on the Beara Peninsula

by David Yeadon

Overview

In recent years, Ireland has enjoyed a newfound prosperity as Europe's most affluent nation. But tucked away in a far corner of the so-called "Celtic Tiger," that other enduring and authentic country—that small, hidden place of simple magic and romance—still exists. Acclaimed travel writer David Yeadon and his wife, Anne, set out to find it.

On the Beara Peninsula of southwest Ireland, the Yeadons discovered their own "little lost world," an enticing Brigadoon of soaring mountain ranges and spectacular coastal scenery, far removed from the touristic hullabaloo of Dublin, Killarney, and the Ring of Kerry. Here is the fabled "Old Ireland," alive and well with music seisuins, hooley dances, and seanachai storytellers—a haven for searchers, healers, artists, and poets hardy enough to have braved the same narrow and winding mountain roads that keep the package-tour coaches out.

Bursting with color and life, At the Edge of Ireland is an intrepid wanderer's celebration of a magical, unspoiled, and unforgettable Éire.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061151279
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/10/2009
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

David Yeadon is the author of Seasons in Basilicata and the bestselling National Geographic Guide to the World's Secret Places. He has written, illustrated, and designed more than twenty books about traveling around the world. He lives with his wife, Anne, in Mohegan Lake, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Inveterate traveler Yeadon takes readers on a trip to a remote part of Ireland that he considers one of the last places in the country where one can see the "real Ireland." Ireland's membership in the European Union has brought greater wealth to the country but has also led to a McDonaldization of the image most of us have of the Emerald Isle. It's still beautiful, but a lot of it is commercial. Yeadon and his wife travel beyond the usual haunts of Dublin, Kerry, and Killarney to the Beara Peninsula located on the southwest coast in County Cork. Tourism has reached this area, and it's widely known for its comfortable hotels, authentic pubs, and spectacular scenery, but Yeadon and his wife take to the backroads of Beara, exploring it during every season of the year and coming to love its people as well as its places. For a relaxed look at a still largely untrammeled part of Ireland, this volume of armchair travel is recommended for large and medium-sized libraries.
—Joseph L. Carlson

Library Journal