The Irish county surveyors, 1834–1944

A biographical dictionary

Brendan O Donoghue

‘An important addition to Irish biography’, Dr Ronald Cox, Engineering Ireland.

'This book is a comprehensive study of the evolution and achievements of the county surveyor system in Ireland', Irish Roots.

‘This book should be of great interest to local historians as well as those interested in family history’, Irish Library News (September 2007).

'This is a most welcome book. Of all categories of Irish people, the study of Irish professionals tends to be the least developed ... The text of the volume is very well written, pioneering, and highly informative. Brendan O Donoghue combines two kinds of fascinating stories, the history of the profession of county surveyors which evolved from 1815 onwards and was codified in 1834, and biographical entries on almost 180 county surveyors for a period of 110 years, starting in 1834. The introductory text presents the development of the surveyor profession in relation to administrative structures, such as the grand juries, the county and rural district councils, and British and later Irish legislation ... Most of the volume is dedicated to the biographical entries of the county surveyors. These entries present a lively picture of the family background, training, experience, and physical structures produced by the surveyors ... The volume is illustrated by over eighty excellent photographs of bridges, churches, courthouses, banks, hospitals, monuments, and many portraits of the surveyors. Two appendices deal with assistant county surveyors, and the careers of surveyors by county. Indexes of the personal names of engineers, administrators, and political figures, and of the works undertaken by county surveyors, provide easy access to the volume ... This remarkable book is an indispensable source for knowledge of the county surveyor profession and sheds light on many surveyors who also became architects. The text about the lives of the county surveyors are a delight to read and illustrates the difficulties and accomplishments in their creation of public works, many of which survive. This volume illustrates their beauty and technical accomplishments. We can only be highly grateful to O Donoghue for writing so well about the county surveyors and their accomplishments', Rolf Loeber, Irish Economic and Social History (Winter 2008).