The Craic

A nine-year-old boy hooks a twine-held bundle of hay over his shoulder and climbs the harsh steep mountain on a winter morning, with his brother Pat. They trundle upwards against the harsh terrain and elements to fodder the cattle on the hill top. Some 30 years later, Sligo, his adopted town, is in crisis as development tax incentives have expired and three government ministers are refusing to extend those incentives. That young boy emerges in his elder self, strident and resolute, and fights another uphill battle. Another 20 years on, now in Derry, the calling from the mountains of his birth surface within him, urging him to return to regain lost fragments of his soul. His return regenerates and reignites the lost spirit within as voices forgotten in a busy life emerge from the shadowy vibrations of the past to soothe, heal and repair his soul. The journey sees a re-emergence of the people, characters, events and places that formed his character in a rich tapestry of recall.

Bring on the Craic is a very funny and well-written read about Australian-born musician Brett Bennett, portraying his take on various occurrences and circumstances that he encountered on the initial European gigs that he played interwoven with some hilarious happenings in his native island, Tasmania. The stories go way beyond just the musical facets of the gigs as he comically packages together everything unimaginable that happened before, during, and after the gig as well!

A stunning celebration of the rich culture and fascinating history of Ireland featuring ten Irish illustrators. Go on a journey around the spectacular isle, cramming in facts about Ireland’s famous people, landmarks, myths & legends, battles, music and everything in between. From Donegal to Cork via the Giant’s Causeway and Tayto Park, discover everything about the Irish isle that makes it so special. With a foreword from much-loved Irish comedian Dara O Briain Showcases the talent of ten of Ireland’s top illustrators.

The last century has seen radical social changes in Ireland, which have impacted all aspects of local life but none more so than traditional Irish music, an increasingly important identity marker both in Ireland and abroad. The author focuses on a small village in County Clare, which became a kind of pilgrimage site for those interested in experiencing traditional music. He begins by tracing its historical development from the days prior to the influx of visitors, through a period called "the Revival," in which traditional Irish music was revitalized and transformed, to the modern period, which is dominated by tourism. A large number of incomers, locally known as "blow-ins," have moved to the area, and the traditional Irish music is now largely performed and passed on by them. This fine-grained ethnographic study explores the commercialization of music and culture, the touristic consolidation and consumption of "place," and offers a critique of the trope of "authenticity," all in a setting of dramatic social change in which the movement of people is constant.

The hysterical story bestseller about one man's epic Celtic sojourn in search of ancestors, nostalgia, and the world's greatest round of golf By turns hilarious and poetic, A Course Called Ireland is a magnificent tour of a vibrant land and paean to the world's greatest game in the tradition of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. In his thirties, married, and staring down impending fatherhood, Tom Coyne was familiar with the last refuge of the adult male: the golfing trip. Intent on designing a golf trip to end all others, Coyne looked to Ireland, the place where his father has taught him to love the game years before. As he studied a map of the island and plotted his itinerary, it dawn on Coyne that Ireland was ringed with golf holes. The country began to look like one giant round of golf, so Coyne packed up his clubs and set off to play all of it-on foot. A Course Called Ireland is the story of a walking-averse golfer who treks his way around an entire country, spending sixteen weeks playing every seaside hole in Ireland. Along the way, he searches out his family's roots, discovers that a once-poor country has been transformed by an economic boom, and finds that the only thing tougher to escape than Irish sand traps are Irish pubs.

This book is a collection of essays that examines the social, political and cultural impact of tourism on Irish society. Irish Tourism deals with both the historical experience of Irish tourism and with the contemporary influence of tourism on different areas of Irish life and cultural self-representation. The work situates the developments in Irish tourism within the broader context of globalisation and the role of tourism in a changing international order.

What to do and what not to do when traveling almost anywhere—an entertainment for the armchair or the intrepid traveler Why shouldn't you offer to pay for your share of the meal in China? Or use the thumbs-up sign to mean "that's excellent" in Sardinia? Because, of course, despite the ease with which we can now communicate with and visit one another, they still do things differently over there. In China your host will "lose face" if you don't let him pick up the tab. In Sardinia a raised thumb means, literally, "Sit on this!" Going Dutch in Beijing offers a lighthearted and informative guide to everything from first meeting to last rites. Subjects covered include the opening contact between strangers; greetings, gestures, handshakes, and getting names right; as well as more complex traditions and how to behave if you decide to stick around for good. Whether you are heading abroad or staying at home, Going Dutch in Beijing is a delightful and indispensable handbook designed to ensure that your sense of the world is informed and your travel is happy.

Music.