By John Givens
As Ireland continues to evolve into a modern, multi-cultural state, it is important to remember that momentous change has always characterised the history of this island. The Viking raiders of the ninth century and the Anglo-Norman invaders of the twelfth created disruptions that over time ultimately came to enrich the fabric of Irish life. Critical to the survival of both these groups was the establishment of defensive strongholds that evolved into medieval walled towns and came to function as the political, cultural and economic engines that drove the development of Ireland – and continue to dominate it today.
Irish Walled Towns tells this story by describing the historical development of the twenty towns of the Irish Walled Towns Network, an initiative established by the Heritage Council in April 2005. The range is wide and includes major urban centres and quiet rural hamlets. Some towns are coastal, others inland. Leinster and Munster are most heavily represented, but there are several towns in Connacht and two in Ulster. Some towns had Anglo-Norman castles, others were ecclesiastical centres. The one essential criterion is that they were walled, most typically by a stone curtain wall with towers, gates, and ditches that formed a complete enclosure and established a political and economic distinction between inhabitant and outsider.
The book is richly illustrated with contemporary photographs of important heritage sites, from the massive barbican of St. Laurence’s Gate in Drogheda to a lonely stretch of overgrown town wall and moat in Athenry. Fascinating historical paintings, drawings and antique maps are also included. The shape of each medieval town is defined by an illustrated map that indicates the location of existing walls, gates, mural towers, castles, and other structures; it also shows the original wall lines and the sites of other lost components of the walled towns.
The history of Ireland can literally be found in its walled towns. Readers of this volume will gain a new appreciation and understanding of that history through the stories of these twenty towns that together make up an important, and somewhat overlooked, aspect of Ireland’s cultural heritage.
About the Author
John Givens is the author of A Guide to Dublin Bay: Mirror to the City (2006) as well as three novels, numerous stories and essays. He is currently working on a literary travel guide to Kyoto, Japan. He lives in Dublin.
€29.95; hardback; full colour illustrations throughout; available December 17; ISBN 978-1-905785-26-1
