Armed with his own rules of the road, Paul Clements travels the GMRs (Great Mountain Roads) in search of the county tops of Ireland. He explores remote corners of little known counties, some very flat, and spends time with the eccentric and the quaint. Covering 8,000 miles he meets witches, druids and poets, monks and drunks all willing to share their stories. The result is an affectionate book overflowing with stories and gossip, that gives a voice to the ordinary and extraordinary people of Ireland. There is an infectious enthusiasm to Paul's relaxed style that is underpinned with humour. The Height of Nonsense is the ultimate Irish road trip, a heady mix of historical titbits, local heritage and everyday life. This is, in short, a classic road book, a ramble around Ireland like no other.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
'For sheer pleasure nothing I read beat Paul Clements' The Height of Nonsense' Jan Morris
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Maße
Höhe: 198 mm
Breite: 128 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-903464-69-4 (9781903464694)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
PAUL CLEMENTS began his journalistic career with the Tyrone Constitution newspaper in Omagh in 1976 and later joined BBC Radio Foyle in Derry. He has worked for the BBC World Service Radio and National Television News in London. Clements is passionate about the mountains of Ireland and has been walking them for more than 25 years. His interests also include travel, reading, music, bird watching and wild flowers. Paul is married with one son and lives in Belfast. The Height of Nonsense is his second travel book about Ireland.
Preface vii Acknowledgements ix Author's Note xi Map xii Part I 1 1 The Mountain of Shape-shifting Sexuality 2 2 Sperrin's Hospitable Dunghills 19 3 The Rolling Jungle Drumlins 37 4 No Cheese, No Sheep, No Mushrooms 55 5 The Grey Bald One 67 6 Mountain Ears and Cramponed Sheep 82 7 Oiled in Boyle 90 8 The Benwiskin Bull 114 Part II 132 9 Spinning Yarns in Oldcastle 133 10 The Lowest Highest 147 11 Coming Round the Mountain 159 12 Galloping Through Turbulent Tipperary 178 13 The Witch of the Knockmealdowns 206 14 Cafoodling around Cork 216 15 Waiting for Gheraun-tuel 230 Part III 248 16 Ballymore Useless to Stupidstown 249 17 The Tug of Lug 275 18 The Carlow Pterodactyls 287 19 Murder on the Hill 310 20 Mighty Trostan 327 21 Close Encounters of the Chopper Kind 341 22 Terrifying Covey of Giants 359 Glossary 369 Select Bibliography 371 Index 377
