The Offaly Heritage Plan supports the publication of high quality books. The books listed below are published by Offaly County Council. The Council has supported the production of many more books and those interested in publications on county Offaly should see the full online catalogue on Offaly History or call into the local studies section of Offaly Library.
The River Brosna, An Environmental History By John Feehan (2024)
The Brosna is one of Ireland’s hidden rivers, glimpsed over bridges and for short stretches as it travels through Mullingar, Ballinagore, Kilbeggan, Clara, Ballycumber and Ferbane on its journey from Lough Owel to Shannon Harbour. Until now very little has been written about it, yet few rivers have a more fascinating and varied story to tell. In this beautifully illustrated book John Feehan brings his long experience as an environmental scientist and historian to bear on all aspects of the natural, cultural and industrial heritage of the river and its catchment.
The River Brosna is a 400 page fully illustrated book by John Feehan. This book retails for €30 and is available at Offaly History, Bury Quay, Midland Books, Tullamore, Centra shop, Clara, Londis Shop, Clara, XL Ennis’s, Ballycumber and O’Callaghan’s Centra in Ferbane.
The book is also available in Westmeath, you can find it in Just Books 23 Pearse Street, Mullingar and John Whelan’s Newsagents, Kilbeggan or at your local library service.
Camcor, The River of Birr by John Feehan, (2023)
The book details natural, built and cultural heritage of the Camcor river documenting its tributaries and the main course of the river until it joins with the Little Brosna in Birr Demesne – there is special attention to the natural history throughout the catchment and focus on the built heritage and how it has influenced the development of Birr town with the drainage schemes, mills, distilleries and bridges.
John Feehan is a native of Birr, Ireland and is one of Ireland’s leading geologists, botanists, environmental communicators, authors and broadcasters.
This book retails for €20 and is available at Offaly History on Bury Quay, Midland Books in Tullamore and Supervalue in Birr town or from your local library.
The Great Law of Birr by James W. Houlihan (2023)
Dr James Houlihan has written a short illustrated guide to the Law. The book is illustrated by artist Caroline Conway.
This law, usually called the Law of the Innocents (Lex Innocentium) or Cáin Adomnáin dates back to 697 AD and Birr town. The law gave protection to women, children, clerics and other non-arms-bearing people in time of strife and was the first such known law in the history of Western Europe.
This book retails for €10 and is available at Offaly History on Bury Quay, Midland Books in Tullamore or from your local library service.
Alderborough Nursery, Geashill, Offaly, Reamsbottom & Co. Geashill and West Drayton & Alderborough St. Brigid Anemones by Anne O’Rourke and Tim O’Rourke, (2022)
Alderborough nursery, Geashill, Offaly became famous around the world for producing plants, especially St. Brigid Anemones. In 1890 William and Mary Reamsbottom set up the nursery which provided employment over decades and led to the development of other nurseries at West Drayton, Middlesex and Streamstown County Westmeath. Commercial growing of plants had a positive and stabilizing influence on social and economic activity, including during times of war and uncertainty. The story of the nurseries gives an insight into the lives and challenges faced by people. It also celebrates our enduring relationship with plants and the joy that growing them brings to people everywhere.
This book retails for €20 and is available at Offaly History, Bury Quay or at your local library service.
Traditional Architecture in Offaly, History, Materials and Furniture, 1800 to Present Day by Rachel Mc Kenna, County Architect, (2022)
The publication seeks to illustrate the development of traditional or vernacular architecture in Offaly.
The book considers the setting of dwellings in the landscape or in an urban environment, then looks at plan types and materials used in their construction. Each of the three main rooms, kitchen, parlour and bedroom, are studied in detail with their fixtures and fittings. These elements generate the soul of the building, transforming a house into a home, filled with a tangible atmosphere, layered with personality. Their loss is irreplaceable, as is the direct link to past generations and craftspeople.
The book ends with a social history overview, to provide context and substance to the generations that went before us.
‘The book’s broad-ranging and ambitious reach includes a wealth of previously unseen primary source material. As an architect, Mc Kenna’s easily accessible drawings, sketches and house plans make clear features that can be hard to understand through text alone … She goes far beyond what the book’s simple title suggests, with sections on for example cooking and food history, as well as comparatively neglected objects such as gates, their latches and gateposts …
Useful to future restorers will be McKenna’s expertise on and illustration of vernacular windows, earthen or flagged floors, small yet impressively pretentious parlour fireplaces, jamb walls and their associated vertically folding doors. Further local studies of such houses and their contents would be welcome, to preserve in print (at least) so many important but fragile features.’ – Claudia Kinmonth MRIA PhD MA(RCA), art and furniture historian.
