GeoHibernica
The Irish Landscapes, Peoples and Cultures
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Liverpool University Press
Published:21st Oct '25
Should be back in stock very soon
GeoHibernica: The Irish Landscapes, Peoples, and Cultures explores the profound relationship between Ireland’s diverse geological foundations and the societies that have shaped—and been shaped by—its landscape over millennia. From the first settlers who arrived around 10,000 years ago to the present day, Ireland’s varied bedrock, revealed as the Ice Age retreated, has provided both the physical and cultural framework for human habitation. As the population expanded from the Neolithic through the Bronze and Iron Ages, the transition from hunter-gatherer communities to agricultural societies reshaped both the land and its people. The clearance of ancient forests and the growth of vast peat bogs brought about cultural transformations whose echoes remain visible today.
This book examines how Ireland’s landscape has inspired both practical and artistic responses—from megalithic tombs and high crosses to the vernacular architecture that reflects deep connections to place. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, artists like Paul Henry helped define an enduring vision of Ireland, while naturalists such as Robert Lloyd Praeger and cultural geographers like Estyn Evans deepened our understanding of how land, heritage, and history intertwine.
At once scholarly and personal, GeoHibernica offers a holistic exploration of how Ireland’s physical landscape has continuously shaped its cultural identity across the ages.
'[Lyle] wants to make the geology of Ireland intelligible to readers who may have little technical background, but he also wants to show that geology is not a remote scientific concern. Instead, it becomes a kind of cultural engine – the quiet, shaping force behind Ireland’s long archaeological sequences, its distinctive vernacular architecture, its agricultural traditions, its sacred landscapes and even its artistic responses to light, weather and terrain. Lyle is arguing, often quite explicitly, that the physical land is more than a backdrop: it is a participant in Irish history. [...] It is less a survey than a conversation between author, landscape and history. And for readers willing to follow that conversation, it offers a rewarding and quietly thought-provoking guide to the deep relationship between Ireland and the ground beneath.'
Jon Trevelyan, Deposits
'[Lyle's] extensive knowledge of Ireland as a geologist with a successful career in teaching and industry is combined with an experience in writing for a popular audience. It is an excellent primer, and while readable on its own, or by dipping into chapters, it will also sit well on school library shelves and in guesthouses or hotels for the interested tourist. [...] Should have a place on your shelves.' Nigel T. Monaghan, Irish Naturalists’ Journal
'GeoHibernica is a useful introductory exploration of the connections between the natural world and culture in Ireland.'
Catherine Duigan, Niche, the magazine of the British Ecological Society
ISBN: 9781780461083
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
160 pages