Irish Culture, Traditions & Folklore Books

A unique presentation of Irish country house interiors, combining well-preserved historic estates with adventurous contemporary restorations, celebrating some of the most characterful houses in Ireland. Forgoing the criteria of st…

Loinnir: The sunlight sparkling on the waves, or the merriness you feel after early pints of stout in the morning.  When you speak in Irish, every word is a tiny poem that reveals a new perspective. The Irish language is our inher…

An original and fascinating history of Dublin that tells the story of the city through its bridges. Dublin started life on the south bank of the River Liffey and for six or seven centuries that is more or less where the town staye…

How do you feel about embracing Ireland's native tongue? At odds after a tricky relationship at school? Maybeyou've given up, or don't know where to start?Well, is fada an bóthar nach mbíonn casadh ann - long is the road that has …

The essential photographic guide to Ireland's wildlife. Collins Complete Irish Wildlife describes almost all the mammals, birds, fish and butterflies of Ireland likely to be encountered by the keen amateur naturalist, as well as a…

John Moriarty was an original, a thinker, a poet, a mythologian. He was born and reared just outside the little village of Moyvane in north Kerry. Growing up on his parent’s farm he was attuned to the rhythms of weather and soil f…

This landmark work contains a remarkable selection of 560 of the thousands of songs and poems created during, and reflecting upon, the most extraordinary decade of Ireland's history. This opened with the Dublin Lockout of 1913 and…

Brendan Behan wrote over one hundred articles for Irish newspapers between 1951 and 1956 as he rose to international fame, with most of them written in a weekly column in the Irish Press. The articles reveal a serious writer capab…

Ireland is home to some of the most dramatic and beautiful outdoor swimming spots in the world. Whether you are an experienced swimmer or just starting to discover the joy of wild dips, this comprehensive guide will inspire you to…

Discover Ireland’s must-do adventures that represent all that’s great about the island. These 100 activities include relaxing walks in beautiful places, wild swims in Ireland's rivers, lakes and seas, and unforgettable pit-stops f…

A monastic outpost in the Celtic Sea, a fortress built to defend an Empire, a prison established to intern a nation; Spike Island's remarkable 1300-year history far exceeds its modest acreage. No other place better encapsulates th…

The Dublin-born dramatist, essayist, poet and novelist, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854-1900), was as unconventional as he was brilliant. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin and at Magdalen College, Oxford, displaying…

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was a prolific dramatist, critic, essayist, pamphleteer and social reformer. The shy, idealistic Irishman separated himself from his opinionated public persona, and his eccentric alter ego and his w…

Irish novelist, short-story writer and poet, James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (1882-1941) is regarded as one of the greatest, most innovative literary talents of the twentieth century. Joyce revolutionised the structure of the moder…

There are violent events and murders in the history of every country and Ireland is no exception. Through the years, it has had its share of violent murders including the murder of its most famous victim, Ellie Hanley or the 'Coll…

Ireland’s landscape is steeped in folklore and history, and the untamed Atlantic seaboard is no exception. Stretching from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork, the Wild Atlantic Way encompasses 2,500 kilometres o…

By turning off the main highway and discovering old routes, some of which have been travelled for thousands of years, you will see Ireland in an entirely different way. Follow the Old Road will take you on a tour of a variety of p…

Laura de Barra, queen of the home hack, is here to help you shop for, care for and repair your clothes. New or vintage, online or high street – Laura has the tips that will ensure you buy right to begin with and maintain well for …

Irish fairy tales and legends are full of enchantment, brave deeds and lost loves. Told from generation to generation, they are as fascinating now as they were to their original listeners. This wonderfully rich and varied collecti…

Cork has long been an important hub for international trade, including the lucrative transatlantic routes. This wealth is reflected in the city's fine architecture, which boasts a wide variety of styles, from Neoclassical to Gothi…

In 1993, aged twenty, Carmel Mc Mahon left Ireland for New York, carrying two suitcases and a ton of unseen baggage. It took years, and a bitter struggle with alcohol addiction, to unpick the intricate traumas of her past and pres…

Have the craic while creating over 6 million uniquely Irish insults to mock the eejits in your life without causing ructions. Has an awful shitehawk ever tried to get smart with ye? Is some useless yoke always wrecking your head? …

Marking the centenary of Yeats’s Nobel Prize, a timely guide to the work of Ireland’s national poet and the changing Ireland he lived through.

RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Miscellany is an Irish institution, a programme that has provided comfort, joy and entertainment to hundreds of thousands of listeners for over half a century. Arranged in calendar months and spanning the seas…

Join photographer George Munday on a tour around the eccentric, beautiful, bizarre and eye-catching follies that decorate our island. Ireland possesses a wealth of follies - picturesque buildings erected to commemorate loved ones,…

Cork’s most beautifully spoken millionaire is on a mission to help Ireland’s nouveau riche: learn to eat, drink, flirt and behave as if you were a member of Cork’s One Per Cent.

A Quiet Space tells the story of the Sanctuary, a meditation centre for social change in the heart of Dublin.The Sanctuary aims to answer a hunger in people for spirituality, meditation, creativity and community – the four pillars…

County Cork is the largest county in Ireland, with a heritage that has been recorded, celebrated and commemorated over many centuries. This book explores the historical curiosities within the county's sweeping river valleys, epic …

An ancient island with a romantic history and lush green landscape, Ireland's culture stretches back to the time of St Patrick and the first Christian monks and includes the Norman invasion, clan wars, mass emigration and partitio…

Harry Clarke (1889-1931) was undoubtedly Ireland's greatest stained-glass artist. Internationally, his name is synonymous with quality craftsmanship and imaginative genius. The use of rich colours, the delicate depiction of beauti…