Books

Chris is a prolific author and has written, compiled and edited many books with subject matters ranging from archaeology, history, folklore and early photography. A wide range of Chris's articles can be found on academia.edu

Christiaan Corlett - The 18th century headstones of Denis Cullen; 'Stone cutter and engraver'.

187pp; 196 colour figs; free downloadable ebook available at www.coleslane.com

This book explores one of Ireland's most prolific, versatile and accomplished sculptors during the second-half of the 18th century in Ireland. Denis Cullen, whose workshop was at Monaseed in north Wexford, was one of Ireland's most prolific religious sculptors. His works did not feature in the public buildings or squares of our towns or cities. Instead, they can be found in the many old graveyards throughout north Wexford and south Wicklow.

The town in medieval Ireland, in the light of recent archaeological excavations

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Michael Potterton

Published 2020, xii + 310pp, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

This is the sixth volume in the series ‘Research Papers in Irish Archaeology’. Essays by professional archaeologists, historians, geographers and illustrators shine a light on the medieval archaeological heritage of more than twenty of Ireland’s historic urban spaces. Some of the papers provide a fascinating synopsis of the results of excavations and surveys at towns such as Castledermot, Enniscorthy, Inistioge, Navan, New Ross and Wexford. Others focus on research carried out at a particular site or building within a key medieval town (Carlow, Drogheda, Ferns, Kildare, Kilkenny, Kilmallock and Mullingar). Less-well-known deserted medieval settlements on the shores of Lough Key and Lough Ree (Co. Roscommon) are showcased in two further contributions, while there are also papers on Ardreigh, Athy, Dungarvan and Fethard, and an essay looking at the broader picture of the European Historic Towns Atlas project and archaeology. It is envisaged that this book will improve awareness, understanding and appreciation of Ireland’s urban heritage at both professional and popular levels. It will be of interest to academics, communities, schools, local societies, policy-makers, planners and members of the public. By shining a light on the importance of our medieval towns this volume will contribute to their protection, preservation and promotion. It will also facilitate better decision-making regarding the management of these towns, and enhance the tourist experience. The places covered by the volume are variously of local, regional or national importance; some are of international significance.

Glendalough

Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2017, Hardback, 96pp, illustrated

Published by Coles Lane.

Order online at www.irishlocalhistorybooks.com

Glendalough takes its name from the Irish gleann dá locha, which translates as the ‘glen of the two lakes’. Glendalough’s most famous resident was St Kevin, who founded a small monastery here at the end of the 6th century. Over time St Kevin’s monastery at Glendalough became one of the most important church sites in Ireland, and today is considered one of the premier National Monuments in the country. In this book you will be taken on a journey through the majestic valley of Glendalough, exploring the monuments, legends and history that make this one of the best preserved early Christian church sites anywhere in the world.

Here Lyeth. The 18th-century headstones of Wicklow

Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2015, Hardback, 116pp, illustrated

Published by Wicklow County Council

This book explores the small number of stone cutters who were responsible for the majority of 18th century headstones that can be found throughout the graveyards of County Wicklow. For most people these headstones are generally an important source of genealogical information. However, what is less well-known is just ow important many of these headstones are from an art historical perspective. This book examines the evolution of headstones in the county during the 18th century and explores the religious carvings that developed during this period, as well as some of the social issues that they reflect.

Wicklow's Traditional Farmhouses

Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2014, Hardback, 140pp, illustrated

Published by Wicklow County Council

Until relatively recently, traditional farmhouses were an integral part of the Wicklow landscape. Since the 1960s new forms of buildings have dominated the countryside. However, hidden down overgrown lanes are many fascinating examples of old farmhouses preserving a wonderful array of traditional features, from thatched roofing to furniture and fittings. These capture a way of rural life that has disappeared, but which remains vivid in our collective memory. This study is an attempt to document a record of that way of life in Wicklow before the physical evidence is lost forever.

Jane W. Shackleton's Ireland

Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2012, hardback, 182pp, illustrated

Published by Collins Press

One of the largest collections of early photographs by a female photographer in Ireland was taken by Jane. W. Shackleton. Jane was married to Joseph F. Shackleton of the famous Shackleton family. She developed a keen interest in photography in the 1880s when her children were young, so her first subjects included family and friends, and the area around Lucan, County Dublin. Soon Jane began to take her camera around Ireland, capturing aspects of Irish life often missed by other photographers. Her favoured subjects included inland waterways and industrial buildings, the Aran Islands, the west of Ireland and Irish antiquities. By the end of her life Jane had become one of the most prolific Irish photographers of her time. For the first time in over a century, Jane Shackleton's remarkable photographs, and her skills and achievements, can be fully appreciated by all.

