Ireland

J. P. Haughton

This is an informal account of the creation of a thematic atlas of Ireland over a period of seven years. The first part relates to the setting up of an organisation for the project under the auspices of the Royal Irish Academy and touches also on some of the financial implications. The second part explains how the contents of the atlas were selected and the maps compiled. Various problems including those relating to the choice of data, the scale and format of the maps, the use of colour and the correction of the proofs, are also discussed. The need for a thematic atlas of Ireland was recognised and discussed in academic circles as long ago as the 1940s, but the possibility of producing such an atlas was limited by the small number of professional geographers in the country and by a paucity of financial resources. However, following an expansion of Irish university departments of geography in the sixties, and affiliation to the International Geographical Union through a national committee of geography set up under the auspices of the Royal Irish Academy in 1963, there came into being a representative group of geographers capable of giving sustained consideration and support to such a project. In 1969, following informal consultation between geographers, outline proposals for an atlas which would be based on the data arising from the impending censuses of population of April 1971 were considered by the National Committee and were subsequently accepted by the Council of the Academy. In May 1970 the Academy sought and was promised financial support from the Department of Education in Dublin for the preliminary compilation and drawing of the atlas maps and as a result £8,000 was made available for this purpose over the following three years. An atlas committee, set up by the Academy, met for the first time on 16 November 1971. It was composed of the professors of geography from Queen's University Belfast, University College Dublin, and Dublin University, together with representatives from the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, the Geological Survey of Ireland and An Foras Taluntais,³ and the secretary of the National Committee. Subsequently the Department of Education was also represented. At its first meeting the committee renamed itself the Editorial Board of the Atlas of Ireland and one of its first tasks was to appoint Mrs Mary O'Regan as coordinator for the project. The Board also had some discussion on suitable scales, base maps and the general organisation of the work. The proposed maps had been listed tentatively under eight subject heads and it was suggested that committees should be set up for each of these groups of related maps. In the event these committees were found to be unnecessary so, instead, section coordinators, acting on a voluntary basis, were appointed, each one assuming responsibility for producing draft maps in his section under the general supervision of the Editorial Board. Initially these sections were geology and geophysics, physiography and hydrology, soils, climate, vegetation, population, settlement, agriculture and fisheries. Others were added later. As the work of compilation progressed it was realised that there were many questions of method, drafting and format which were of too specific a nature for detailed consideration at meetings of the Editorial Board so, after several unsuccessful attempts, the Board at its meeting on 7 March 1974 set up a small Dublin-based cartographic working party.

Viggo Hansen

This is a compilation of two book reviews. The first reviews the Atlas of Ireland, prepared under the direction of the Irish National Committee for Geography over eight years, containing approximately 250 maps. It comprehensively presents Ireland's physical geography, climate, biogeography, population, settlement, and economy, with particular distinction in the cartographic treatment of social, linguistic, and folk traditions. The second reviews Volume XIII, Part 2 of the University of Copenhagen 1479-1979, covering the history of natural science disciplines including zoology, botany, geology, and geography. It traces geography's evolution from an early descriptive field to an independent academic discipline, highlighting the pivotal contributions of scholars such as Joachim Frederik Schouw and E. Leffler in Danish geography.

Edward P. Thatcher

The Atlas of Ireland, compiled at Trinity College, University of Dublin, under the direction of the Irish National Committee for Geography, was published by the Royal Irish Academy in 1979. Featuring a principal scale of 1:1,250,000 and 250 maps, the atlas comprehensively covers Ireland's physical environment and cultural geography. Despite the island's political partition, it successfully presents a unified geographical perspective. The cultural geography section is particularly notable, including thematic maps on the historical percentage of Irish speakers, prehistoric and early Christian sites, field boundary compositions, and folk traditions, offering valuable insights for North American scholars. With its clean design, distinct colors, and metric measurements, the atlas stands as a sound scholarly reference work for the English-speaking academic community.

T. W. Freeman

This is an academic review of the Atlas of Ireland, published by the Royal Irish Academy in 1979. The author traces the atlas's forty-year compilation journey since its inception by Professor Eva Taylor in 1938, highlighting its triumph over formidable obstacles such as political division, financial constraints, and a shortage of experts. The atlas comprises about 200 maps, covering physical geography (e.g., glaciation, soils, climate), human geography (e.g., population, agriculture, industry, transport), and historical geography. The review lauds the atlas's immense scholarly value, asserting that it not only showcases significant progress in Irish geographical research but also serves as a crucial foundation for future studies, standing comparison with the finest national atlases of countries like Sweden and Finland.

Bernard Rouleau

This review assesses the publication of the Atlas of Ireland. Initiated in 1970 by the National Committee for Geography in Dublin, this cartographic monument resulted from collective research involving university geography departments, the Ordnance Survey, the Geological Survey, and the National Soil Survey. Covering the entire island, the atlas was published as a single volume to maintain unity, with scales carefully chosen for various themes. Its content spans topography, geology, geomorphology, hydrology, soils, climate, flora, fauna, population, agriculture, industry, services, and socio-cultural aspects, supplemented by aerial photos and a toponymic index. The review highlights original themes such as historical urban origins, industrial disparities, religious distribution, and the evolution of Irish speakers, while praising the fine cartographic quality but noting that overly pale colors and fine lines sometimes impair readability.