Shell publishes a comprehensive travel guide for anyone taking a holiday in Ireland.
The first edition of the Shell Guide to Ireland has been compiled by Galway man Michael Morris 3rd Baron Lord Killanin and Dubliner Michael V Duignan Professor of Celtic Archaeology at University College Galway.
Jim Fitzgerald chats to the two authors at St Stephen's Green in Dublin. Lord Killanin explains that they started work on the enormous tome about 12 years ago. Their objective was to create a fairly complete guide to Ireland covering the 32 counties. Professor Duignan reads from the two pages on St Stephen's Green. While their descriptions are based first of all on facts, according to Lord Killanin, they are also somewhat opinionated.
Both men agree that future editions will see corrections and changes as more information is uncovered and the landscape changes. Both carry a copy so that they can correct it as they go along for future editions. They believe that the publication will appeal to tourists with its history architecture and literary references.
We have a lot of literary references, references to where people lived, the places they wrote about.
While the book is based on facts, the authors have expressed their opinions on aesthetics and architecture. Professor Duignan says that it is not really a book to read from cover to cover but more of a reference book.
This episode of 'Broadsheet' was broadcast on 20 March 1962. The reporter is Jim Fitzgerald.