Inscribing the landscape - the rock art of south Leinster

Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2014, paperback, 128pp, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Books

The focus of this book is the rock art of the south of Leinster, which forms the south-eastern corner of Ireland. Although suggestive of modern music and related art forms, 'rock art' is the name applied by archaeologists to a particular type of prehistoric art found in northern and Atlantic Europe. Irish rock art most likely dates from the early Neolithic period, 4000-3400 BC. But such is the lack of awareness of the rock art of south Leinster that it has never received any attention among researchers of Irish rock art. Indeed, it will most likely come as a great surprise to many to learn of the extent of rock art in this region. Notwithstanding this dearth of research to date, the author's intention is to make rock art accessible to a wider audience and to provide an important baseline of data and observations for future research.

Unearthing the Archaeology of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown

Compiled by Christiaan Corlett

Published 2013, 165pp, paperback, illustrated

Published by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council

This book brings together the results of excavations carried-out in the county over the last two decades. These more recent excavations have transformed our understanding of previous people in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, over thousands of years. The accounts of these recent excavations have been provided by the archaeologists who carried out the work. The book is divided into four sections that correspond to the four main time periods; Prehistoric, Early Christian, Medieval and Post-Medieval. Before each section is an introduction to the broader archaeological heritage of the county, which provide the reader with the context of these excavations and how their results fit into what was previously known and what we now know about the people who inhabited this area over thousands of years.

Darkest Dublin. The story of the Church Street disaster and a pictorial account of the slums of Dublin in 1913.

Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2008, 222pp, paperback, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

Darkest Dublin is a pictorial account of Dublin’s slums in 1913 as documented by John Cooke, who presented his findings and photographs to the Dublin Housing Inquiry on 24 November 1913. Cooke’s photographs – which now form part of the photographic archive of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland – provide a horribly vivid visual account of the slum conditions at that time. They present a rare surviving portrait of a side of the face of Dublin generally left in the shade by contemporary photographers, providing a snapshot of the conditions that prevailed in the city at a particular moment in time. They are unique in more ways than one, however, not least in the fact that they form a clearly defined collection of photographs dealing with a well-defined subject-matter. The narrative of the Darkest Dublin story is essentially told by the photographs themselves. To this pictorial record, however, the Darkest Dublin story adds the largely forgotten events of the Church Street disaster, which provided the catalyst for a series of events that culminated in the Dublin Housing Inquiry. It was with this Inquiry in mind that the Darkest Dublin photographs were taken.

Robert L. Chapman’s Ireland

Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2008, hardback, 133pp, illustrated

Published by Collins Press

The Chapman Collection is a unique collection of photographs spanning half-century from 1907 to 1957. Robert L. Chapman (1891-1965), a keen photographer and cyclist, began taking photographs at the age of sixteen. Most likely self-taught, he was skilled with the camera and had an instinctive eye for capturing beauty in a single shot. As Chapman cycled the Irish countryside, he photographed a range of subjects from boats and trains to landscapes and buildings, as well as his family, friends and fellow cyclists. This never before-published selection of his extraordinary photographs also includes historic events such as the burning of the Custom House in Dublin. Chapman’s collection of photographs is enhanced by his meticulous catalogue: each photograph has a unique reference number with information on the time, date and technical detail. Over 100 remarkable photographs are reproduced, many complemented by Chapman’s journal entries – often descriptive and witty – and are drawn from an archive of around 3,000 pictures.

The church in early medieval Ireland, in the light of recent archaeological excavations

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Michael Potterton

Published 2014, xi + 286pp, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

This publication brings to five the number in the series 'Research papers in Irish archaeology'. This volume on the early medieval church in Ireland is a fruit of the one-day seminar on the same theme held in the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland in Dublin on 20th November, 2010. Current research illustrates a greater complexity to the early Irish church than was previously understood. This is reflected in the present volume, where the records and narratives of a range of early church sites are explored. It is now glaringly obvious that when we use the term 'early Irish church' we run the risk of creating a false impression of a homogeneous organisation of Christianity in Ireland. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is now understood that each church founded in early medieval Ireland has a unique story to tell as regards its organisation, function and evolution.

