10 Books To Inspire You To Travel To Ireland

Have you ever read a book and felt inspired and intrigued to visit the setting of the narrative?

As an avid reader, I am often captivated by the destinations I read about in novels, biographies or factual accounts and it is some of these books that have inspired me to seek out opportunities to visit certain countries.

Ireland is one of the countries that I had been captivated by and inspired to visit by authors who have written about it - its beauty, charm, quirks and entertaining characters, alongside its often harsh history.

These are books that have helped me to understand the Emerald Isle, its past and people much better.

In this post I will share with you some of the books that have inspired me to visit Ireland... hopefully they will have the same effect on you!

10 Books To Inspire You To Travel To Ireland

Round Ireland With a Fridge by Tony Hawks

Tony Hawks is a comedian, writer and TV and radio show regular from Britain who took up a drunken bet by a friend for £100 if he were to hitch-hike around Ireland with a fridge for one month.

The account of the author's experiences in Ireland with his trusty partner (the fridge) are engaging, funny and despite being at times ridiculous, actually quite believable!

As the pair travelled around Ireland for the month they quickly gained the attention of the Irish media and a public following which merely added to the adventures they faced. These included taking the fridge surfing and meeting the poorest King in the world.

Some of the stories in this account could only have happened in Ireland and will definitely make you want to spend time in the country (with or without a fridge for company!).

Secure your copy on Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA)...

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

The international best-selling memoir, Angela's Ashes, won Frank McCourt the Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography in 1997.

The book, described as, 'tragi-comic' is an honest and hard-hitting yet often humorous account of the author's childhood in Limerick, Ireland.

Frank's mother is Angela and she is left attempting to raise her children with very little money, while her husband is either out of work or drinking his wages.

Frank relays stories of the slums they lived in with detail and of the people in his young life in a way that brings them to life from the page.

Although not an uplifting read, this is a true, well written, darkly comic and very readable account of a typical Irish childhood in the 1940's that will help any reader better understand Ireland, its people and their history.

Buy the book at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

Dubliners by James Joyce

A collection of short stories, written in 1914, Dubliners became a classic and depicts life at the start of the last century in Dublin.

15 stories relay middle and lower middle class lives in an Ireland at the time of nationalism. The book starts with child narrators in the early stories, moving through to adult and elderly central characters as the stories progress.

Many might think that James Joyce is not the easiest of authors to read, considering he also wrote, 'Ulysses' - a true epic!

However, Dubliners is an easy read and as these are short stories it could be read bit by bit.

As with much of Irish literature of this time, the stories relayed in Dubliners depict hard lives and plots, including violence, drunkenness and poverty and there is a general theme throughout each account whereby the main character is feeling trapped by an element of their life.

However, to gain a better understanding of the reality of life in Dublin and Ireland at the start of the 20th century: a time in which Ireland was pushing forwards to be independent, Dubliners is worth a read...

Plus, when you do visit Ireland you can impress the locals with your knowledge of one of their classic authors!

Find the book at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle

Roddy Doyle is an esteemed contemporary Irish novelist and screenwriter who has written several great books set in Ireland.

I think a favourite of mine though would be Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, of which even the title could only be Irish!

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha won the Booker Prize in 1993 and is about a ten year old boy (Paddy) who is growing up in 1960's Dublin.

Despite not being written in a traditional chronological fashion, the story follows Paddy over a year of his life and through his eyes recounts his relationships with his brother (who he is not so fond of) and his ma and da...

The scrapes Paddy finds himself in are written with humour and the innocent views of the world that only a child can display are touching and often profound.

A great story in its own right, this novel will transport you to a 1960s working class Dublin with a young narrator who will win your heart.

After reading this you will be able to visualise the young Paddy playing on the streets of Dublin when you visit.

Enjoy your own copy of Paddy Clarke at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

A novel shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and a Costa Book of the Year in 2008, is 'The Secret Scripture' by Sebastian Barry.

Roseanne McNulty is nearing her 100th birthday in an Irish mental institution which has been her home since she was a young woman.

Within the novel Roseanne has several consultations with her psychiatrist, Dr Grene, who becomes intrigued by her story and the novel is told through the journals of both of these main characters.

Roseanne reflects on her childhood growing up in Sligo, Ireland in the 1930s and portrays an Ireland in turbulent times, when the Irish catholic church and priesthood could hold significant power and persuasion over the country and its communities.

This book is very well written and engaging and it is both sad, yet also uplifting.

Definitely a recommended read that will captivate and transport you to a rural Ireland of a century ago, contrasting it to more recent times.

Get your copy at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

The Other Side Of The Story by Marian Keyes

Moving across to the 'chick-lit' side of Irish literature is the very popular Irish author, Marian Keyes.

