David Sweetman

`The definitive book on the archaeology of Irish castles.' TERRY BARRY, Trinity College Dublin. The great age of Irish castle-building began with the arrival of the Anglo-Normans, traditionally dated to 1169, and continued right up to the seventeenth century. This account of the development of Irish castles proceeds chronologically from the large earthwork and stone castles introduced by the Anglo-Normans, through the later medieval hall houses and tower houses, to the strong houses and fortified houses which marked the end of the medieval period. Blarney Castle (County Cork) and Bunratty Castle (County Limerick) are famous surviving examples of medieval castle-building, but as this book shows, they are in good company, and there are many others to be found in whole or in part throughout the country. The volume is lavishly illustrated with 200 original drawings and photographs.