Life and Death in Iron Age Ireland, in the light of recent archaeological excavations

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Michael Potterton

Published 2012, paperback, x + 330pp, illustrated.

Published by Wordwell Ltd

The Iron Age is without doubt the most enigmatic period in Irish archaeology. If there are more than 50,00 early medieval monuments known throughout Ireland, by contrast there are barely 50 monuments that one could point to and say definitively 'That's Iron Age'. The number of Iron Age artefacts is considerably higher, but pales into insignificance compared to the thousands of objects from either the Bronze Age or the early medieval period. Until recently, it was thought that the Iron Age was almost entirely absent from the excavation record. With hundreds of large-scale excavations throughout country and newly discovered sites from every period, nothing jumped out and screamed 'Iron Age'. When radiocarbon dates started coming back from many back from many projects, however, it gradually became clear that the Iron Age has been there all along - typically unassuming and frequently masquerading as something from another period. The picture is still very murky, but what is obvious is that the textbook for the entire Iron Age in Ireland needs to be rewritten from start to finish. Preconceived ideas about the dating and significance of the artefactual record of the period are already being challenged. The new evidence from recent archaeological excavations has the potential to transform out understanding of the Irish Iron Age and finally dispel the myths of Ireland's supposed 'dark age'. The information contained in the 26 essays int his volume makes a very significant contribution to this process.

Settlement in early medieval Ireland, in the light of recent archaeological excavations

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Michael Potterton

Published 2011, paperback, xii + 355pp, illustrated.

Published by Wordwell Ltd

This publication is the third volume in the series ‘Research papers in Irish archaeology’. It is not widely known among the general public in Ireland, and perhaps among scholars beyond, that this island contains probably the richest, best-preserved early medieval settlement archaeology in Europe. In no other country is it possible, as it is here, to point to a national map depicting upwards of forty to fifty thousand early medieval settlement sites (ringforts or raths) and say: ‘These are only the early medieval settlements that we know about from maps and other sources a lot more have been discovered through recent archaeological excavations’. In this book we are this presented with an extraordinary collection of papers describing some of the key early medieval settlement excavations of recent years. In all of these papers there is a sense of people inhabiting a place in various ways between the sixth and twelfth centuries AD, and how this changed across time.

Death and burial in early medieval Ireland, in the light of recent archaeological excavations

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Michael Potterton

Published 2010, xi + 316pp, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

This publication is the second volume in the series ‘Research papers in Irish archaeology’. The series aims to highlight the results of recent excavations on a thematic basis, and to facilitate the circulation, discussion and synthesis of this information. It contains papers on over twenty recently excavated sites spread across the country, as well as a range of essays on current research topics and contributions by osteoarchaeologists and other specialists. The results of recent archaeological excavations have the potential to radically revise received wisdom and preconceptions about the past, and it is already clear that the existing textbooks and syntheses could be substantially rewritten. This volume explores a type of non-ecclesiastical burial ground in early medieval Ireland about which very little was known previously. The unexpectedly high number of these sites uncovered recently, and the large scale of the excavations themselves, has provided an unprecedented level of new information that will transform our understanding of Early Christian Ireland, and challenge many preconceived ideas about this period.

Rural settlement in medieval Ireland, in the light of recent archaeological excavations

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Michael Potterton

Published 2009, paperback, xii + 200pp, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

This publication has evolved from a one-day seminar organised by the editors under the joint auspices of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and the Discovery Programme. The seminar, which took place at the RSAI on 15 April 2005, was the first in a series ‘Research papers in Irish archaeology’ highlighting new discoveries in Irish archaeology ‘in the light of recent excavations’. As the sixteen papers in this volume attest, recent archaeological excavations have thrown a great deal of light on the nature of rural settlement in medieval Ireland. They have served to clarify some issues, while also posing some new questions and setting new challenges. It will take some time to absorb, appraise and understand the emerging data, and to assimilate the new information into the existing corpus of material relating to the archaeology of rural settlement in medieval Ireland. It is hoped that this volume will in some way facilitate that process.

Beneath the Poulaphuca Reservoir – the 1939 Poulaphuca Survey of the lands flooded by the Liffey Reservoir Scheme.

