This is a wonderful travel guide chock full of information. I fully intend to use the information when I travel to Ireland this summer. My only complaint is that the manuscript edition was difficult to read because it is clear that there were supposed to be images that were replaced by words within, making it a little chunky.

This is a fab guide to the emerald isle for natives and travellers alike. It gives you suggestions off the beaten path as well as many attractions you may have heard of or visited already. Perfect guide to old Eire.

Ireland is on my bucket list. I would truly love to visit Ireland. I would love to see the beauty and stand in the middle of all of the history. This amazing book has made that dream a little higher on my list. The book is a comprehensive guide to Ireland filled with recommendations for restaurants, hotels and places to visit, no matter what you budget their are recommendations for you. There are all of the the high points for travelers as well as a few not on most of the other travel guides. I do wish their had of been some pictures as well, the book was so well written and so full of information, that I could not take a star off for no pictures.



I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

This is a fantastic travel guide for anyone visiting Ireland. It really does give some great recommendations laid out region by region, so information is easily accessible depending on which area you are travelling to.

I was familiar with quite a few recommendations and the concise descriptions made me keen to visit those I was unfamiliar with.

My only gripe is that I think this book really only works well in paper form. I read an eReader version and found the searching and finding the particular region I wanted both laborious and time consuming when I could have easily flicked to the page I wanted if I had the physical book in my hand.

For any travellers to Ireland, I would highly recommend.

Ireland the Best

by John and Sally McKenna

Ireland the Best, a travel guide, is written in the same format as Scotland the Best, albeit by a different author. I looked at the Amazon listing for that book briefly, mainly to see if the sample book contained pictures. This series of travel books is composed of well-organized lists and does not show off each locale with pictures but does include links so you can easily see the attraction, restaurant, etc. for yourself online.

Given the style of this book, understanding the organizational format is of prime importance, and so the authors begin their guide book with…a guide to the book. They want to transmit to you the best that Ireland has to offer based on their 30 years of exploring the island. To help you search in the book you can use the index, categories in the Table of Contents such as “The Best Places to Eat and Stay in Ireland’s South West,” or the map to view items in a particular locale.

Codes are of great importance in this book and seem a little daunting at first, but as you use the references they quickly become familiar. They include things like “atmos” for atmosphere and “df” for dog friendly.

Tick or check marks (✓) are awarded for outstanding listings. There are indications of price ranges and difficulty levels of walks. Attractions are coded with map references also.

The meat of the guide begins with sections on the most famous attractions in Ireland, means of transportation, annual events, contributions of the Irish, and famous film locations. Next are sections focusing on Ireland’s four largest cities. They examine the lodging accommodations, style of cooking, restaurants, pubs, attractions, shops, walks, and views for each city. Next the guide expands to regional hotels and restaurants and sections that let the reader explore more specific topics like tea rooms (e.g. Miss Marple’s Tea Rooms), graveyards (e.g. Yeats’ Grave at Drumcliff Parish Church, Co Sligo), and Irish crystal and glass (e.g. House of Waterford). The last major section explores the many islands. Each attraction or feature in the book has a nice, short paragraph describing it.
I have not been to Ireland, but this guide book certainly inspires me to visit. I think this book would be an essential tool for me in planning a trip to the Old Country of my husband’s roots and then enjoying its features while there.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Collins Reference for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Reference, Travel

Publication: September 1, 2018—Collins Reference

Memorable Lines:

Ireland has a fascinating past, sculpted by the great characters—knights, saints, writers, architects, freedom fighters, clerics, politicians, artists—who have shaped the nation, whether for good or for ill. We have loved discovering the castles and keeps, the graveyards and follies, the beaches and gardens that illuminate a picture of Irish culture going right back to pre-history.

Try a leisurely holiday with an Irish Cob horse, who will pull your home through the Wicklow landscape. Or go for a 7-day walk with a friendly donkey, who will walk beside you and carry your load.

The Shannon estuary is teaming with life, and Geoff and Susanne Magee run an informative tour of the river mouth running a Dolphin and Nature Boat Trip, on which you might see the bottle dolphins as well as grey seals and pelagic sea birds.

Exceptional Information that made me want to take a trip back as soon as possible.

If you’ve wondered about visiting and absorbing the magic of Ireland, this is just the book for you.

This is an amazingly comprehensive resource for travel to Ireland. The authors have traveled extensively and actually tried the restaurants and hotels and ferreted out both popular tourist attractions and lesser known things to do.

