Landscapes of cult and kingship

Roseanne Schot, Conor Newman & Edel Bhreathnach, editors

‘A truly engaging read … once invested in its reading, it is hard to put the volume down. All the papers are robust and there are some particularly strong archaeology essays … John Waddell’s reflective piece on “Continuity, cult and context” is a splendidly composed essays', Niall Brady, Medieval Archaeology (2012).

'This is an exciting and important book. It provides a wealth of new interpretation and its interdisciplinary discourse is eminently successful … the authors all write well, so it is a pleasure to read … and with three useful indexes, the non-Irish reader will not be lost', David Stocker, Landscapes (2012).

‘Landscapes of Cult and Kingship is a bold attempt to bring together two worlds: the eerie, magical universe of Old and Middle Irish texts and the more substantial but no less baffling evidence of the great ceremonial earthworks. It is a search for “the common language of monuments, material culture, myths and text” … this [is an] altogether inspiring book’, Jeremy Harte, Time and Mind (November 2013).

‘In this impressive collection of studies of the cult of kingship in early Ireland … This volume is beautifully produced and well-illustrated … The editors of this volume are to be congratulated in bringing together such a diverse, yet thematically focused, range of studies that accomplish their desire to bring the Irish evidence to bear on the study of the emergence and development of sacralised kingship', Damian Bracken, Studia Hibernica (2013).

‘The interested reader will find both useful convergences of informed opinion and clear delineations of scholarly differences … For those interested in the comparative study of kingship, this volume would be useful for its footnotes and bibliography alone; but more than that, many of the essays serve as excellent starting places for those studying the history and significance of particular Irish sites … the general quality of the essays in this collection is high', Daniel F. Melia, Folklore (November 2013).

‘This handsomely produced volume brings together thirteen essays from a range of disciplines. The disparate approaches are united by a common object of study – Ireland’s medieval royal places in context, as reflected in literature, archaeology, historical sources and landscape. The close focus results in a well-unified volume … Several of the essays consider the same sites from different disciplinary angles, and there is a fruitful interaction between them … [this is] an excellent volume, in which every author has something valuable to contribute. The editors are to be congratulated … the standard of presentation is impressively high. Many articles in this book are essential reading for those interested in the culture, literature and archaeology of medieval Ireland', Kaarina Hollo, Ulster Journal of Archaeology (2011).

‘The focus of the majority of the essays [is] an interdisciplinary examination of sites and landscapes associated with Irish kingship or religious practice … a fine and substantial publication, professional produced with numerous illustrations and maps, many in colour. The functionality of the volume is enhanced by the inclusion of indices of place-names, personal and collective (tribal) names, and an index of original texts. The editors are to be congratulated on the vision of the project and the care with which they have sent he volume through the press', Gregory Toner, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies (Winter 2012).

‘On the evidence of this volume nowhere else can boast of a mix of mythology and history accompanied by an archaeology of sacred places richer that that of the “royal sites” of Ireland … [a] high-quality volume … the complementarity of the contributions make this a landmark in Irish kingship studies … for the specialist, Landscapes of Cult and Kingship presents some fresh, exciting thinking; for the uninitiated it demonstrates the richness of the field and will amply repay challenges presented by unfamiliar places and names. All contributors are congratulated for elevating the study of Irish royal sites to the international prominence it deserves', Stephen T. Driscoll, Medieval Archaeology (2012).

‘[A] useful collection … The editors are to be congratulated for pestering and cajoling the contributors into delivering their finished papers quickly and seeing the book into print in under two years, an impressive turnaround … Skilfully interweaving contributions from experts in early Irish literature, archaeology, history and other disciplines, this is an important book which does much to further our knowledge on what can be an elusive topic', Brendan Scott, Breifne (2012).

‘This volume makes an important contribution tour understanding of Irish cultural history and how the land of Ireland itself blends with and is represented in the rich literary heritage. Several of the contributions are well illustrated with photographs and helpful maps, and the colour plates at the centre of the volume add to the visual appreciation of these disparate sites and their cultural history. There is good cross-referencing from article to article within the volume … The indices at the back of the book are very helpful to anyone researching these rich aspects of Ireland’s cultural history with a place-name index, a personal-name and collective-name index, and an index of sources. The editors deserve our gratitude for their efforts in bringing this interesting interdisciplinary volume together', Colin Ireland, Estudios Irlandeses (2012).

‘This fascinating book contains thirteen chapters, all of interest to landscape scholars … it is produced to a high standard, in hardback with a good bibliography, and place-name, source and personal-name and collective-name indicies … a very valuable contribution to the study of sacral landscapes with an application well beyond Ireland', Margaret Faull, Landscape History (Nov. 2012).

‘The series of 13 essays that make up Cult and kingship demonstrate the importance of landscape when tring to wrestle with the cultural dynamic of our inherited past. It is a truly engaging read to see how archaeologists, ethnographers, historians and place-name specialists position their datasets within the complex web of information that survives for this study … There are lessons in Landscapes of Cult and Kingship for us all', Niall Brady, Journal of the Medieval Settlement Research Group (2012).