Edited by Christiaan Corlett

Published in 2008, xxiii +352pp, hardback, illustrated

Published by Government of Ireland

One of the largest infra-structural schemes carried-out during the formative years of the State was the Liffey Reservoir Scheme. With the construction of a dam at Poulaphuca, a large reservoir was created within the upper stretches of the River Liffey in Co. Wicklow. The reservoir was designed to supply water to Dublin city and provide additional electricity supply to the national grid. For many visitors to the area today this man-made lake seems as if it has been ever-present in the landscape. However, as the water levels of the reservoir gradually rose in 1940 it submerged a historic landscape that only a few months previously hosted a thriving farming community. The lives of these people would probably have entered the realms of mythology had it not been for the foresight of a small group of individuals. Co-ordinated by Liam Price, small teams of people from various backgrounds volunteered their time and skills during the summer months of 1939 in an attempt to record as much information as possible about the landscape soon to be flooded. This is the Poulaphuca Survey – a moment in time of a forgotten Irish landscape. The book contains over 300 photographs, drawings and maps of the area that was flooded and comprises the most complete record of a part of the Irish landscape that has been lost forever.

The Liam Price Notebooks: the placenames, antiquities and topography of County Wicklow

Edited by Christiaan Corlett and Mairéad Weaver

Published 2002, 2 vols, 732pp, hardback, full-colour illustrations.

Published by Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Liam Price is well known as a scholar of early Irish history and antiquities and is probably best known for his work on the placenames of County Wicklow. He served as a district justice in Wicklow from the 1920s until the 1950s. On his way to and from the local courts he often made detours to many areas of the county, recording the antiquities, placenames and folklore as he went along – information that he would eventually use in publishing many seminal papers on archaeological and historical themes related to Wicklow. He recorded his observations in a collection of notebooks, currently housed in the archives of the National Monuments Service of the Dept Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. These notebooks contain a great deal of information about little-known archaeological sites, some of which have disappeared from the landscape. The notebooks are illustrated with photographs and sketches by Price himself, and a number of contemporary photographs from other sources have also been included. Price had a vast interest in many aspects of Wicklow’s archaeology, history and placenames, and his notebooks are a treasure trove of information for anyone interested in the county’s past.

Above and beyond. Essays in memory of Leo Swan

Edited by Christiaan Corlett and Tom Condit

Published in 2005, 511pp, hardback, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

This book originates from the desire of what might be termed the middle generation of archaeologists to pay tribute to Leo Swan on hearing of his being stricken with a renewal of illness in autumn 2000. Sadly, this book did not materialise in Leo’s lifetime. Leo died on 5 March 2001. He knew that the book was planned but would have dismissed it, not least because, typically, he would have felt unworthy, and, of course, its existence would have been a painfully close reminder of his and everyone else’s mortality, a difficult prospect for someone who loved life so much. So instead of being a festschrift for a much-loved colleague from his friends and admirers, it appeared as a memorial volume. Most of the essays were penned in celebration of Leo’s contribution to archaeology and early medieval history, and that remains the prevailing tone, though now also with the respectful addition of our gratitude for his life and work. Leo Swan will long be remembered as a generous personality, a pioneering archaeologist and an encouraging teacher. He was also an airman whose energy, personality and humour illuminated whatever lecture theatre, classroom or social gathering he graced, always leaving those he encountered enriched, entertained and invariably the better for having met a really great character.

Antiquities of west Mayo

Christiaan Corlett

Published 2001, 170pp, hardback, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

Antiquities of West Mayo is a synthesis of the archaeology of West Mayo, namely the two baronies of Burrishoole and Murrisk, which once formed the territory known as Umhall. It details the rich archaeological, historical and folk heritage – from prehistoric times to the twentieth century – of an area of the west of Ireland world-renowned for the beauty of its coastline, islands and mountains. Historical sources from the ancient annals to the writings of the ‘grand tourists’ and antiquarians of the nineteenth century are used, and the contemporaneous accounts shed light on the changing social fabric as well as the archaeology of the area. The story of St Patrick’s association with the landscape and monuments of the region, especially the majestic mountain of Croagh Patrick, is given. And the exploits of the famous Mayo sea queen Grace O’Malley, with ‘her naughty disposicion towards the state’ are also detailed. Antiquities of West Mayo is a pictorially focused work, with many of the monuments of the area illustrated with stunning colour photographs by the author, as well as several additional black and white photographs and other figures. It includes a gazetteer and map of the archaeological monuments, to facilitate readers wishing to explore the area for themselves. Written in a very accessible style, this book distills the wealth of archaeological and historical information on West Mayo into an informative and engaging narrative that will appeal to a wide audience.

