Product Description

Bestselling author Christopher Winn takes us on a fascinating journey around Ireland, to discover the tales buried deep in the country's history. Packed full of legends, firsts, birthplaces, inventions and adventures, this book visits each of the four provinces - Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connaught - and unearths the hidden gems that each county in these provinces holds. Discover where people and ideas were born, where dreams were inspired and where the unforgettable figures of Ireland's past now slumber. You'll be able to visit the holy mountain, Croagh Patrick in Country Mayo, where St Patrick is said to have driven all the snakes in Ireland into the sea. At Lismore Castle in County Waterford you will uncover the bathroom dedicated to Fred Astaire, whose sister Adele was the hugely popular Chatelaine of Lismore in the 1930s and 40s. On the winter solstice you can bathe in the sunlight that fills the burial chamber at Newgrange, County Meath - the oldest solar observatory in the world. This irresistible compendium of facts and stories will give you a captivating insight into the people, ideas and events that have shaped the individual identity of every place you visit, and will have you exclaiming again and again: 'Well, I never knew that!'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16500 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
"'A marvellously entertaining and instructive read - a compendium of facts and anecdotes that offers an exciting new kind of guide to England' Simon Jenkins on I Never Knew That About England 'A treasure trove of unknown delights!' Terry Wogan on I Never Knew That About England 'I never knew there was so much I never knew!' Gyles Brandreth on I Never Knew That About England"

From the Publisher
Glorious miscellany of intriguing stories and fascinating facts about Ireland in bestselling format

About the Author
Christopher Winn has been a freelance writer and trivla collector for over twenty years. A former writer for Terry Wogan and question setter for television quizzes, he is also a regular quizmaster for the Daily Mail and the Daily Express. He also works in theatre and has recently toured with Hugh Massingberd's play, Ancestral Voices, about James Lees-Mline. His first book was I Never Knew That About England.

Customer Reviews

The gift of the gab
I RECKON I know a fair amount about Ireland but even I found some little gems in this very entertaining book.
Dracula may have been an Irishman and Glenveagh castle was the site of the world's largest outdoor swimming pool (they heated the lough with steam pipes) ... apparently.
As well as being choc-a-bloc with quirky facts, historical and architectural information, the book's organisation - broken down by county - makes it easy to find stuff relevant to where you live or travel.
It's this structure which gives 'I Never Knew...' the edge over the equally entertaining and probably more odd 'The Irish Companion'(ed) Brendan Nolan. The latter is a great read but you just have to digest it in the order it is served.

mine of info
fascinating book with some incredible facts about ireland which i would never have dreamt ofI Never Knew That About Ireland