McCarthy's Bar: A Journey of Discovery In Ireland

by Pete Mccarthy

Release Date: 03 March, 2003

Edition: Paperback

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It's a wonderful take on Ireland

I loved this book. I'm Irish and lived in England for 7 years. McCarthys observances on Ireland and the Irish strike just the right tone I feel. He is sympathetic without being uncritical and gushing about how "friendly" everyone is. Like anywhere, some Irish people are great and some aren't. I had done a similar tour around the south west of Ireland that McCarthy takes, it's beautiful and a route well worth following. The characters he meets are beautifully portrayed. He is a very funny writer and his next book "The Road to McCarthy" is even better. I have recommended McCarthys to a number of American friends visiting Ireland. They all loved it.

Quirky, funny book

I picked up this book on a recent trip to Ireland, and can't recall a book that made me laugh out loud as often as this one did. A previous reviewer seemed to feel that McCarthy was overly hard on Americans, but I didn't get that sense at all. If anything, he pokes far more fun at the Germans and English (although Irish and Americans get their fair share of abuse, too). The book may not win any awards for our overblown political correctness, but it really was hilarious. I'll be watching for more by this author.