In Search of the Craic: One Man's Pub Crawl Through Irish Music - Softcover

"'Funnier than Bill Bryson or Pete McCarthy, and also more likeable because Colin is a more generous self-effacing 'smartass tourist' than either' - Teletext; 'Highly entertaining tale of an Irish pilgrimage... Irwin's narrative flips between the past and the present, brimming with anecdotes and running jokes as the most extraordinary characters bustle in and out of the pages, among them some of the giants of Irish music' - Uncut; 'This has to be the funniest book I have read in a long time... Every step of the way you feel as though you're there... A brilliant read' - Irish World; 'A worthy addition to other rib-tickling tomes like McCarthy's Bar and Round Ireland with a Fridge.' - Irish Post; 'Very clever, very entertaining, tremendously enjoyable and at times downright hilarious...Do they find that elusive chimera, the Craic? You'll just have to buy the book and find out for yourselves.' - Folk Roots magazine"

There's nothing quite like hearing Irish music in Ireland. Not in big concert halls or grand arenas, or even the popular taverns on the tourist route, but in the small pubs in remote areas where the locals habitually gravitate for those informal sessions universally known as the Craic. After 25 years visiting Ireland both as a music writer and a tourist, Colin Irwin goes in search of the craic. He talks to some of the leading Irish musicians about their experiences and they direct him to places where the craic is mightiest. This is the story of his journey into Ireland's musical soul. But Ireland, being Ireland, nothing ever goes quite according to plan...