Thursday 26 September 2013

Donegal connections? This is the book for you!

If you've got connections with County Donegal, you'll love this mighty tome from Cork University Press!

The Atlas of County Donegal is crammed full of knowledge about the county's history, landscapes and people. Its content list (downloadable here) gives a snapshot of what's inside its 638 richly illustrated pages with articles about eagles and whales, the Flight of the Earls, Presbyterians, the Hiring Fair System, the Scottish connection, lace schools, music traditions, railways, farming and vernacular boats, and much more to learn about the lives of our ancestors and the communities they lived in. It isn't all geographical, political and social history, though.

It comes right up to date with articles about modern agricultural methods, architecture and migration, and even a feature about Rory Gallagher! It's breadth is phenomenol.

Edited by Jim MacLaughlin and Sean Beattie, the 90-odd articles have been written by about 50 contributors to provide a real insight into the historical and cultural make up of Donegal and its landscape. Its RRP – €59 – doesn't really reflect the value within its pages, and if I had family connections to Donegal, this would definitely be on my you-know-what* wish-list.

You can buy it from Cork University Press, but it's also available in shops and the usual online booksellers (often at a lower price).


*A December date not allowed to be mentioned until October, at the earliest.