Lough Ree

Historic lakeland settlement

Bernadette Cunningham & Harman Murtagh, editors

‘This admirable collection of papers considers the development and context of the lake through studies in a wide range of disciplines … The diversity of approaches to the study of Lough Ree presented here gives a refreshing and multi-faceted view of the developmental history of settlement on and around the shores of the lake … The book is well presented and comprehensive in its coverage of the historical era, well organised and provisioned with a thorough index and an appropriate scene-setting introduction by one of the editors … an authoritative and attractive collation of the history of settlement, society and economy of one of Ireland’s great “inland seas”’, Graeme Cavers, Landscape Settlement (2016).

‘When Four Courts Press publishes a new book, the reader is always assured of a quality scholarly publication worthy of any book collection … editors Bernadette Cunningham & Harman Murtagh have created a publication that is extremely readable yet is an essential resource for anyone interested in the shoreline and island settlements of Lough Ree … its pages ooze quality, I’m reminded of the saying “You get what you pay for”, and for me it is well worth every cent of the price, I’d definitely recommend its purchase’, Brian Cassells, Inland Waterways News (Winter 2015).

‘[A] handsome volume … This is a book to treasure. It will be seen in years to come as bringing to life this magical lake and providing for the reader a cornucopia of information to be oft consulted’, James MacNerney, Teathbha: the journal of the Co. Longford Historical Society (Autumn 2015).

‘Lough Ree concentrates upon a local area in the Irish midlands centred on the largest lake (at c. 1000 ha) in the Shannon river system where the counties of Longford, Westmeath and Roscommon meet … Contributors, editors and publishers are to be congratulated for advancing our understanding of the landscape history of Ireland’, Robin Glasscock, Medieval Settlement Research (2016).

'Together, these papers allow for a fresh examination of Lough Ree and its ricj settlement history... For any researcher interested in delivering a similar project, this volume of work is a key reference point and a very enjoyable read, helping to form a framework on which further such research projects should be built.' - Laura Patrick, The Journal of Irish Archaeology Volume XXV, (2016).