Bagpipers, dragons and magic fairies

An old Irish saying goes that the only way to preserve a story is to pass it on. Experienced author and traveller Liba Švrčinová-Cunnings is well aware of this, and thanks to her, readers will become acquainted with a number of legends and stories connected with the ancient history of the British Isles, which come to life and accompany pilgrims on their journeys along Celtic paths across Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. The book includes the now-traditional maps of the individual treks, as well as plenty of interesting facts for readers and adventurers preparing to experience the world for themselves.

Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales. What makes them so appealing? In what ways are they similar? In what ways do they differ? What keeps calling me back? Where would I go back to?

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For Ireland and Scotland, the same Celtic roots, the same roots in the Gaelic language, the same friction with the English, the same ancient settlements, the same forced emigration. Wales was only a tad better off. Despite all these similarities, each country is so different, so moody, so colourful, and has such a different national character that they cannot be compared. The rich and varied greenery of Ireland and, at the same time, its painful past, which is reflected in the Irish soul to this day; the unresolved and divisive problems of Northern Ireland with its still-open wounds; the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands, which has shaped the resilient and combative Scottish character for millennia; the peaceful landscape of Wales, the most reconciled of the four territories with its fate of being part of England – all of this leaves a mark on a traveller. Would I like to go back there again? Definitely. Absolutely. And I know where. The Scottish Highlands win hands down, and the Isle of Man and Cornwall are also calling. So there is something to look forward to again. Life is beautiful! (from the end of the book)