Kevin Whelan Libri

The Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape combines many different approaches to understanding the immense ecological, educational, aesthetic and economic significance of the landscape. As with many parts of Europe that landscape is threatened and Ireland is faced with the daunting task of balancing the needs of competing rural activities. Using state of the art computer cartography, the atlas analyses the complex assemblage of features, both physical and human which gives the landscape its distinctive character. The editors and contributors have harnessed a wide range of illustrative materials including maps, paintings, photographs and remote sensing data, all reproduced in colour throughout. A substantial explanatory text vividly summarizes our growing knowledge of Irish landscape history while demonstrating its relevance in education and public policy. By analysing forces of current change the atlas suggests ways in which desirable developments can be implemented in sympathy with inherited landscape character.

The essays explore the transformative 1790s in Ireland, highlighting the rise of separatism, popular republicanism, and loyalism. Key institutions such as the Orange Order and Maynooth College are examined, alongside the significant Act of Union that reshaped Ireland's relationship with Britain. These interconnected themes provide a comprehensive understanding of a decade that played a crucial role in shaping modern Irish identity and politics.