McCarthy’s Bar
On sale
15th March 2001
Price: £12.99
Selected:
Paperback / ISBN-13: 9780340766057
ONE MAN’S HILARIOUS, UNMISSABLE JOURNEY AROUND IRELAND – OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE.
‘The best book I’ve ever read. The journey was hilarious, emotional and personal . . . and the struggle to identify oneself being of Irish descent and born in England was well explored.’ – READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A classic of its type. Pete’s ability to describe Ireland a few decades back is laugh out loud stuff and easily up there with Bill Bryson any day.’ – READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book is outstanding – its warmth, humour and obvious affection for the Irish and Pete’s Irish roots come across in spades. Its a book that sets you giggling, while everyone in your train carriage thinks you’re a nutter!’ – READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rule Number 8: Never pass a bar that has your name on it . . .
Pete was born in Warrington to an Irish mother and an English father and spent happy summer holidays in Cork. Years later, reflecting on the many places he has visited as a travel broadcaster, Pete admits that he feels more at home in Ireland than anywhere.
To find out whether this is due to rose-coloured spectacles or to a deeper tie with the country of his ancestors, Pete sets off on a trip around Ireland and discovers that it has changed in surprising ways. Obeying the rule ‘never pass a pub with your name on it’, he encounters McCarthy’s bars up and down the land, meets English hippies, German musicians, married priests and many others – and paints a funny and affectionate portrait of modern Ireland along the way.
‘The best book I’ve ever read. The journey was hilarious, emotional and personal . . . and the struggle to identify oneself being of Irish descent and born in England was well explored.’ – READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A classic of its type. Pete’s ability to describe Ireland a few decades back is laugh out loud stuff and easily up there with Bill Bryson any day.’ – READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book is outstanding – its warmth, humour and obvious affection for the Irish and Pete’s Irish roots come across in spades. Its a book that sets you giggling, while everyone in your train carriage thinks you’re a nutter!’ – READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rule Number 8: Never pass a bar that has your name on it . . .
Pete was born in Warrington to an Irish mother and an English father and spent happy summer holidays in Cork. Years later, reflecting on the many places he has visited as a travel broadcaster, Pete admits that he feels more at home in Ireland than anywhere.
To find out whether this is due to rose-coloured spectacles or to a deeper tie with the country of his ancestors, Pete sets off on a trip around Ireland and discovers that it has changed in surprising ways. Obeying the rule ‘never pass a pub with your name on it’, he encounters McCarthy’s bars up and down the land, meets English hippies, German musicians, married priests and many others – and paints a funny and affectionate portrait of modern Ireland along the way.
Reviews
In its freewheeling, informal, jokey way, it is nothing less than an portrait of modern Ireland, in all its splendid contradictions. For a study on Ireland and Irishness, the book is exhilaratingly cosmopolitan in outlook . . . Television's loss has been literature's gain
McCarthy is a hilariously funny writer
Pete McCarthy is a funny man. You will know this if you have seen his award-winning television work or heard him on the radio ... It is impossible to mention comic travels without bringing up the name of Bill Bryson. McCarthy is more to my liking: less smug, delivering more of a sense that he actually noticed the places he passed through without making them seem a freak show. And funny enough to have my neighbours pulling long faces as I sniggered on the Tube the other day
McCarthy mines a rich seam of humour as he finds himself on the receiving end of some warm but unsophistiated hospitality. But then, he could probably make a phone book funny
A genuinely funny, yet affectionate and informative portrait of the west of Ireland. His book is a collection of wry observations and anecdotes, a skill he developed presenting eight series of Travelog on Channel 4 . . . I can guarantee a read that will make you laugh out loud
One of the funniest writers around. If you were asked to choose the ideal travelling companion, you would put Pete McCarthy near the top of your list. But if he doesn't happen to be available, MCCARTHY'S BAR is the next best thing
