Round Ireland in Low Gear [Paperback]

Eric Newby (Author)

Book Description

Series: Travel Literature | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

Having decided to explore Ireland by bicycle, Eric and Wanda Newby set out one December - not the best time to ride a bike around the highways and by-ways of the Emerald Isle, even when protected by thermal underwear. From the Cliffs of Moher to St Brigid's Vat, Dublin, the Aran Islands, the Ring of Kerry and Croagh Patrick, their rain-soaked journey is beset by minor disasters ranging from ferocious storms to even more ferocious dogs. Along the way they come across a moving, miracle-working statue of the Virgin, spectacular ruins and the traces of twentieth-century violence, in between stops for Guiness, tea and soda bread. Woven into the narrative is a wealth of information around Irish history and custom - hermits, horse-fairs, peat-cutting and poetry are all touched on in this deft and dazzling blend of myth, fact and quirky details. And, as usual with Eric Newby, this beguiling account is enlivened by a cast of eccentric and utterly engaging characters.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In December 1985, veteran traveler and travel writer Eric Newby and his wife, Wanda, set off on a bicycling journey around Ireland. "We were going there, in short, to enjoy ourselves, an unfashionable aspiration in the 1980s," Newby writes with characteristic wit. It was the beginning of winter, "the dead season, as far as weather went," but the journey, with all of its encounters, is filled with a crackling and warm life.

After looking for bicycles and getting informed about modern, computer-designed models, they hop the train for Limerick. Newby's clever, vivid narrative--punctuated by sips of Guinness and tea, torrential winter rains, snarling dogs, a feast of bed and breakfasts, stunning ruins, and unusual characters--traces the dynamics of a relationship on the road. The bicycle provides a cadence well suited to the winding roads running through Ireland's verdant country and its rugged coast--and to Newby's talents. He seems to absorb most everything into the narrative. Using pedal power, he takes in the landscape and its people, along with Ireland's past and present, weaving in headwinds, pub stops, myths, political realities, and conversations to produce a complex picture of Ireland.

Originally published in 1987, Newby's Round Ireland in Low Gear has been reprinted with new maps by Lonely Planet Publications. This is not a manic tale of some bicycling marathon, but rather a journey--and a book--paced for enjoyment. --Byron Ricks

Review

Funny, revealing and thoroughly enjoyable' -- Irish Independent

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; Us edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864426275
• ISBN-13: 978-0864426277
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,681,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and funny, April 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Round Ireland in Low Gear (Paperback)

I picked up this book at the library while researching my Irish background: my great-grandpa was born in Aghagower, a little village in Co. Mayo at the foot of Croagh Patrick, which Newby climbs in the course of his travels. But that chapter so amused me that I ended up reading the whole book and enjoying it immensely. Newby and his wife are ideal travelers, willing to try just about anything and to find delight and humor in the unlikeliest circumstances. As a British "outsider," Newby's perspective on Ireland is unsentimental -- especially compared with American visitors, who are inclined to gush or to see the whole country through glasses tinted by "The Quiet Man" and "Danny Boy." But Newby lacks the prejudices and stereotypes that often slant British travelers' views of the Irish, so his encounters with the locals are straightforward and non-condescending. I'm glad that the book has been reissued with improved maps -- the originals were maddeningly vague, especially if one had a yen to emulate any of Newby's travels. This book inspired me to do some bicycle touring in Ireland myself (well, maybe next year), and I'm pleased to see that it's back in print.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wry Literary Treatment, Not a Light Travelogue, September 20, 2005

By 

M Yourek (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Round Ireland in Low Gear (Paperback)

Those who have given this work low scores are doing it a serious injustice. It is definitely not an example of perky, predictably upbeat travel writing, but is instead a thoughtful, moody, highly literate and contemplative treatment of a deliberately oddball adventure -- to bicycle through Ireland, at the age of 66, in the chill of winter.

It may be that those who have rated this work poorly are fans of Irish tourism who picked it up expecting it to validate their enthusiasm in a predictable way, and were blindsided when it turned out to be something completely different. But it is far above the norm for travel writing.

The author and his wife both have a great, dry sense of humor, and Newby deftly captures the character of all kinds of amusing types they come in contact with. He is known for his thoughtful travel literature -- in the New York Review of Books recently, Larry McMurty revealed that he has been re-reading one of Newby's other travelogues, 'Slowly Down the Ganges', more or less continuously since it was published in 1964.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Round Ireland in Low Gear (Paperback)

Unfortunately, I've had to force myself to read this book. I feel the summary on the back cover is misleading in stating, "Woven into the narrative is a wealth of information about Irish history and custom ...." It should state, "Woven into the wealth of information about Irish history and custom ... are his adventures." This reads more like a history book than a narrative of his adventures. I found myself skimming over the pages trying to find sections about his actual adventures. If you really like history, this book is for you. Niall Williams and Christine Breen's trilogy of their new life in Ireland is far better than this book.