Customer Reviews

Rick Steves' Ireland 2009

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is definitely the most entertaining guidebook I have read. The book also gives some excellent suggestions, such as step-by-step guides for areas such as the Ring of Kerry. If you are willing to buy and read through more than one book, I would recommend it as one of those books. If, however, you are only buying one, I would not recommend this book, for two reasons. First, the author focuses on his favorites in Ireland. Although you still have enough to choose from, he does not even mention some of my favorite sights in Ireland. I recommend reading a more exhaustive guidebook so that you can plan your trip based on your own preferences. Second, the author seems to have great affinity for the city. Although all of Ireland is amazing, the time I have spent in the city was the least amazing. The suggestions in this book are a little slanted toward the cities, so they might lead you off track if you prefer less of the city and more of the countryside.

This was the best of the three guide books that we brought with us. What I liked best about this guidebook was its succinctness and ratings. Rick Steve's gives his judgment on a lot of what he thinks is worth seeing and what can be skipped over. For those who want an A to Z list of what is offered in a country you will want to supplement this with another guide, but you will definitely want this one. For a traveler with just a week or two seeking to view a significant portion of a country though Rick Steve's ratings were instrumental. He rates each site by his own system that gives more triangles to more important sites.

Among other features of this guide that I liked were some of his self guided tours. We used his one for O'Connell Street in Dublin and the Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula. Both gave detailed information and pointed out many sites that we learned most tourist went by (without even realizing that there was something worth seeing). He also gives ratings for many interesting attractions (walking tours, pub crawls) that really added to our trip.

The one thing I would like to see that was not in this guide is Rick's opinions on accommodations and restaurants.

We just returned from a 13 day 1,200 km trip around Ireland. I can't say enough about how spot-on Rick Steve's book is. His advice about the clockwise drive around the Ring of Kerry beginning in Kenmare was brilliant; we only came head to head with 2 tour buses. We stayed primarily in B & B's recommended in the book which were very easy to reserve with Rick's email addresses. The hand-drawn maps were really valuable in helping to find the B & B's and other locations within towns/cities. Having said all of this, the first 2 days of driving in Ireland were a bit nerve-wracking. We stopped and bought one of the "learner's permits" for the car and that reduced the honking. By day three we had both the driving and the navigation (and the roundabouts) down, and it was just pure pleasure. If you want to get a bit off the beaten path and see some of the most breathtaking scenery in Ireland don't miss the Skellig Ring, Valentia Island and the Mayo Loop!

My husband and I just returned from 18 days in Ireland. This book helped us determine much of our travel- what was worth seeing and what wasn't. We didn't pay a whole lot of attention to where he recommended staying and eating- there are more than enough places to choose from.
The handdrawn maps were very helpful- although we'd definitely recommend picking up a 'real' map if you are driving (and a GPS!). We had the best time and would recommend this book to anyone traveling to Ireland!

This book is perfect for someone going to Ireland, and I think suffices without anything else. It is much shorter than Frommer or Fodor books, but he has all you need. He is much more honest and frank than anyone else, and you have the feeling he was just there last week, and writing to you personally, as you read the book. I suggest you order just this one book first, and if you feel you want to know more about various places (I doubt you will, unless you are especially interested in all the places), then get Frommer or Fodor. The latter two are more sterile and dry, but are loaded with much more information that Rick Steves. Rick's books are pitched to someone who wants to learn a lot about Ireland, TO SEE THE BEST OF IRELAND ONE CAN SEE IN 1-4 WEEKS. He prioritizes places, saying what you should see in one week, two weeks, etc. He does not try to cover all the places you would unlikely want to see. Frankly, I bought Rick and Frommer, and will read Rick before I go, and use Frommer as a reference when I want to know more.

I love the style and ease of Rick's books. His suggestions are always right on and true to his experience. This was a very handy book.

my only negatives are that the maps weren't great (but he does warn that they are not to scale), however, the roads in Ireland are CRAZY and even a more accurate map wasn't that much help. Also, this book isn't as thorough outside the large cities. But overall, it's a great book.

Rick has a slug of useful tips and information, some of it much more valuable to the traveler who is driving than taking a tour. I can't wait to take it to Ireland with us when we go.
He talks about when not to tip (when ordering and eating at the bar in a pub), expect it to rain instead of hoping it won't, and you probably won't want to eat their "fry" for breakfast every morning, unless you're trying to become a sumo wrestler!

Rick Steves, oh Rick Steves, when do you ever go wrong?
Certainly not this time around.
The 2009 Ireland book was concise, cleverly written (the passage describing what "really" happened at the Giant's Causeway is an excellent example of Rick's witty, tongue-in-cheek prose), and thorough.
It also held true to it's concept, which is to mention the more affordable options when visiting. He spends plenty of time listing all the popular attractions in the Republic, and yet still takes the time to explain the political bouts of The Troubles, provides a guide to the all-gaelic road signs for the West, and accurately listed entrance times, prices, and ratings for the attractions we visited.
We even booked The Whins b&b in Dunnfaneghy as suggested, and were glad we did! Overall, fantastic book. If you are looking for a simple, concise, witty, and budget-minded guide (with still a few suggestions for a splurge or two), pick this one up and leave it at your last locale for others to put to good use! You help the world and your karma. Double score.

I have to say that I did NOT find this guide to be that useful. Basically, it's one guy's opinion of what he would do if he went to Ireland. Since he (and his fellow writer) have been to Ireland multiple times before I did not find that viewpoint to be helpful. I appreciate what he's trying to do - expose the reader to the culture of Irish folks versus seeing the checklist of Ireland tourist traps. HOWEVER, I want to see the tourist traps, too!!

He has some good reviews of Blarney Castle, what pubs to hit in each town, and a good comparison of Kerry vs. Dingle (Dingle!). I gave him a couple of stars because those sections did prove to be helpful. I bought this and Eye Witness Travel - I can tell you right now which of those I'm going to be taking with me when I go (hint: not Rick Steves).

If you're going to Ireland, you must have this book. Rick Steves' writes the very best guide books for Europe available.