Keyes is a firm favourite of mine, writing contemporary Irish romantic fiction, with humour and wit, yet not shirking away from some of life's hard realities.

All her novels are written in her unique Irish style with a dialogue and narration that could only come from the Emerald Isle.

The Other Side Of The Story is a Marian Keyes classic - one of her older novels, written in 2004, it relays the story of Jo-Jo (a literary agent), one of Jo-Jo's writers, Lily and Lily's ex-best friend, Gemma, who stole Lily's beloved partner...

Set between Ireland and London, the descriptions of modern day Ireland, its unique character and charm and the people to be found there will make you want to book a flight to visit now!

Find Marian Keyes at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

Quentins by Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy was one of the first Irish authors to break from a more traditional darker or political themed style of Irish fiction writing, to portray the lighter side of life in Ireland.

Binchy started to write 'women's' novels in the early 1980s and paved the way for some of the other great female Irish novelists we find today (such as Marian Keyes above!).

Binchy's novels are all set in the Ireland she knew and loved and are written with warmth and humour, often with a romantic spin.

Quentins is a great example of a Maeve Binchy novel that will motivate you to visit Ireland.

The novel is about a restaurant, Quentins, in Dublin - a unique and successful business in which the owner's, staff and customers all have important stories.

Within the novel, Ella, a young journalist wants to make a documentary about Quentins and so we learn more about the lives that have been connected to this one small restaurant, alongside Ella's own story.

Great typical Irish characters you will come to love, a setting that will make you wish the restaurant was not a work of fiction and a very engaging story...

Find the book at Amazon (UK) and Amazon (USA).

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

Set between Ireland and Brooklyn, New York, in the 1950s, this novel by Colm Tóibín won the 2009 Costa Novel Award and was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize.

The story follows Ellis, a young woman struggling to find work in her small home town in Ireland, who travels to Brooklyn to seek employment and better prospects (as so many did at this time).

Ellis settles into her new life, with a good job and falls in love but is forced to return to Ireland due to a family tragedy.

Returning home to familiar faces and settings, Ellis must make the difficult choice between remaining in Ireland and her new life in New York.

This book is a well written character study, describing both rural Ireland and post war New York well. It will help you to understand why so many left Ireland for America in the post war era and the stark contrast between small town Ireland and New York they experienced.

A good read to inspire you to travel to the Ireland so many emigrated from - for very different but perhaps not always better lives.

Check out the book for yourself at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

McCarthy's Bar by Pete McCarthy

A travel book with a twist, McCarthy's Bar by Pete McCarthy became an instant hit when it was published in 2000 and has sold over a million copies worldwide.

Pete McCarthy was a comedian and writer who was born and raised in England but to an Irish mother and he spent many childhood holidays in Ireland.

The book is an account of the author's return to the land he had always found truly magical and his journey along Ireland's west coast from Cork to Donegal.

Pete has many experiences along the way, all relayed in a style only a true comedian could achieve that will have you chuckling out loud.

His journey also comes with the rule that you cannot pass a bar that has your name on it... With a name like McCarthy in Ireland, this led to many a stop in various establishments bearing his name, meeting unique and truly Irish characters as he did so.

This book will have you wanting to re-trace McCarthy's journey to experience this Ireland he encountered for yourself!

Buy a copy at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

Holding by Graham Norton

Reading a book written by a 'celebrity' is something I am always wary of but this book by Graham Norton is well written, comic and very Irish! Well, I suppose Norton is Irish and a comedian and it turns out he can write too...

'Holding' is a story about a bumbling police officer based in a sleepy Irish village where the discovery of a body leads to long kept secrets, regrets and resentments becoming exposed.

The plot to the story is not complicated and I would hesitate to even call it a 'crime or detective novel'. The true enjoyment from the novel comes from Norton's comic writing style, the true Irish dialect and the way in which he brings to life this sleepy Irish contemporary village with its spectrum of characters.

If you have visited rural Ireland, it will not be hard to picture the events and characters of this book. If you have not experienced village life in Ireland yet, then this at times darkly comic book will entice you to do so!

Dip into a copy before you book your flight... at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA).

And so completes this round up of 10 books to inspire you to visit Ireland (in case you needed inspiration...), or perhaps to help you better understand the country and its people when you do visit.

For me, Ireland is a unique land, close to the UK, yet also a million miles away.

The country is beautiful with preserved old world charm and the characters you meet in the local communities are generally warm, engaging and yet shaped by the hard times of Ireland's past.

There are of course so many books set in Ireland and picking 10 is never easy... I have tried to pick a few different genres and books that will give a picture of Ireland today, as well as Ireland in days gone by.

Are there any other books that are set in or about Ireland that have inspired you to pack up and visit the Emerald Isle?

**To make my travels possible and affordable I do so through international house-sitting, using both Trusted Housesitters and Kiwi Housesitters**