“Rosemary Mamie Adkins, author, speaker, and expert traveler within Ireland, takes her readers on a special tour of her beautiful Emerald Isle. She decides to surprise her husband on his birthday and retirement with a dream vacation and spends the preceding two years researching how to make that dream a reality. Afraid that Doug might not like the idea, Mamie tells him in advance. After saying, Are you crazy? he warms up to the idea, but notes that “It might be nice to see Australia.” Mamie did not research Australia so Ireland it is!

She decides to share her research findings on the most economical ways to travel, what to see and what to avoid in a wonderfully well-documented book–taking her readers each step along the way. The result is a book full of laughter, fun, and amazing sights pictured within the pages. This book should not just sit as a coffee table travel book, but actually go along as a handbook for those who wish to travel to this mythical land. Author Adkins not only shows her readers the best places to visit, but itemizes the most economical flights, hotels and restaurants available, as well as the best times of the year to visit. Mamie tells you what to wear, as Ireland’s hottest days of summer only reach 65 degrees, and reminds travelers’ not to over pack as she did. With her breaking the trail, future travelers learn how to go off the beaten track and have an incredible time.

There’s whimsy in the stories Mamie relates, such as the legend of “Molly Malone”. So much of Ireland’s lore is fascinating, from elves, fairies and gnomes to the famous “Blarney Stone”. The author suggests buying and programming your own GPS to avoid getting lost as she and Doug did, while searching for the exquisite Wicklow Mountains. You’ll travel with her to Cork, Ireland’s second largest city, named one of the top ten cities of the world, by the Lonely Planet”. Blarney Castle, which brings the word, “blarney’ into the Irish and English language, is not to be missed since kissing the Blarney stone is no easy feat.

While the Adkins’ don’t meet a leprechaun, they do enjoy the friendliness and lilting burr of the Irish people. Their trip ends in Limerick, another city rich in historical lore and close to the Shannon Airport where they regretfully depart for America – happy to be going home, but hating to leave the magical lush greenness of Ireland’s beauty and the friendly help of its people. Author Rosemary "Mamie" Adkins writes a five star travel book for those who wish to see Ireland and those who prefer to travel in their mind’s eye.”

-Micki Peluso, writer, journalist and author of . . . And the Whippoorwill Sang

As someone who has visited Ireland myself, I’ve sort of checked it off my list. It’s a beautiful country filled with wonderfully friendly people, but there are so many other wonderful places to see in the world that after one visit, I felt I had “done” Ireland.

But Mamie Adkins’ “Extraordinary Dreams of an Ireland Traveler” has proven me wrong by introducing me to many places I missed and now want to go back to see. Mamie has not written the ordinary travel book filled with facts, figures, dates, and sites to see. All of that is included in this book, but she also offers us her personal preferences, her likes and dislikes, tips on what not to miss, and tips on what she and her husband, Doug, would not do again or where they would not repeat a visit.

Mamie is not an expert on Ireland or travel writing, but that has advantages in itself because she is like most of us when we visit Ireland for the first time. Her trip to Ireland in the summer of 2011 was a lifelong dream and a surprise to celebrate her husband’s retirement and their anniversary. She thoroughly researched the trip before she went, and she made contacts with people at many of the finest hotels and most celebrated tourist stops, but she also offers us a person’s first impressions of the Emerald Isle. Her experiences, consequently, are more likely to be those of anyone else contemplating a first trip to Ireland, which makes the book less overwhelming than many, and more like having a personal friend along to share the journey.

Of course, all the wonderful sites of Ireland are presented, and in vivid colored photographs. These photos, many of places I had not visited or not seen in such depth as Mamie, made me want to journey back to Ireland. I learned a great deal more about Dublin and saw sites in this book I had missed on my own journey. Readers will be awed by beautiful Kylemore Abbey, enjoy a boat ride to the Cliffs of Moher, maybe consider twice sailing to the Aran Islands—not a good experience for Mamie due to seasickness—enjoy a banquet at Bunratty Castle, and visit numerous wonderful Irish towns from Killarney to Galway. Mamie also speculates on such Irish mysteries as just who was the real Molly Malone, known for selling “Cockles and Mussels, Alive Alive-O” and what are the origins of the Blarney Stone.

All the beautiful sites of Ireland discussed in this book are not to be missed, but what makes a visit to Ireland special are its people. On my own visit, I found the Irish to be the friendliest people in the world; if you asked for directions, they wouldn’t tell you how to get somewhere— they would take you by the hand and walk you there. I was glad to know Mamie had the same experience on her visit. In fact, Mamie got to know many of the local people well and interviewed them for her book, including employees at the Blarney Woollen Mills, hotel managers, and creative fashion designers; they all share their stories and reflect a true love to assist visitors to their beautiful country.

I recommend that if you go to Ireland, you read this book before you go and that you take it with you. In conjunction with the places she visited, Mamie provides several special rates and offers to her readers, and at least one offer requires you to show the copy of this book. If you’re not going to Ireland, visit it vicariously through the pages of “Extraordinary Dreams of an Ireland Traveler”—it may jump start or create a new dream for you. And if you’ve already been to “that dear land across the sea,” well, of course, you will enjoy reliving your visit and discovering how Mamie and Doug’s visit compares to your own.

Be sure to visit www.MamieBooks.com for more information about the book as well as up-to-date information on original Irish items for sale and the latest offers for tourists.

-Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D., and author of My Marquette: Explore the Queen City of the North

This is not a typical travel book, it is also a wonderful photo book of the many attractions of Ireland. The author has put a lot of research into describing the places that she visited. This is a book that you should carry with you in your travels and will never outdate from the history and locations to visit.

It is a true guide to a fun and successful vacation. I would rate the book AAAAA stars!

-Marty Wright

If anyone is contemplating a trip to Ireland, this book “EXTRAORDINARY DREAMS OF AN IRELAND TRAVELER” is a must. It is easy reading and is full of vivid descriptions of the ‘must see” places to help you plan your trip. I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of travel or even if you only want to experience the trip “second hand”. Rosemary (Mamie) has done a marvelous job as a tour guide in book form!

-Allan Kane

That’s one place I had better not miss. The crystal factory tour was so much fun to see. Thank you for taking us every inch of the way through it. It was fun to see the process of how this expensive crystal was made. The photos made it much better than just reading about it.

-Patrick Snow, Hawaii

WOW! what an adventure. This is such exciting reading with adventures and history all in one. I enjoyed learning about the areas but it felt nice not to feel as though I were in a history class!
Learning about the Vikings was such an interesting story.

-Natalie Newport

Fabulous place in the country. Away from the city bustle and yet close to everything. What a romantic place and we loved the hosts. It was also close to Limerick where there is a lot to see.
Thanks for the close up look!

-Nathan French

What a story about the “Gift of Gab”! The height would be a bit scary especially when laying upside down. Not sure I want to do that but can’t wait to see the others kiss the stone.

-Randi Reed, International Flight Attendant

What fun that must have been playing with the hats at Blarney’s! And I couldn’t believe that you actually got back in business just three weeks after retirement Importing those designs into the states. That was some adventure! Keep us posted -Oh, and thanks for the special for woollens.

-H.C. (Joe) Raymond, Embracing Change From The Inside Out

Great human interest story about Blarney’s and Aine. It was fun to read about the people there and their success stories especially when one of them reads much like Walt Disney’s life. It was amazing to see how someone went from nothing to an empire.

-Frank Reed