GeoHibernica: The Irish Landscapes, Peoples and Culture
A scientific tome that has clearly been a labour of love, geologist Paul Lyle’s GeoHibernica starts at the formation of Ireland and takes the reader right up to the current day by way of geology, archaeology, palaeoecology, history and art. I very much appreciated the slightly unconventional way this book is set out: where else could you find a story about the geology of Ireland that starts with a twentieth century painting of a village? Having lived on the island for almost thirty years, I can tell you that this method of storytelling is very Irish…
There isn’t an aspect of Ireland’s natural history that isn’t touched upon, beginning with how the country’s two parts became one with closure of the Iapetus Ocean, before explaining how this has affected both the landscape and land use on the island. For its tiny size, Ireland really does have the most intriguing geology, containing rocks from every geological period, as well as large igneous areas. This is explained comprehensively and accessibly by county, supplemented with quality diagrams and photographs.
The history of mapping Ireland is next, covering maps from 1400 BCE, through English military visits (which also touches on some uncomfortable Anglo-Irish history), right up to modern drone footage and the Tellus survey that gathers geochemical and geophysical data across the country.
So far, so “standard pop-science book”. However, the next few chapters contain engrossing information about Ireland’s cultural heritage, tourism and natural resource wealth, while also delving heavily into how people have been artistically inspired by the landscape and its people.
The final section focuses on the arrival of people on the island in the Neolithic period and the effect they have had on the land since. From the beautiful (the Newgrange Stone Age monument), to the practical (the introduction of potato farming) and the tragic (the ensuing famine), this section reads as a cautionary tale of Earth’s growing population and struggle to keep pace. It makes for rather sobering reading; a rare sombre note in a book full of the author’s admiration for his homeland.
Aside from a few minor errors (such as scientific notation), GeoHibernica is a gorgeous, genuinely interesting book, full of facts, figures and artwork that will stay with you once you close the back cover, and highly recommended for the curious and knowledgeable alike.
Review by Melanie Brehaut
DETAILS
BY: Paul Lyle (2025) Liverpool University Press, 160 pp.
ISBN: 9781780461083
Price: £56, available from Geoscientist’s bookshop
