Product Description

Poets, artists, visitors, and all those who love the island of Ireland are inspired by the beauty of its magnificent natural landscape. In this comprehensively illustrated guide to the whole island, Charles Holland, Emeritus Fellow Trinity College, Dublin and formerly Professor of Geology and Mineralogy, describes this wonderful scenery and places it in its geological context. He explains why the scenery looks as it does, how the land beneath our feet has been formed and why the landscape changes, sometimes dramatically, from lush pasture to mountain and moorland. It is written for all those who want to understand the fabric of the island's scenery.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #348804 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-30
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 180 pages

Customer Reviews

An extremely informative and useful reference & guide.
Book Review

The Irish Landscape - A Scenery to Celebrate
Charles Hepworth Holland

This book is an excellent information source for both the amateur geologist to expert level as it is written in a way that explains the geology and landforms in a way that would be understood by the novice. The novice would also appreciate the final section in the book which is titled "The Geological background" This section explains some basic geology which is intended to be referred to as-and-when a particular concept is not understood. It can also be read as an information source in its own right as it is highly informative.
The book contains lots of excellent quality photographs (the majority taken by the author) which are either full page or double page spreads. These photographs really highlight the information in the text as well as showing the beauty in the areas of Ireland concentrated on. I was also impressed by the quality of the maps and diagrams which are used. There is a map of Ireland showing its counties for those who do not know Ireland too well (like myself) and many geological maps and also photos of fossils that are mentioned in the text. This is extremely pleasing as the reader does not need to refer to another book to find out what the fossil looks like. This happens an awful lot in other books I have read.
This book would be extremely useful for the geologist who is perhaps on holiday in beautiful Ireland who wants to investigate the geology or indeed there just for the geology.
The author clearly knows lots about the subject which comes across in the text, he is an Emeritus Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and Formerly Professor of Geology and Mineralogy.
This book would also be of interest to the general reader who is interested in the natural landscape. In the words of the author:
"To know the physical foundations of this landscape, does not diminish our appreciation, rather it increases it"
It is extremely pleasing to have read this book as I did not know much about the geology of Ireland before I had read this book (merely well known features such as Giant's Causeway) and have not done much about Ireland at University. It tends to be more the Geology of the UK.
It has been an honour to review such an interesting and informative book and I totally agree with the comment on the back of the book:
"This book will find a treasured place in their (the reader) bookcases, rucksacks, and glove compartments"

Next summer I will remedy my lack of holidays in Ireland by booking a holiday and shall definitely take this book with me.

LR Cotterill MMIV
The University of Birmingham

Also great for non-geologists
I am not a geologist, I am just an ordinarily intersted person who likes to understand a little bit more about the landscape. This book is just terrific for explaining why the Irish landscape looks the way it does. It both feeds and stimulates one's curiosity, with great pictures and easily readable and understandable text. Much more intersting than all those banal guidebooks about pubs and craic and all that nonsense - this is the real Ireland. Don't go to Ireland without a copy.