"My name is Brinsley McNamara and welcome to Weird Island."
That's the flat, almost unaffected introductory line to every short Instagram reel posted by the eponymous Brinsley McNamara since January 2024. In just over a year, he's gained hundreds of thousands of followers with his brief, matter-of-fact video missives exploring the strangest secrets of the Emerald Isle.
And now, he's turned that viral sensation into a 200+ book called Weird Island: An Unofficial Guide To The Island. Following in the style of his Weird Ireland videos, the book contains short, mostly 2-3 page dispatches about everything strange historic landmarks to inexplicable geological phenomenon to — of course — the Aos Sí and púca and other Irish faeries creatures. The Weird Island book sits right at the intersection of folklore, mythology, history, and geography, and offers a fun and accessible way to explore the parts of Ireland that lurk just beyond the well-worn paths of Blarney Stones and Guinness Tours.
In fact, the author himself might even inhabit one of the same quirky corners he explores. "Brinsley McNamara" was in fact the pen name of an Irish playwright who passed away in the mid-20th century, and should not be confused with this Brinsley McNamara, which is also a pen name. And that's precisely the kind of playful historical tone you get with Weird Ireland. It may not be a deep dive into Irish literary history, but it will teach you all kinds of interesting factoids, presented in an approachable but mischievous manner that easily alights a smile on your face.
In many ways, Weird Ireland reminded me of Listen to the Land Speak by Manchán Magan, another recent book that digs into the intersections of Irish folklore and geography. But Magan's book is much more of an anthropological treatise, examining the socio-linguistic impacts of those cultural elements. If you're into that sort of thing—and I absolutely am—then I would highly recommend that book as well. But if that sounds a little heady and dense, then Weird Ireland is a wonderful alternative. There's no required reading before you crack it open; everything you need to know is laid out right there on the page, in simple if slightly silly terms. McNamara's prose does a fantastic job of acknowledging the inherent ridiculousness of some of the folklore that he shares, but in a way that doesn't diminish or dismiss it either. The author clearly embraces the Weirdness of Ireland, and you can almost feel the playful smirk across his face as he weaves his yarns.
If any of the stories in Weird Ireland catch your eye, you can certainly dig deeper into them on your own time. But McNamara lays out a wide range of tantalizing tales that will both teach and tease you, and that's what makes this book so delightful. Also: props to this guy for creating a viral video channel and cranking out a book based on it all within the span of a year.
Weird Island: An Unofficial Guide To The Island [Brinsley McNamara / Hachette Books Ireland]
Previously:
• Jameson Stories: Ireland is a magical place
• Ireland and England's 'best' teas, reviewed by an American