Antiquities of Old Rathdown

Christiaan Corlett

Published 1999, 175pp, hardback, illustrated

Published by Wordwell Ltd

This illustrated synthesis of the archaeology of Rathdown (south County Dublin/north Wicklow) celebrates the rich heritage that survives almost literally in our back gardens. A general history of Rathdown from prehistoric times until the twentieth century is followed by an illustrated gazetteer of the archaeological sites and monuments of the area. The book contains a wealth of information is illustrated with stunning full-colour photographs by the author, as well as several additional black and white photographs and other figures. This book aims to make the archaeology of south-east Dublin and north-east Wicklow accessible to a wide audience.

The Ordnance Survey Letters – Wicklow, free download of introduction here, and main text here

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & John Medlycott

Published 2000, L + 165pp, paperback, illustrated

Published by Roundwood & District Historical & Folklore Society and Wicklow Archaeological Society

The so-called Ordnance Survey Letters were compiled as part of research linked to the first detailed mapping of Ireland by the Ordnance Survey. The Letters were written by John O’Donovan, Eugene Curry and Thomas O’Conor during their field work in Co. Wicklow during the winter of 1838 and 1839. Their instructions were to record the origins and meaning of the Irish placenames in the county and describe the important historical and archaeological monuments that they visited. This information was recorded in their Letters sent to the head office of the Ordnance Survey in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. Today these Letters provide an invaluable historical impression of Co. Wicklow in the first half of the 19th century and frequently record placenames, traditions and customs that died out during the Great Famine a few years later. The Letters are dotted with humour and also includes a very vivid description of spending the night in Glendalough during a terrific storm that became known as the Night of the Big Wind in January 1839.

Wicklow Archaeology and History Vol. 2, free download here

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Aidan O’Sullivan

Published 2002, 116pp, paperback, illustrated

Published by Wicklow Archaeological Society

In volume 2 of this series Mark Clinton describes the excavation of a fulacht fiadh at Kingstown, Co. Dublin. Discoveries of burnt mounds and flint collections on the slopes of the Little Sugar Loaf are described by Daire Leahy. Richard Marsh searches for the Spear of Belach Durgein of early Irish writings. Some early Christian antiquities on Three Rock Mountain, Co. Dublin, are described by David McGuinness. Con Mannign describes the prehistoric cairn and early medieval church on the summit of Church Mountain near Hollywood, while Leo Swan describes the medieval landscape of Killoughter near Ashford. Chris Corlett suggests that the medieval borough of Dunlavin was originally located at nearby Tornant. Mary Davies describes a copy of a newly discovered reference table to an 18th century map of Bray. Andrew O’Brien describes the Town Hall and Market House in Wicklow town.

Wicklow Archaeology and History Vol. 1, free download here

Edited by Christiaan Corlett & Aidan O’Sullivan

Published 1998, 70pp, paperback, illustrated

Published by Wicklow Archaeological Society

Aspects of eight thousand years of human settlement in County Wicklow are explored in this first volume of Wicklow Archaeology and History. This is not intended to be an annual journal, more an occasional series of articles, book reviews and notes on the archaeology and history of the county. In this volume the contents range widely in space and time. Chris Corlett explores the prehistoric environs of the Great Sugar Loaf and suggests that this distinctive mountain was the focus of generations of ritual landscapes. Tom Condit publishes the results of his research on Wicklow’s hillforts, linking the well-known Spinian’s Hill complex with neighbouring landscapes of later prehistoric power. Conleth Manning draws attention to a little known cross-inscribed pillar stone on Tonlagee Mountain. Raghnall Ó Floinn publishes antiquarian accounts of the discovery of a Viking sword, oval brooches and chain on the Wicklow coast. Edel Bhreathnach discusses the use of the term longphort in the Early Irish sources, drawing attention to the fact that they are not always associated with the Vikings or have nautical origins. Eoin Grogan provides an extensive synthesis of Wicklow’s eighteenth-century tombstones by the stone cutter Denis Cullen.