The Three Castles of Dublin
An eclectic history of Dublin through the evolution of the city's Coat of Arms
Michael English
‘The Three Castles of Dublin is an absolute gem. English, a designer and photographer, seems to have covered every inch of the city … gorgeously presented, it’s a book you can easily lose yourself in for hours’, Joe Culley, History Ireland (July/August 2016).
‘The Three Castles is a joyous celebration and record of that three castle design through almost 800 years of Dublin’s history. This beautifully produced hardback progresses methodically through the centuries, revealing image after image of the recorded use of the motif, evoking the very pulse and atmosphere not only of the city, but also the denizens behind the designs who influenced how the city would be perceived … From cigarette cards to cricket clubs, from sewers to street lighting, the three castle symbol has endured, its image reinterpreted by designers over and over again through the years, so familiar to Dubliners, it almost goes unnoticed’, Helen Mulvany, Dublin Historical Record (Autumn/Winter 2016).
‘A beautiful and often surprising book … English uses the recurring depiction of Dublin’s [coat of] arms to tell a remarkable sequence of stories. It is an episodic rather than a narrative account, but English has a very good eye for telling detail and a sharp eye for a good image, which throws up a comprehensive range of short chapters that cover a very diverse spectrum of experience in the history of Dublin … This engaging journey through the city’s past is presented beautifully in a very attractive and well-produced book … lavishly illustrated in colour … very well designed … it would make an excellent gift’, John Gibney, Books Ireland (July/August 2016).
‘“Small is beautiful” would be an apt description of this delightful new book … Michael English has created a remarkable and comprehensive volume – small, yet packed with beautiful photographs, it is also informative and exquisitely produced’, Peter Pearson, Irish Arts Review (Summer 2016).
‘A wonderful new book on Irish heraldry … This book is an exceptionally well researched history on a much overlooked aspect of the heritage and culture of our capital city … Michael English has not just produced a hugely important pictorial record of the use of the Dublin coat-of-arms, he has researched and provided brief histories on the buildings, companies, institutions and bodes that used the coat-of-arms. In fact, this wonderful book is a history of the administration of Dublin city and not only a lavishly illustrated publication on its heraldry’, Michael Merrigan, Ireland's Genealogical Gazette (May 2016).