After a general information section are chapters on different regions that give a lot of information on hotels, restaurants and things to see and do as well as any special festivals to watch out for. Dublin takes a lot of space, as you might expect, but I didn't expect to think of Dublin as a place where I would look for great Mexican food! Everything from a psychedelic van with Mexican street food to an Aztec restaurant can be found. Other ethnic restaurants are also separated by categories.

The sections that follow cover Belfast, Cork, Galway and then some of the less population dense areas in various parts of the country. After that, something new happens. I've never seen a book organised this way before but I can see how it works!

There's a section on specific types of restaurants you might look for, like vegetarian or tea rooms. Then a section on historical places to visit, followed by outdoor places and activities and strolls, walks and hikes. By the time you get to section 13, it's pointing out where to look for specific interests that travelers might have, like linen, crystal or Aran sweaters. Followed by information on what you'll find to do on the outer islands.

There's an extensive index and codes to finding things on the maps in the back of the book. Unfortunately the maps are not included in my advance readers copy so I can't comment on how easy they are to follow!

I can say, though, that I'll be referring to this book any time I plan a trip to Ireland. It really is a treasure trove of information!

I wish that I'd had this book when I was visiting Ireland. Now I have to go back to see all the great places that I missed because I didn't have this book!

I like how the places to go food wise is divided up into different sections. As well historical places have their own section - as a person who go and see those places. It has five places that are specific to their own sections and other specific sections that may be of interest to people. There are maps - an overall and then section - a closer look. There are brief descriptions and websites to places that have one.

*A special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Introduction:
Ireland, O Ireland… You’re calling me.

I remember reading my first Irish author along with the country’s history when I was fourteen years old. I can also tell you I fell in love with the people’s accent, its landscapes and simply put: Ireland itself.

Hence there was no refusing picking up this guide about Ireland. I hoped to learn more about this country and explore it through gorgeous images and sceneries.

Whilst I liked the information, I was also disappointed. How could a guide about Ireland let me down?

The Positive Sides:
I always prefer to lay the positive points of a book first, which gives a better and kinder “image” of the work. I found this guide, Ireland the Best, to be quite informative. In the places and activities’ descriptions (often lengthy and detailed), they give us snippets of these places’ history and explanations as to why it came to be or how it was named the way it is. Moreover, the guide presents awesome, diverse and funny categories such as historical, ethnic restaurants, amusing pubs, libraries, and more of the sorts! This feature is what I loved best about this book because it dared go beyond the traditional formula for guides.

The authors wrote all the addresses, phone numbers and web links. Maps are also present and although the image referencing system is somewhat good, it’s a bit messy too. You need to do a lot of coming and going from the number associated to a certain map to the actual image in the last pages of the book.

The research put into this guide is undeniable! A wealth of information is in there for whoever’s willing to dig to find gold.

The Negative Sides:
Most of the times, I try to focus on the positive of a book, but the huge lack of pictures made this read almost impossible – or at least, unattractive and uninteresting. There are no visual references nor is it pleasant to gaze at despite how thoroughly researched and organised it is. It’s plain-looking, though practical without a doubt. Take your pick! One thing’s for sure: reading it all from cover to end is out of the question! This guide makes it way too boring; I know, I’ve tried and gave up when I noticed how awfully redundant this book was with no pictures.

In Conclusion:
Overall, good for quick info on locations, history bits and fun things to do when in Ireland, but the lack in visuals is extremely annoying and disappointing. So I give it a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars. I don’t see how a guide about a country, which contains such great and varied information, doesn’t have pictures here and there to make itself easy and pleasant on the eye. I’m not asking for a picture with every location or fact, but at least one for major attractions.

Although I don’t recommend this book, if you want a great source of reliable information and just need to look up locations and fun tidbits sometimes, then please, do have a go at it! I’m sure it will be useful to you. But as a discovery guide out of curiosity or even a guide you plan on actually guiding you through Ireland, it’s not doing the job it set out to do.

I am one-quarter Irish, so eagerly lapped up John and Sally McKenna’s “Ireland the Best: The Insider’s Guide to Ireland.” So glad I did! Now I know exactly where to visit in the Emerald Isle for food, drink and hospitality at the best price, based on their 30 years’ experience and impeccable recommendations. Sláinte! 5/5

Thanks to NetGalley and Collins Reference for the early copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#IrelandTheBest #NetGalley

This is the perfect read for travelers looking for suggestions of where to shop, stay, and eat in Ireland. It's not your typical travel book so don't look for suggested itineraries. It's more of a compilation of recommendations for the "best" of Ireland.

I’ve been looking into visiting Ireland and this book has been a great guide to read while I’m planning my trip.

A very good and useful book for planning my trip to Ireland. Full of inside information that a great guide book can only give.

