From the mythic legends of prehistory to the dawn of modern Ireland, these stories of heroic and historic travels deal with kidnap, jailbreak, power, faith, murder, betrayal, scholarship, survival and above all, sheer endurance. color photos, notes, index, recommended reading.

These highlights of Irish history include the epic cattle raid of Cooley, the encounter of St Patrick and the last of the pagan warriors of the Fianna, Brian Boru parading through Ulster, Red Hugh O’Donnell’s dramatic escape across the Wicklow mountains, and Michael O’Clery, a monk who travels through Ireland to preserve the ancient lore and learning in the Annals of the Four Masters. Maps and photographs help describe these journeys of kings, queens, saints and fugitives spanning 1500 years, across a thinly populated landscape where rivers, bogs, mountains and the weather add a heroic dimension. “Mountaineer and traveller Somers is himself heroic for making history seem so exciting.” -- Books Ireland