For more on this book please see Offaly History blog.
This book retails for €40 and is available at Offaly History, Bury Quay or at your local library service.
When the Nightjar Returns… The Natural History and Human Story of Killaun Bog, County Offaly by John Feehan, (2021)
‘At a time of such concern for the surviving natural fabric of the planet, the Greater Killaun Project is an inspiration for local community care. The bog and its Birchwood are now both protected and accessible, the boardwalk both a path to peace and an invitation to a wilder world. Such concern for such a special place will keep it as Killaun’s natural treasure island.’ Michael Viney
John Feehan has brought together this publication about the evolution of the bog this bog adjacent to Birr town; how it has been used over the centuries and what it might become in the future. It is a story like no other featuring bears, Birr Barracks rifle range, Jack Pots, Young Scientist competition winner and fantastic photography- the site being one of photographer Tina Claffey’s ‘my offices today’ sites and local patch for citizen scientist Rachel McKenna whose photos are also featured. There is detailed mapping including beautiful and informative maps courtesy of the Birr Castle archives. It will be of interest to all those associated with Birr, interested in the future of peatlands and the community story of the school’s involvement.
This book retails for €20 and is available at Offaly History on Bury Quay, Supervalue in Birr or from local library service.
Birr Military Cemetery: a history of the cemetery and those interred there by Stephen Callaghan, (2020)
This book details the history of Birr Military Cemetery and the people buried there. While only 52 memorials remain in the cemetery, the author has painstakingly tried to identify as many of the people buried there as possible, the majority in unmarked graves. A detailed history of the Garrison Church, the Boer War memorial to the death casualties of the 3rd Battalion Leinster Regiment, and the Leinster Regiment memorials in St Brendan’s Church (C of I) are also provided.
This book retails for €20 and is available at Offaly History on Bury Quay, Midland Books in Tullamore, Supervalue in Birr or from local library service.
Derrinlough Briquette Factory by James Fraher Photographs, (2020)
Photographer James Fraher was invited to document the process of making briquettes at the Derrinlough Briquette Factory at it approached its 60th year of production. His stunning black and white photographs record each stage and a number of the workers at the factory. This project was led by Jimmy Shortt of Bord na Mona and Birr Historical Society who also wrote notes to accompany each image. Published by Offaly County Council with support from Creative Ireland.
This book retails for €15.00 and is available at Offaly History on Bury Quay, Supervalue in Birr or from your local library service.
Flights of Fancy; Follies, Families and Demesnes by Rachel McKenna, County Architect, (2017)
‘Flights of Fancy; follies, families and demesnes‘ published by Offaly County Council in November 2017. This book features 15 Offaly demesnes – Tubberdaly, Mullagh Hill, Hollow House at Tinnycross, Acres and Charleville, Bellview Kilclare, Ballycumber, Moorock, Prospect, Birr, Kinnitty, Ballyeighan, Gloster, Busherstown and Loughton. It is full colour and over 350 pages.
Available for €30.00 from the following locations in Tullamore, Offaly History on Bury Quay and Midland Books, High Street. It is also available in Birr Castle Gardens and Science Centre Shop and in Dublin, Irish Georgian Society Shop, 58 South William Street Dublin 2, RIAI, 8 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Dan Edwards, The Life and Times of a Craftsman and Artist by Declan Ryan with Dan Edwards, (2016)
By Declan Ryan with Dan Edwards. Published by Offaly County Council August 2016. A profile of blacksmith Dan Edwards and his interaction with West Offaly over 9 decades.
Dan Edwards, blacksmith, craftsman and artist, is a man with a huge depth of artistic creativity. He is a quiet scholar of history, literature, legend and mythology, with a strong connection to Clonmacnoise, its landscape and its people. These values are clearly demonstrated in the mastery of his art.
For many decades, Dan’s contribution to his community has been immense and is now celebrated in this book.
This book retails for €20.00. It is available in Midland Books on High Street and Offaly History on Bury Quay, all in Tullamore, or your local library services.
Heart and Soul, A History of St Brendan’s Graveyard in Birr by Stephen Callaghan and Caimin O’Brien, (2016)
Written by Stephen Callaghan and Caimin O’Brien. Published by Offaly County Council November 2016. This book details the history of the monastic, parochial, then Church of Ireland and now ruined church and burial ground. With details on symbolism and memorial transcriptions useful for all those interested in burial grounds.
