Irish Historic Towns Atlas Volume III

by Thomas, Avril; O'Sullivan, Harold; McCullough, Catherine; Crawford, William; Claffey, Tony; O'Flaherty, Eamon; Clark, H.B.; Simms, Anngret; Gillespie, Raymond; Prunty, Jacinta

• ISBN13: 9781904890782
• ISBN10: 1904890784
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-01-09
• Publisher: Royal Irish Academy

Summary

Following Volume I (1995) and Volume II (2005), this third combined and bound volume in the Irish Historic Towns Atlas series presents five additional towns and cities, previously published as individual projects. The historic atlases of Derry-Londonderry, Dundalk, Armagh, Tuam, and Limerick are brought together in over 300 pages. Maps are presented in large format and include facsimiles of old plans, historical reconstructions, and thematic maps. Topographical views, illustrations, and photographs provide an additional perspective. Each town/city in Volume III includes a text section with an explanatory essay and a detailed gazetteer that gives dates, references, and details of the streets, buildings, and sites of the urban center. The book offers the opportunity to compare details of these Irish towns and cities: Limerick had its origins as a Viking trading place on a river crossing before its complex evolution as a medieval royal center, and it eventually became one of Ireland's major industrial and maritime cities. Dundalk is an example of Anglo-Norman colonial initiative that found itself on the edge of the Pale by the end of the Middle Ages before coming under the influence of improving landlords in the 18th century. Armagh, Derry-Londonderry, and Tuam all have origins as early Christian monastic sites, though only the latter evolved into a small town under Gaelic patronage in the late 12th century, while Derry-Londonderry became a regularly laid out plantation town in the early 17th century, and Armagh experienced significant growth in the 18th century thanks to its enterprising archbishops.