Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape. This item is unavailable.Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape

The Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape combines many different approaches to understanding the immense ecological, educational, aesthetic and economic significance of the landscape. As with many parts of Europe that landscape is threatened and Ireland is faced with the daunting task of balancing the needs of competing rural activities. Using state of the art computer cartography, the atlas analyses the complex assemblage of features, both physical and human which gives the landscape its distinctive character. The editors and contributors have harnessed a wide range of illustrative materials including maps, paintings, photographs and remote sensing data, all reproduced in colour throughout. A substantial explanatory text vividly summarizes our growing knowledge of Irish landscape history while demonstrating its relevance in education and public policy. By analysing forces of current change the atlas suggests ways in which desirable developments can be implemented in sympathy with inherited landscape character.

F.H.A. Aalen is professor of Geography at Trinity College, Dublin, and has served with various government bodies in Ireland regarding environmental issues, landscape preservation, and regional development.

Matthew Stout, the cartographic editor, is a lecturer at Trinity College, Dublin.

Kevin Whelan, widely regarded as Ireland's most important historical geographer, teaches at Boston College, Massachussets.