What a wonderfully comprehensive guide for touring Ireland! Having traveled there for two vacations I can say that this is THE guide to take along if you are planning a trip. I’ve used other guides in the past but this one will have a place on my travels next time.

If it’s a particular county you are looking for you can easily click on to that section of the book. This will be fabulous for planning a trip in the future as well as a handy reference guide while traveling. Plus it’s on my Kindle so that makes it super easy to tuck into a purse.

One of the sections I am interested in is the prehistoric sites such as Newgrange and the many dolmens. I have been to Newgrange once and it was magnificent. Also the Hill of Tara, but how can you go wrong if you are interested in passage tombs?
There are sections devoted to gardens, literary places, graveyards, castles, abbey and cathedrals and much more. The Strolls, Walks and Hikes section is a must-read if you are heading to Ireland as there are so many beautiful places to hike.

It’s mentioned how the food has improved over the years and I can say that the tired old stereotype about food in Ireland and England is incorrect. We have had some wonderful meals with fresh produce, seafood and fruit that was a real treat.

The index is very detailed and well laid out so you can search out a particular subject easily. Here is a photo of one of the pages, may be hard to read but it’s a good example. (photos on blog)

You may order this in paperback or you can join up with Netgalley and kindly request a copy for your Kindle or other reading device. I can say, this will remain on my Kindle for future travels.

Much thanks to Netgalley giving me access to this to this advanced reader’s copy.

Ireland dreaming? I am and plan to visit the Emerald Isle for the first time in the next couple years. This travel guide is both whetting my appetite and giving me the practical resources for planning. Still debating on where to stay? The guide breaks down hotels, restaurants, pubs, and other places for “craic” down by major cities and sections of the country. It has a simple tic mark system to show what places are best in the world or unique down to specially recommended. The entries are cross-referenced to maps in the back and also have abbreviations to show cost, amenities, and other information. What really stands out are all the extra sections breaking down topics like Outdoor Activities (Ireland’s greatest golf courses, good golf courses in great places, cycling routes, and greenways, etc.); Strolls, Walks, and Hikes by distance, scenery, and difficulty; Historical Places (best castles to visit, the important literary places, etc.); Outdoor places (scenic driving places, spectacular waterfalls, Ireland’s remarkable landscape), and Consuming Passions on Irish crafts. John and Sally McKenna have been traveling around Ireland for the last 30 years and their expertise shines through in this guide.

Excellent guide to Ireland, comprehensive, well-laid out, authoritative, up-to-date. What more could you want?

Fabulously researched travel guide! The authors really did their homework. I don't think I've ever encountered such a comprehensive travel guide in my life! I didn't need to red the whole book, but as I going to visit in the next year or so, I wanted to have a look/see of this book. I certainly hope someone does one on Scotland... What I did was look up all the places I know I will be going to and was amazed at all the info: how to get around, where to stay, where to eat, what to see and do, etc... Then I browsed the book for other places and things I may want to take in on side trips I will include on my travels. I don;t want to miss a thing if I can help it! Anyway, I will be purchasing this book and recommend it to anyone going to visit the fair country. great book!

Simply paging through the table of contests was amazing! Authors John and Sally McKenna have compiled so many listings that not enough a resident could hope to have enough time to visit each in person. The final test was coming, though, as now I would check the listings to see if enough information was included for the book to be considered effective.

The authors include a “How To Use This book” section, which is definitely needed. In fact, there were so many codes that I questioned whether I would be able to remember them all. Every restaurant, hotel, or site of interest is cross-referenced with the maps so that users can easily find what they are seeking. While I thought the system they used (abbreviations, codes, and their own “ticks”) might be difficult to remember, after looking up a few listings I found it was very easy.

There are also codes for exceptional accommodations, informing us the place is in an outstanding location, is a special setting, or is a world-class spot. Rate prices are also broken out, allowing travelers to plan with their budget in mind. Walking tours also are greatly detailed, right down to the recommended footwear one should bring.

Additional random thoughts: I also discovered a yearly television event called “The Late Late Toy Show” and had some fun watching that with the kids (www.rte.ie). Most other books like this one have pictures, but I thought the decision to not include them was a smart one. Using the book and a laptop, tablet, or phone at the same gave me all the pictures I could want. Adding graphics to the book would only slow download speeds and would unnecessarily make the book twice as big. The McKennas split up the listings geographically (including the islands), and large cities like Belfast received their own sections.

Overall, “Ireland the Best” falls at the top of all the travel information books I have ever used. Five stars.

A very good guide to Ireland full of interesting and unusual advice. Strongly recommended to people who want to travel to Ireland because it's really helpful.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher