With quiet roads, striking scenery and brimming with 5,000 years of heritage, north Leinster is a marvellous region to discover by bike. These thirty routes, exploring coast, lake, river and canal routes, vary in distance and difficulty and are graded to suit all abilities. Greenways along canals and old railway lines are ideal for novices and families, while the adventurous can take a challenge through the mountains of Louth's breathtaking Cooley Peninsula. Each cycle is prefaced with summary information and illustrated with photos, a custom-drawn map and a gradient graph. Anecdotes, history and profiles of interesting locals are included throughout, adding colour to coffee breaks in the sleepy villages and medieval towns that dot the picturesque landscape. All but one of the routes are looped back to the train stations from which they started, making for perfect days out. Visit the early Christian settlement of Monasterboice or the original home of the Book of Kells. Take in spectacular views across Dublin Bay or the legendary Hill of Tara. This practical and informative guide covers the scenic and the curious in this land of saints and scholars.

South Leinster has a surprising variety of terrain, boasting canals, blanket bogs, rolling woodlands, golden beaches and brilliant green pastures interspersed with fields of golden barley. Quiet roads with excellent surfaces make this beautiful corner of Ireland perfect for exploring by bike, with some great climbs and descents, notably in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, adding exciting challenges. A journey through this picturesque countryside is also a trip through the ages, with many historical places of interest along the way. Break your journey with pit stops at round towers, restored mansions with attractive gardens like Emo Court, traditional lighthouses such as Hook Lighthouse, or the graves of great Irish figures like Shackleton and Wolfe Tone.The graded routes suit all abilities, and are each illustrated with a colour map, photos, a gradient graph, and key facts and statistics. Information is also provided on the many natural landmarks and historical sites en route. Each trip guarantees a terrific day out for the curious cyclist.

From the doorstep of Dublin city, there is easy access to a cycling haven of deep glens, forested mountains and wild scenery, including the Wicklow Mountains. This guidebook journeys through some of the country's best-known tourist attractions, such as Glendalough, and reveals lesser-known points of interest like the Shay Elliott memorial to the first Irish rider to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France. The graded routes suit all abilities, and are illustrated with colour maps, photos and gradient graphs, with information on the many natural landmarks and historical sites en route. The historic Military Road is central to many of the cycles. Constructed in the aftermath of the 1798 Rebellion, it runs from Rathfarnham in south Dublin to Aughavannagh in south-west Wicklow, with a side arm from Enniskerry to Glencree, and from the Sally Gap to Roundwood. Try your hand as a Tour de France competitor, revisiting the 1998 stage, which raced through the heart of the Wicklow Mountains, finishing in the Phoenix Park. Surprising insights and useful tips are shared throughout, allowing cyclists to enjoy the wonders and challenges of south Dublin and Wicklow.

This book documents the best cycling that Ireland has to offer. With eighty routes spread across the entire island, there is something for everyone; from gentle, traffic-free cycles, ideal for the whole family, to long challenging routes packed with relentless climbs. The routes range in length from 8km to 207km on a variety of surfaces including tarmac roads, gravel tracks, canal towpaths and singletrack. Each route description includes - A full-colour map - Turn-by-turn directions - A route profile - A detailed description of the route - Advice on variations, extensions and shortcuts - A downloadable GPX navigation file. The book also includes details of over fifty family-friendly greenways and trails, information on Ireland's long-distance cycle routes and sixteen pages dedicated to cycling along the Wild Atlantic Way. This comprehensive guide is packed full of detailed information and inspiring photography that is sure to appeal to everyone interested in cycling in Ireland.

Incisive, engaging and thought-provoking, Destiny of the Soldiers charts Fianna Fáil's political and ideological evolution from its revolutionary origins through extended periods in office. Fianna Fáil is Ireland's largest political party and one of the most successful parties in any democracy in the world. Until recent years, it has been almost constantly in government since 1932.. This fascinating volume argues that Fianna Fáil's goals, foremost among them the reunification of the national territory as a republic, became the means to bind its members together, to gain votes, and to legitimise its role in Irish society. But the official ideological goals concealed what became merely a basic desire to rule. The balance sheet, consequently, became one of votes won or lost rather than goals achieved or postponed. Destiny of the Soldiers assesses Fianna Fáil's changing attitudes towards its parent party, Sinn Féin, and the IRA, and how these changes affected Fianna Fáil's policies towards Northern Ireland. Never forgetting its republican roots, Fianna Fáil has at times been both troubled and conflicted by them. This was especially the case in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the Northern Ireland Troubles posed a challenge for all rhetorical republicans. At that time, Fianna Fáil found itself the governing party of a state whose legitimacy it had originally rejected: the consequent tensions nearly tore it apart. Destiny of the Soldiers is the first survey of the party's history which focuses on these unresolved tensions. Destiny of the Soldiers: Table of Contents - Legion of the Rearguard: The revolutionary origins of Fianna Fáil, 1920–23 - Removing the straitjacket of the Republic, 1923–6 - Fianna Fáil—the Republican Party - Fianna Fáil and the Irish Free State, 1927–31 - Election Time, 1931–2 - Fianna Fáil in power, 1932–8 - Revolutionary crocodile, 1939–40 - The showdown, 1940–46 - A new republican rival, 1946–8 - Drift, 1948–59 - Approach to crisis, 1960–69 - 'The moment of truth', 1969–71 - Doomsday, 1971–3 - Conclusions: The destiny of the Soldiers

With some of Ireland's most beautiful and untamed scenery, 400km of rugged coastline and enticingly peaceful roads, what better way to explore County Kerry than by bike? These scenic cycles will guide you along popular routes and bring you to hidden gems. In a county famous for its climbs, some of the country's most spectacular ascents, summit views and descents feature, including the Conor Pass and Ballaghbeama. Each route description is illustrated with colour maps, photos, a gradient graph and key facts and statistics. Information is provided on the natural landmarks and historical sites you'll see along the way. With over 2,500km of road covered, the graded routes suit all abilities, from casual to experienced cyclists. So take a trip through majestic mountains and along wild seashores: a cycle in Kerry will take your breath away in every sense. Also available: 'Cycle Munster – Great Road Routes'