This book retails for €20.00. It is available in Midland Books on High Street and Offaly History on Bury Quay, all in Tullamore, Supervalue in Birr and your local library services.
The Landscape of Clonmacnoise by John Feehan, (2014)
This publication is 130+ pages, A3, full colour and in John’s unique style it details the evolution of the landscape of the Parish of Clonmacnoise. Published by Offaly County Council.
It is available in Midland Books on High Street and Offaly History on Bury Quay, all in Tullamore for €45.00.
Did you know? 100 quirky facts about County Offaly, collated by Amanda Pedlow, (2013)
. . . one of Ireland’s last public hangings took place at Tullamore Gaol . . . Croghan Hill is a volcano . . . Offaly has some of the finest eskers in Europe . . . letterboxes are more political than you thought . . . the first All-Ireland Hurling Final took place in Birr . . . an ancient Pilgrims’ Road leads to Clonmacnoise . . . a railway line once ran from Clara to Banagher. . .
This book features 100 selected, quirky aspects of the county with a brief text and illustration for each one.
This book retailing at €10.00 is available in Offaly History on Bury Quay, Midland Books on High Street, Birr Castle Gardens and Science Centre Shop and Supervalue in Birr.
It was reviewed by Rosita Boland of the Irish Times on January 15th 2014.
The Marble of Clonmacnoise, Limestone Quarrying at Clerhane, (Clorhane), Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly by Declan Ryan, (2013)
The book describes Clorhane townland, the surrounding area and tells the story of the quarries, their owners and the craftsmen who worked there from early records, to their heyday, decline and eventual closure. The type of stone, the work of cutting and carving and the resultant output and the many fine buildings to which they contributed are also examined. Available from your local library service or download the full book The Marble of Clonmacnoise, Limestone Quarrying at Clerhane (Clorhane), Shannonbrdge, co. Offaly PDF version here.
Please note much of the land is in private ownership and permission should be sought from landowners before entering. If in doubt please contact heritage@offalycoco.ie.
‘Of the many quarries that operated in Offaly during the centuries before stonecraft declined and almost ended with the arrival of modern concrete, few enjoyed greater prestige than Clerhane, whose crinoidal limestone is one of the most beautiful of Irish building stones. In his meticulous study of the stone industry at Clerhane Declan Ryan has painstakingly salvaged all that survives from oral record and tradition and the documentary record, and set this against the physical background of the quarries themselves and their geographical context. In highlighting the achievement of the quarrymen of Clerhane this lovely book will do much to draw appreciative attention to this aspect of the environmental heritage of one of the most remarkable places in Offaly, and stimulate comparable attention to other facets of that heritage. John Feehan, Syngefield, Birr.
The Geology of Laois and Offaly by John Feehan published by Offaly County Council, (2013)
The last thirty years have seen much new research on the geology of Laois and Offaly, shedding new light on – and providing fascinating new insights into – the landscape heritage of the two counties. John Feehan has remained in close touch with this research since his own work on Slieve Bloom as a post-graduate student in the Department of Geology at Trinity College in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Geology of Laois and Offaly is published in hard cover format, some 400 pages long, 21cmx31cm (Portrait) size, profusely illustrated throughout, in full colour.
The price is €40.00 and is available from Midland books, High Street and Offaly History on Bury Quay in Tullamore and in Supervalu in Main Street, Birr.
Irish Times – Michael Viney – Sat, May 18, 2013 ‘I can imagine myself at, say, 14, finding this in a bookcase and thrilling to the pictures of Jurassic sea dragons, the sparkling minerals and weird fossils, and the boldly evocative drama of Jock Nichol’s paintings of the changing eras. I might not have absorbed a whole lot of the story, but I’d have gone down to Brighton’s pebbly beach with quite a different eye.’
Geashill, the Evolution of its Architecture by Rachel McKenna, County Architect, (2012)
This publication was launched on Friday the 23rd November 2012 by Colm Murray of the Heritage Council, in Geashill. It is a landscape A4, hard back, full colour and details the architecture of Geashill through mapping, key buildings and use of different materials. The book is highly illustrated with current and historic photographs, paintings and sketches.
It is available for €14.99 from Midland Books on High Street and from the Offaly Historical Society, Bury Quay, Tullamore.
Croghan, County Offaly by John Feehan, (2011)
John’s clear narration describes the evolution of Croghan hill and the wider landscape setting. This book is A3 in size, hardback and it is highly illustrated. Published by Offaly County Council in association with UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. It costs €30.00 and is available from Midland Books, High Street and Offaly Historical Society, Bury Quay, Tullamore.