Irish Wild Plants
Myths, Legends and Folklore
Niall MacCoitir.

Original Watercolours by Grania Langrishe

In ancient Ireland it was believed there were 365 different parts to the body, and a different plant existed to cure the ailments of each part. After describing the history of herbs in Ireland and traditional herbal medicine, different aspects of plant folklore are examined. Included are their roles in magical protection, their use in charms and spells, plants as emblems in children's games, in Irish place names and folklore cures.

978-1905172696

PB
240pp
234 x 156mm
€20.00/£14.99
2008
Original watercolours

Shorebirds of Ireland
Text by Jim Wilson, Photographs by Mark Carmody.

Irish shorebirds live between the tides on mudflats and shingle, in estuaries and lagoons, on beaches and bays. Jim Wilson and Mark Carmody introduce this world and its birds. Description of how they adapted to this often harsh environment, and how they evolved ways of exploiting the food supply, is followed by an account of their amazing annual migrations between Ireland and places such as arctic Canada and Siberia. The species portraits are enhanced with outstanding images.

978-1848890176

PB
160 pp
247 x 189 mm
€22.95/£19.99
2009
Full colour photos

The Song at Your Backdoor
Joseph Horgan.

Taking his backdoor as a starting point, Joseph Horgan goes on a quest to explore the natural world, bringing with him the words of Patrick Kavanagh and others – writers, poets, naturalists and scientists – who roamed and wrote about the Irish countryside. The book spans one autumn and one winter, framed by the departure of the swallows from the author’s backyard and concluding with their return. In between, the author travels on foot or by bicycle along some still-quite country lanes of twenty-first-century rural Ireland. This portrait of natural riches reminds us of what is lost, and what we stand to lose, if we take it for granted, deafened by man-made noise.

978-1848890336

PB
256 pp
198 x 128 mm
€12.99/£11.99
April 2010

The Way That I Went
An Irishman in Ireland
Robert Lloyd Praeger.

Introduction by Michael Viney

Written by Ireland's greatest field botanist and first published in 1937, Robert Praeger’s personal tour of Ireland’s natural wonders has had a greater influence on Irish naturalists than any other book. It represents five years of weekends spent walking the countryside, swimming through flooded caverns, staying out all night on islands, sifting fossil bones, and exploring cattle-tramped tombs.

ISBN-10: 1-898256-35-7
ISBN-13: 978-1898256359

PB
394pp
240 x 172mm
€19.95/£14.99
1999
Black & white photos

The Wild Garden
A new illustrated edition with photographs & notes by Charles Nelson
William Robinson.

The Wild Garden, one of the most influential books published in the history of gardening, was first published in 1870. It challenged the prevailing formal bedding style, advocating the use of hardy perennials and annuals to provide long-lasting, self-perpetuating displays. The book has a special resonance for Irish gardens and gardeners, as Robinson is Irish and trained as a gardener in Ireland. This edition, the first published in Ireland, is augmented with captivating photographs and notes by Charles Nelson, whose introductory essay sets Robinson and his book in context.

978-1-84889-035-0

Gardening/Natural History
HB
238 pp
277 x 219 mm
€29.99/£26.99
NOT YET PUBLISHED: Due in August 2010

Trees of Inspiration
Sacred Trees and Bushes of Ireland
Christine Zucchelli.

This book, illustrated with 150 photographs and line drawings, explores the stories and legends of Ireland’s sacred trees, of Fairy Thorns and Rag Trees, of Mass Bushes and Monument Trees. Their spiritual, social, and historical functions from pagan times to the present are revealed.

978-1848890138

PB with flaps
220 pp
245 x 175 mm
€24.95/£22.99
2009
Colour photos and line drawings

Wild Plants of the Burren and the Aran Islands
A Field Guide
Charles Nelson.

New Enlarged Edition

The Burren and the Aran Islands are renowned worldwide for their beautiful wild flowers and plants. Charles Nelson has selected 136, the most widely occurring plus a number of special plants. Each plant is illustrated by a colour photograph. Plants are described using the common English name, followed by Irish and Latin (botanical) names. Flowering periods and each plant’s distribution are given.

978-1905172672

PB
160pp
198 x 128mm
€14.99/£11.99
2008
Full colour photos

Wildflowers of Cork City & County
Tony O’Mahony.

Cork is the largest county in Ireland yet no general account of its flora exists. After a brief account of the recording of Cork flora since 1745, this book describes the floristic features of the county and city. With a handsome mix of photography, maps and information, each chapter focuses on a specific habitat. Modern and historical botanical studies are combined to describe the particular species of each habitat, while plants unique to each are highlighted. From the serious botanist to anyone needing a quick tool for identification, no one interested in Irish flora should be without this book.

978-1848890206

HB
400 pp
277 x 219 mm
€29.99/£26.99
2009
Colour photos