Ireland Ordnance Survey driving maps

Secret Belfast, Kathy Curran ( paperback, reissue Jan 2024)

£14.99

Small enough to pop in a bag, but bursting with history and mystery. Discover how the city stood up against the evils of the slave trade, admire its stunning art deco facades, unearth beautiful stained-glass windows by an accomplished yet little-known female artist, take to the windy coastal paths just out of town and peak into caves where smugglers once hid their loot, visit the humble cottage of an American president, uncover the mysteries of Bronze Age burial grounds and Stone Age forts, squeeze down a secret underground tunnel or take a boat ride to see the city's seal colony, visit the place where Marconi sent his first wireless signal across the waves, go to a cinema shaped like a ship... Small, yet bursting with history and mystery, Belfast, far from the crowds and the usual cliches, is a reserve of well-concealed treasures that only reveal themselves to those who know how to wander off the beaten track, whether residents or visitors. An indispensable guide for those who thought they knew Belfast well, or who would like to discover the hidden face of the city.

Golfland Ireland

£25.00

GOLFLAND IRELAND is the hardback guide to the array ofgood, great and utterly glorious courses across the island of Ireland - all ofthem. Planning a trip to Ireland or simply dreaming of one?GOLFLAND IRELAND is the essential, definitive work. Every Irish course is here.

GOLFLAND IRELAND is both practical reference book and highly desirable gift, it isstylishly laid out, showcasing fabulous photography by David Cannon, theworld's finest and most famous golf photographer. As well as the comprehensive and detailed guides to eachcourse, GOLFLAND IRELAND contains historical overviews, portraits of Ireland'skey golf figures, as well as suggested itineraries and maps. GOLFLAND IRELAND is for Ireland's own golfers as well as for thosefrom all over the world who are dreaming about or planning a trip to walk itsfamous fairways - such as Portrush, Portmarnock, Royal County Down,Ballybunion, Waterville and many more - and to discover its less-well-known,lovely and hidden outposts.

Shannon Country, Paul Clements ( large paperback, Sept 2020)

£13.99

In August 1939 the Irish travel writer Richard Hayward set out on a road trip to explore the Shannon region just two weeks before the Second World War broke out. His evocative account of that trip, Where the River Shannon Flows, became a bestseller. The book, still sought after by lovers of the river, captures an Ireland of small shops and barefoot street urchins that has long since disappeared.

Eighty years on, inspired by his work, Paul Clements retraces Hayward's journey along the river, following - if not strictly in his footsteps - then within the spirit of his trip. From the Shannon Pot in Cavan, 344 kilometres south to the Shannon estuary, his meandering odyssey takes him by car, on foot, and by bike and boat, discovering how the riverscape has changed but is still powerful in symbolism. While he recreates Hayward's trip, Clements also paints a compelling portrait of twenty-first century Ireland, mingling travel and anecdote with an eye for the natural world.

He sails to remote islands, spends times in rural backwaters and secluded riverside villages where the pub is the hub, and attempts a quest for the Shannon connection behind the title of Flann O'Brien's novel At Swim-Two-Birds.  On a quixotic journey by foot, boat, bike and car, Paul Clements produces an intimate portrait of the hidden countryside, its people, topography and wildlife, creating a collective memory map, looking at what has been lost and what has changed. Beyond the motorways and cities, you can still catch the pulse of an older, quieter Ireland of hay meadows and bogs, uninhabited islands and remote towpaths. This is the country of the River Shannon that runs through literature, art, cultural history and mythology with a riptide pull on our imagination.

* signed copies available * 

Exploring Ireland : A Guide To The Irish Outdoors, David Flanagan ( Dec 2022)

£30.00