Peter Harbison – författare

The landscape of Ireland is rich with ancient carved stone crosses, tomb-shrines, Romanesque churches, round towers, sundials, beehive huts, Ogham stones and other monuments, many of them dating from before the 12th century. The purpose and function of these artifacts have often been the subject of much debate. Peter Harbison proposes in this book a radical hypothesis: that a great many of these relics can be explained in terms of ecclesiastical pilgrimage.He has constructed a fascination theory about the palace of pilgrimage in the early Christian period, placing it right at the center of communal life. The monuments themselves make much better sense if it looked at in this light—as having come into existence not through the practices of ascetic monks but because of the activities of pilgrims.He begins by searching the historical sources in detail for evidence of early pilgrimage sites. By examining their monuments he projects the findings to other locations where pilgrimage has not been documented. He goes on to describe monument-types of every kind and to identify pilgrims in sculpture surviving from before AD 1200.The Dingle Peninsula in Kerry proves to be a microcosm of pilgrimage monuments, enabling the author to reconstruct a tradition of maritime pilgrimage activity up and down the west coast of Ireland. Indeed, the famous medieval traveler's tale of the fabulous voyage of the St Brendan the Navigator can now be seen as the literary expression of a longstanding maritime pilgrimage along the Atlantic seaways of Ireland and Scotland, reaching Iceland, Greenland, and even North America.

Dublin has taken many forms over the last millennium: first a Scandinavian settlement, linked by kinship to Norway; then a medieval town that formed part of a Norman sphere of influence across Western Europe. By the eighteenth century, it was a ‘polite’ city of the British Empire, before gaining independence and developing into a bustling, modern European capital.Merging archaeology with art, Stephen Conlin’s beautifully crafted views recreate Dublin’s most famous areas and buildings at key times in their development, such as Wood Quay in 1254, Parliament House circa 1760, O’Connell Street in 1945, and the Grand Canal Basin today. This wonderful imagery is complemented and enhanced by the vivid text of Peter Harbison, which moves through time to provide an entertaining history of Dublin, its people and its landmarks.Also available as a signed, limited edition with slipcase and special cover design. ISBN 9781847179227.

Island light is magical. And none more so than Ireland's. Ireland's light floods the landscape, luring the senses with a restless presence. The water surrounding and carving through the island reflects back to us the ever-changing movement of the wind-blown clouds and light. Stop for a minute and the settings change: what was straight is bent, light is dark, still is in motion. It is as though an unseen hand directs the wind, the clouds, and the light to harness our attention. Ireland: A Luminous Beauty is a collection of stunning full-colour photographs by some of Ireland's finest landscape photographers with concise text blending history, myth, and a sense of place. Many of the photographs were taken in the early morning light or as the sun set. That hour after sunrise and before sunset, with the sun low in the sky, is known to photographers as the golden hour and favoured for its soft, diffused light. We take a journey through one of the most beautiful places in the world.From the ancient stone monuments of the Boyne Valley to the perilous stone steps of Skellig Michael; from the distinctive columns of the Giant's Causeway and the spectacularly sited Dunluce Castle ruins to lush, green countryside and fields of heather; from the limestone of the Burren to exuberant stretches of flowers and gardens; from a moody sea and crashing surf to massive stone cliffs battered by the relentless pounding of the waves, and from steely rivers to tranquil lakes, it's all here.We respond to this dramatic environment by transforming it into one that solidifies and enriches our sense of place. We have this instinct to create our own space, and have made an art of it. Through the ancient, natural, and cultivated landscapes, surrounded by history and legend, discover and celebrate the spirit of Ireland and its luminous beauty.