The Book of the Skelligs – A ‘remarkable’ and ‘sumptuous’ volume

This book explores the Skelligs, Ireland’s most dramatic and beautiful Atlantic islands, and focuses particularly on Skellig Michael, a famous UNESCO World Heritage Site. It considers why the construction of a remarkable monastic site near the peak of this island over a thousand years ago stands as one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of Christianity. The Book of the Skelligs combines different approaches to deepening our understanding of the islands, combining the perspectives of history, archaeology, cultural geography, oral tradition, literature and natural science. It interprets distinctive features, both physical and human, that shape the unique character of these islands while also exploring their geology, marine and terrestrial life as well as the historical background and cultural setting of Skellig Michael’s monastic remains. It also considers the impact of the Vikings, and the construction of lighthouses a millennium later. Drawing on appropriate disciplines, the book reveals how a unique cultural landscape was generated by human activities over long periods of time. The editors and contributors have incorporated a wide range of illustrative material including maps, paintings, and photographs throughout the book, many of which have not been published before. It comprises over forty individual chapters and case studies in which the work of academics and independent scholars is combined with that of poets and artists to provide a wide range of perspectives on Skelligs’ distinctive character – both natural and human – during different periods. The aim of the editors is to produce a well-informed, accessible, highly readable, and generously illustrated volume that succeeds in conveying a true sense of the cultural richness and complexity of these remarkable islands. The blend of text and images is an important part of the book, making it both suitable for the general reader and a wide range of teaching programmes.

The Coastal Atlas of Ireland is a celebration of Ireland’s coastal and marine spaces. Drawing on written contributions from over 100 authors from across the island of Ireland and beyond, the Atlas takes an explicitly all-island approach; though the work has a much wider relevance and potential reader interest. It is organised into six sections, comprising a total of 33 chapters, that take the reader from the distant geological past, by way of the prehistoric era and a focus on the island’s physical environments, through time and the human colonisation of Ireland, to the complex cultural and economic landscapes of the near past and the present day. It concludes with an assessment of the importance of coastal and marine environments in understanding the island’s past, appreciating the present, and contemplating future opportunities and challenges. Although not claiming to be encyclopaedic, when read in its entirety the Atlas will provide readers with a fascinating and comprehensive excursion through time and space along Ireland’s coastline. The Atlas is equally suited to being read in progression or, if preferred, can be dipped into and navigated according to the specific interests of the reader. Within each chapter, in addition to the core text, a series of featured subjects and case studies provide greater-depth explorations of particular topics or examples related to the central theme. In addition, the maps, photos and other illustrations that accompany the text have been provided with self-contained captions that may also be browsed before a more immersive reading is undertaken. Ireland has often emerged as a global leader in its many engagements with the sea, including in marine and coastal science, the pursuit of a ‘blue’ (and green) economy, the championing of conservation goals, and in the development of sustainable marine renewable-energy resources. In the middle of the current “UN Decade for Ocean Science”(UNESCO), the Atlas celebrates these achievements, while pointing the way for future research and explorations that build on these foundations. The complex of physical and human themes developed in this Atlas has international relevance for coastal communities worldwide, and especially those located in mid-latitudes. Nowhere else in the world has such an all-embracing and multifaceted exploration of a nation’s, or an island’s, coast been undertaken.

The Atlas of the Irish Revolution is a landmark publication that presents scholarship on the revolutionary period in a uniquely accessible manner. Featuring over 350 original maps and 700 images, the Atlas includes over 100 contributions by leading scholars from a range of disciplines. They offer multiple perspectives on the pivotal years from the 1912 Home Rule crisis to the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923.Using extensive original data (much of it generated from newly-released archival material), researchers have mapped social and demographic change, political and cultural activity, state and non-state violence and economic impacts. The maps also portray underlying trends in the decades before the revolution and capture key aspects of the revolutionary aftermath. They show that while the Irish revolution was a ‘national’ event, it contained important local and regional variations that were vital to its outcomes. The representation of island-wide trends stand alongside street-level, parish, county and provincial studies that uncover the multi-faceted dynamics at play. The Atlas also captures the international dimensions of a revolution that occurred amidst the First World War and its tumultuous aftermath. Revolutionary events in Ireland received global attention because they profoundly challenged the British imperial project. Key revolutionaries operated transnationally before, during and after the conflict, while the Irish diaspora provided crucial support networks. The often neglected roles of women and workers are illuminated, while commentators consider the legacies of the revolution, including collective memories, cultural representations and historical interpretations. The Atlas of the Irish Revolution brings history to life for general readers and students, as well as academics. It represents a ground-breaking contribution to the historical geography of these compelling years of conflict, continuity and change.

* The Ring of Kerry is one of Ireland's most beloved of landscapes

* This multidisciplinary exploration will make anyone's visit to the Ring even more magical



The Iveragh Peninsula, often referred to as the "Ring of Kerry", is one of Ireland's most dramatic and beautiful landscapes. This cultural atlas, comprising over fifty individual chapters and case studies, provides the reader with a broad range of perspectives on the peninsula and the human interactions with it since prehistoric times to the present day.



Although not a conventional atlas, it contains many historic and newly commissioned maps. The opening chapters explore the physical and environmental setting of the peninsula. Subsequent chapters deal with is development over the millennia and the influences that have shaped it. All aspects of Iveragh's past and present are considered, using the evidence of disciplines such as archaeology, art history, cartography, folklore, geography, geology, history, mythology and zoology.



Given its status as a peninsula projecting into the Atlantic, the history and culture of the Iveragh Peninsula have been molded by external influences as well as by regional and national ones. Its story is multi-layered, involving the imprint of mythological as well as historic settlers and invaders. The peninsula has witnessed significant periods of transition, perhaps none more so than in the present era. This book seeks to deepen and illuminate our understanding of its landscape, history and heritage.

After decades of neglect—and indeed misrepresentation—this atlas seeks to put Donegal on the map of contemporary Ireland. Contributors are drawn from a wide range of academic disciplines and interests, including established authors and academics as well as competent local scholars whose work merits publication. The editors, who have also contributed very substantially to the volume, have sought to raise the bar in regional studies in order to set a high standard of scholarship and writing, to make this a volume that will be consulted by those interested in the history and heritage of the county for many years to come.



This richly illustrated atlas also has a very strong heritage focus in that the historic, archaeological, natural landscapes and the built environment of the county are treated as powerful elements of Donegal's cultural heritage. Thus topics include historic and recent emigration, Gaelic language and literature, musical traditions, the marine environment, fishing and the coastal economy, textile industries, the history of tourism and travel, art and architecture, Ulster Scots and Donegal's Presbyterian community, material culture, farming, the history of rail, newspapers, sports, the natural and physical landscape and urban-rural relations.