In recent years, Ireland has enjoyed a newfound prosperity as Europe’s most affluent nation. But tucked away in a far corner of the so-called “Celtic Tiger,” that other enduring and authentic countrythat small, hidden place of simple magic and romancestill exists. Acclaimed travel writer David Yeadon and his wife, Anne, set out to find it.

On the Beara Peninsula of southwest Ireland, the Yeadons discovered their own “little lost world,” an enticing Brigadoon of soaring mountain ranges and spectacular coastal scenery, far removed from the touristic hullabaloo of Dublin, Killarney, and the Ring of Kerry. Here is the fabled “Old Ireland,” alive and well with music seisuins, hooley dances, and seanachai storytellersa haven for searchers, healers, artists, and poets hardy enough to have braved the same narrow and winding mountain roads that keep the package-tour coaches out.

Bursting with color and life, At the Edge of Ireland is an intrepid wanderer’s celebration of a magical, unspoiled, and unforgettable ire.