Comedian and broadcaster McCarthy takes a hysterical journey through the Ireland of his childhood. An extremely enjoyable book that had me rolling with laughter one minute and deep in thought the next
Travel books these days are two a penny, but McCarthy's really is a volume to savour. The people of whom he writes will surely appreciate his sharp eye and gentle humour, and the natural beauty which he finds so awe-inspiring cannot but fail to impress even the most world-weary traveller
Highly entertaining ... hilarious. A five star book
Meant to be funny, this succeeds nicely. His rule - never pass a bar that has your name on it - makes a simple and pleasing frame
An entertaining meander about the Irish Republic. Warrington-born Pete McCarthy has set out to discover his Celtic roots and the changing face of Ireland in the nicest way possible. McCarthy finds that generous hospitality and good conversation are still to be found and that McCarthy's Bar is a fine place to start looking
McCarthy's Bar is entertaining throughout and although the author is always seeking a romantic image of the Ireland he knew as a child, he does so with good humour and intelligent insight. I could easily sink a few pints with this man and even indulge in a bowl of Singapore noodles afterwards
Pete McCarthy's entertaining account of his journey through Eire searching for the links that bind him to the place . . . The McCarthys turn out to be something of a publican mafia and Pete does them proud, both in the drinking and the telling
A hilarious odyssey which charts his quest to connect with his Celtic side. Though extremely funny, McCarthy's Bar also takes a serious look at changing times in a country until very recently caught in a 1950s timewarp
His adventures are a joy to read. If he decides to go again, I'll volunteer to carry his case
If you're not pissing yourself within minutes of picking up this gem by Pete McCarthy, there's every chance you're actually dead. McCarthy's debut book is a witty, charming, insightful ride through his mother's homeland of Ireland. Dotted with hilarious rules of travel . . . this one stands out in the often ho-hum world of travellers tales. Full of fascinating, friendly, usually drunken, people and experiences, McCarthy's Bar has you clambering for the next ticket to Ireland, hoping you'll find the author to help share a pint or six
Don't panic - this is not the same story you hear from every tourist you meet. This is a travelogue of Ireland, a journey by someone who feels both intimate and distant to a truly extraordinary country . . . This book will make you laugh out loud through recognition and embarrassment
Pete McCarthy's funny book about travel will have you trying to contain your mirth. Of equal importance, it will inspire you to visit places you haven't visited before, and tell you things about humankind you didn't know. With McCarthy's Bar, your only pain will be from sides split by laughing. He's a funny writer is what's-his-name
'Like Bryson, McCarthy is a master of characterisation. All of those he meets, from ageing English hippies to impossibly shy hoteliers, are treated with the same gently barbed humour. He isn't too condescending or too self-effacing, which makes it easy to love this book. You will smile throughout and laugh out loud frequently'
Wanderlust
This is not a traditional travel book. McCarthy takes the local approach to planning the day - he goes to the pub and waits to see what transpires . . . An engaging, evocative book. Four out of five stars
Pete McCarthy takes an incisive but affectionate look at how Ireland has changed since the Angela's Ashes years
An acutely observed and often hilarious series of snapshots of a country that can induce an onrush of sentimental cliche. A funny and believable travelogue
The finest travel book of the year to date. A wonderful, wonderful book - clever and funny in all the right places. Observant, thought-provoking and bold, it does the Irish people justice and gives them an authentic voice. McCarthy's Bar is Bryson without the boring bits and I can pay its writer no higher compliment
Wonderful . . . It's a surprise to discover that this is McCarthy's first book because he is an excellent writer, enthralling his readers with vivid descriptions of the Irish countryside, wonderful comic timing and a knack for the telling phrase. This is a hugely enjoyable book, heartfelt, self-aware and very funny . . . full of funny anecdotes, keen observation and an intelligent exploration of what it means to be Irish, to belong here
A wonderfully funny journey around Ireland. In and out of McCarthy's Bars he went, encountering the mad, bad and gloriously wacky. He narrates McCarthy's Bar with the help of a couple of actors, and it's a delight
The funniest book I've read this year
Funny and touching