Escape to Ireland with One of These Books
Escape into a great story or plan your next trip with these recommended reads!
Ireland Travel Guides
Choose one of the Ireland travel guides that I use and recommend.
- Dingle and its Hinterland – Felicity Hayes-McCoy
- Ireland's Ancient East – Neil Jackman
- The Wild Atlantic Way – Neil Jackman
- Secret Dublin – Pol O Conghaile
- The Burren and Aran Islands Walking Guide – Tony Kirby (listen to my podcast with Tony!)
- Backroads Ireland – Eyewitness Guides

Kids Books about Ireland
Get your kids excited about Ireland with tales, stories, and facts about the Emerald Isle. A few of our favorites for younger children:
- Padraig Bear Adventures by Maria Mannion
- The O'Brien Book of Irish Fairy Tales & Legends
- Favourite Irish Legends: Best Loved Tales from Ireland
- Favorite Celtic Fairy Tales
- A Pot o' Gold: Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore and (of Course) Blarney by Kathleen Krull (terrific if you can find it!)
These books about Ireland a terrific for older kids and adults:
- Pirate Queen of Ireland by Anne Chambers
- Ancient Legends of Ireland by Lady Wilde
- Wild Irish Roses: Tales of Brigits, Kathleens, and Warrior Queens by Trina Robbins
- A Field Guide to Irish Fairies by Bob Curran (terrific if you can get it, but Bob Curran has other books on Celtic legends available, too)

Escape to Ireland with a Novel
Be sure to grab a pot of tea and a few biscuits when you sit down with these books!
Historic Novels of Ireland
- The Ivy Rose Series by Gemma Jackson
- Galway Bay, Of Irish Blood and Irish Above All by Mary Pat Kelly (For more Mary Pat listen to my podcast interview with her here.)
- Ireland, Tipperary & Shannon (or any novels) by Frank Delaney
- Princes of Ireland and Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherford
Romance Novels Set in Ireland
- The Finfarren novels: Library at the Edge of the World, Summer in the Garden Cafe, and The Mistletoe Matchmaker by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
- Gallaghers of Ardmore trilogy by Nora Roberts
- Born In trilogy by Nora Roberts

Irish Life, History & Culture
- For ‘real life' tales of Ireland pick up Felicity's books House on an Irish Hillside and Enough is Plenty. (You can also hear my podcast interviews with Felicity right here.)
- Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland
- The Claddagh Ring, also by Malachy McCourt
- Ireland's Pirate Trail by Des Ekin
- Irish Round Towers by Hector McDonnell
- Folktales from the Irish Countryside by Kevin Danaher
- Classic Irish Stories edited by Michael P. Quinlan
- A Big Feckin' Irish Book by Murphy O'Dea
- Little Big Book of Ireland by Christopher Measom
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