25 Best Places to Holiday in Ireland

The Irish Times today published the longlist of the 25 Best Places to Holiday in Ireland as nominated by the public. They tell us that there were over 1400 entries from every county in Ireland. The longlisted places are;
            
-Caherdaniel & Derrynane, Co.Kerry            -Achill Island, Co.Mayo

     
-Inis Meain, Co.Galway                 -Inishbofin, Co.Galway

  
-Valentia Island                                -Beara Peninsula, Co.Cork

   
-Gougane Barra Lake, Co.Cork                     -Killarney, Co.Kerry

  
-Dingle, Co.Kerry                                    -Dunmore East, Co.Waterford

 
-Gweedore, Co.Donegal                               -Rosslare Strand, Co.Wexford

  
-Strandhill, Co.Sligo                                       -Cork City

  
-Dublin                                                       -Derry City

 
-Cushendall, Co.Antrim                                -Fermanagh Lakelands

  
-Shannon River                                        -Glen of Aherlow, Co.Tipperary

  
-Boyle, Co.Roscommon              -Ballyvaughan, Co.Clare

    
-Loop Head Peninsula, Co.Clare                   -Louisburgh, Co.Mayo


-Kinsale, Co.Cork

These locations are now going to be visited by researchers to produce a shortlist for May 20th and the winner to be announced on May 27th.

Audio Guides- Dublin and Beyond

I think these are pretty good. Abarta Audio Guides are downloadable guides to 'Viking and Medieval Dublin' and '1916 Easter Rising Tour' as well as eight other spots around Ireland; Glendalough, Rock of Cashel, The Rock of Dunamase, Cahir Castle, Clonmacnoise, Dun Aonghasa, Hill of Tara and Kilkenny Castle.

For just €1.99 you transfer your selected guide to your MP3 player, iPod or mobile phone and then just listen as you visit the sites.

With stories about the ordinary men and women as well as the more well known famous names, with music and sound effects. The site www.abartaaudioguides.com has travel directions to each of the places.

Desmond Elliott Prize Longlist 2013

The Desmond Elliott Prize was launched in 2007 and is awarded to debut novelists from UK and Ireland. Yesterday the longlist was announced and it is dominated this year by female writers in seven out of the ten nominations;

The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber (Sceptre)

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence (Hodder & Stoughton)

The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan (William Heinemann)

The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland (Harper Fiction)

Petite Mort by Beatrice Hitchman (Serpent’s Tail)

The Fields by Kevin Maher (Little, Brown)

Signs of Life by Anna Raverat (Picador)

Seldom Seen by Sarah Ridgard (Hutchinson)

Jammy Dodger by Kevin Smith (Sandstone Press)

The Painted Bridge by Wendy Wallace (Simon & Schuster)

    

    

    

The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 23rd May and the winner will be revealed on the 27th June. Congratulations to all the authors nominated.