The Bottom Line
Pros
- Very visual guide with a large number of photos.
- Covers Ireland comprehensively and gives good background information.
- Strong on driving and walking tours.
Cons
- Listings include yet-to-be-opened National Wax Museum.
- Minor mistakes due to production timeframe.
Description
- Up to Date? The current edition was published in 2007 and has no grossly outdated information.
- Images and Illustrations - A huge number of images but no original artwork, overall a very good choice.
- Maps - Local maps are good, touring maps (schematic) are included and the all-Ireland map is actually usable.
- Typeface - A clear typeface is used throughout, readability may suffer occasionally due to small size.
- General Layout - Clear and (mostly) straightforward.
- "Completeness" - You would not miss any important sights of Ireland and get good additional information.
- Obvious Blunders - They jumped the gun on the National Wax Museum ...
- Binding and Paper Quality - Hardcover-type binding with flexible covers, glossy paper.
- Size and Weight - 368 pages plus covers, 5.75 by 9.25 inches, 600 grams.
- Would I Feel Comfortable Using this Book? Yes, recommended for an Irish road trip.
Guide Review - Fodor's see it Ireland
Trying to stay abreast with new developments is the curse of anybody doing travel writing. And sprinting ahead can have its pitfalls - in the Fodor's See It Ireland exemplified by the inclusion of the National Wax Museum, still in its planning stage. At the same time the map of Dublin is missing the Sean O'Casey Bridge. It also manages to identify St. Mary's Chapterhouse as a church (which it isn't).
Are these major problems? Not really, all in all this is an excellent guide. Comprehensive enough to satisfy most tourists and including all the right places.
And the way to get there - originally issued by the Automobile Association (AA) it is driver-friendly. Which extends to the nice routes outlined. As well as to a map that is actually quite useful, despite its small size and being split in sections. One additional nice touch I liked were the hints which Ordnance Survey maps you should get for the walking tours.
Recommended for those on a road trip - where it might just beat the competition.
By the way - the glossary for US visitors (p. 342) must have been picked from another guidebook ... and is unintentionally hilarious in parts. You will look in vain for an underground or subway station in Ireland and if you order your breakfast with pudding you will not get a dessert. And in Ireland football is not soccer!
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