Books

From the reviews of The Height of Nonsense

Like all the best travel books this is a journey of self-discovery and of community, a reflection on man’s real and mystical connection with nature. This is a fine adventure, a travelogue delighting in ambiguities which wind their way through the book like a river through the countryside and culture which Clements loves. It all makes for delightful reading.
Brendan Glacken, An Irishman’s Diary, Irish Times
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For a slow-moving, humorous yet meditative book, The Height of Nonsense was, for me, a real page-turner – a compulsive and educational, laugh-out-loud read. Clements conveys a sense of wonder and enjoyment, coupled with a wry amusement. He has fashioned one of the most gloriously daft yet irresistible books I have ever read as well as one of the most exuberant and entertaining. Gorgeous stuff.
Ferdia MacAnna, Sunday Independent

For sheer pleasure nothing I read this year beat The Height of Nonsense.
Jan Morris, Observer

This is a fascinating journey around the hidden corners of Ireland.
BBC Radio

This book is about today’s Ireland, modern and fast set against the solid age-old hills and mountains. It’s about turning off the motorway and heading for history and legend. Get this book and keep it with you; read it in your living room or take it in the car and you will discover parts of Ireland you never dreamed of.
Anne Hailes, Irish News

The author’s relaxed style is underpinned with humour. It is the ultimate road trip, a heady mix of historical titbits, local heritage and everyday life.
Sunday Life

An affectionate portrait of a country in transition against a backdrop of its unchanging hills and the great history they evoke. Clements is an easy, affable and undemanding companion.
Irish Independent

The author has a great eye and ear for the quirky detail – a flock of oystercatchers, history, mythology, a struggle through bracken to the top of Slieve Foye in Carlingford – are rendered colourfully and memorably.
Fortnight

Resolving to approach each peak via the Great Mountain Roads, Clements crams in plenty of information as he makes his way across the country encountering some genuinely eccentric characters.
Evening Herald

A quirky book that gives a voice to the ordinary and extraordinary people of Ireland, it is full of infectious enthusiasm and overflows with stories and gossip from the cafés and bars of Ireland.
In Dublin

Written with humour that is hard to resist, this book takes a refreshing look at the whole concept of hills and mountains, aiming for the highest ones in Ireland. Clements has a fine eye for detail observing nature in all its glory over the changing seasons and indeed changing altitudes.
Mourne Observer

Everywhere the author records with subtle humour and observational wit the stories that he finds from the eccentric and quaint locals he meets along the way. The most interesting part of the journey in this book is not in reaching the destination but in the unique characters and situations encountered in the process.
Roscommon Herald

Clements takes an amusing look at local ways through sharp eyes and an even sharper pen. It’s laugh-out-loud in some places and it’s well worth a look to see if he met up with your neighbours (or even you) on his tour of the country…this is, in short, a classic road book, a ramble around Ireland like no other.
Longford Leader

This is Ireland at its best and the author explores it to the full, juxtaposing the breathtaking beauty of the landscape against the unpredictable savagery of a sudden mist or sharp rainstorm. It is not Clements’s mission itself that gives this book its huge appeal, but rather the time he has invested in people, drawing out their stories and seeing the world from their perspective. His fascination with the mountains is almost palpable, and indulged with a childlike abandon that gives The Height of Nonsense its irresistible intrigue.
Tyrone Constitution

An ebullient celebration of Ireland – north and south – its people, landscape and history penned by a man determined to show the idiosyncratic glories of his homeland.
Daily View

A highly entertaining account of each county weaving in a tapestry of folklore, local history, customs and anecdotes full of unusual and frankly- related glimpses of contemporary Ireland. It is a delightful and relaxing read. Mountains are seen not as a challenge to be overcome but as a source of quiet reflection and of being at one with nature. Read this book for the chat, not the climbing. I recommend it.
Irish Mountain Log

I felt as though I was his invisible companion as he quizzed and questioned, cajoled and flattered the local characters he met during his travels. At times I felt I could almost smell the fresh clean mountain air, see the sheep and hear the sound of the local wildlife and birdsong. Full of carefully researched detail, The Height of Nonsense is an immensely enjoyable book full of interesting snippets of folklore, poetry, quotations, bits of local knowledge, and anything but nonsense. This book will make an excellent companion for anyone who has the time and energy to follow in the author's footsteps.
Dungarvan Observer