Romanesque Ireland, Architecture and Ideology in the Twelfth Century Tadhg O’Keeffe Fourt Courts Press, Dublin 2003 pp 336 e45.00 Ills 172 b/w & ills 12 col ISBN1-85182-617-3 Roger Stalley The small churches of the Romanesque era, their portals and arches embellished with exotic carving, have for many years attracted more interest than most other monuments of the Middle Ages. Part of the fascination is the way in which pan-European forms were imported to Ireland in a highly selective fashion, and once here were given a local identity. This all took place in what was a turbulent era in Irish history, with the arrival of new monastic orders, the re-ordering of the Irish Church, and the arrival of Anglo-Norman colonists after 1169-70. The extent to which architecture formed part of these social and religious changes is one of many issues taken up by Dr O’Keeffe in this substantial book. Almost fifty years have elapsed since the last major survey of early church architecture, namely the first volume of Harold Leask’s trilogy that is still used as a standard point of reference. A fresh study is long overdue and Dr O’Keeffe is well equipped to undertake the task, having completed a doctoral thesis on Romanesque some twenty years ago. Readers seeking a gentle introduction to the architectural splendours at Cashel (Fig 1) Clonfert or Clonmacnoise, however, will soon discover they have got rather more than they bargained for. What seems at first sight to be a conventional study of medieval building comes with a strident post-modernist veneer. The first chapter sets the tone with a discussion of the meaning of the word ‘Romanesque’. Distancing himself from traditional approaches reliant on matters of style, the author argues that ‘Romanesque’ is better employed in contextual rather than in formal terms. Even the familiar phrase ‘Hiberno-Romanesque’ is jettisoned in preference to the somewhat ungainly ‘Gaelic-Irish Romanesque’. There follows a brisk summary of Irish church history in the 12th century, along with a comprehensive review of the literature on Romanesque since 1845. One of the characteristics in Leask’s book was an almost biological obsession with the development of style. In recent years authors have searched for alternative ways of looking at Romanesque, and the relationship between architecture and church reform has become a major theme. Once an advocate of this latter approach, Dr O’Keeffe admits to a change of mind: he now repudiates any notion that Romanesque should be regarded as a ‘metaphor’ for church reform, a startling turnabout, given the space assigned to ecclesiastical history in the opening chapter. Instead politics and secular patronage are given greater emphasis, with patronage used as a thread to link the discussion of individual buildings. Church building is seen as an elite activity, the assumption being that virtually all ambitious schemes were undertaken on the initiative of kings. While there are well known instances of royal patronage, as at Cashel and Killeshin, it is not clear just how far this argument can, or indeed should, be pushed. One senses that, as an archaeologist, anxious to keep his distance from art and architectural history, the author is suspicious of the aesthetic as opposed to the ideological impact of the buildings. The heart of the book is taken up with discussions of individual monuments, and inevitably this involves fairly dense passages of architectural description and fabric analysis. These are included ‘on the grounds that specialists do sometimes have reasons to read such stuff’. This is the case at Ardmore, where the complexities of the church (in particular the original location of the Romanesque carvings), have become a cause celèbre. Dr O’Keefe outlines his own (controversial) interpretation of the evidence at some length. Given the ruined state of so many Irish buildings and the dearth of documentary evidence, firm conclusions are bound to be elusive, but to his credit Dr O’Keeffe is never afraid of a good hypothesis. One of the most important chapters in the book is that devoted to the early development of Romanesque in Munster, where the author draws heavily on his own previously published work. For over thirty years scholars have assumed that the building of Cormac’s Chapel at Cashel (consecrated in 1134) acted as a catalyst for Romanesque, but Dr O’Keeffe demonstrates that the situation is not nearly so straightforward. A puzzling aspect of Hiberno-Romanesque is the apparent lack of monuments in Northern Ireland, despite the historical prominence of Armagh. The patterns of survival may, however, be deceptive. As the late Ann Hamlin emphasised, there are more Romanesque sites in Ulster than generally realised, and there is material evidence for at least one elaborate church at Armagh. The start of the 21st century has been a busy time for Romanesque studies and, as Dr O’Keeffe himself disarmingly confesses, his comments, both factual and theoretical, could legitimately become the object of future critique. Three important doctoral dissertations (by Tomás Ó Carragáin, Jenifer Ní Ghrádaigh and Rachel Moss) may have come too late for consideration, so too apparently recent discoveries at Freshford. It would be a pity if the author’s somewhat self-conscious style of writing, verging at times on intellectual autobiography, is allowed to conceal the fact that his book is a thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to Romanesque studies. Handsomely produced by Four Courts Press, it is illustrated by excellent photographs. More careful proof reading might have eliminated a number of minor errors: the structure at Clonmacnoise Cathedral was surely a feretrum not a freterum and it was St Peter not St Paul who cut off the ear of Malchus. Roger Stalley is Professor of the History of Art at Trinity College, Dublin   Treasures of the Boyne Valley Peter Harbison: Gill & MacMillan, Dublin 2003 pp 192 h/b e29.99 Fully illustrated ISBN 0-7171-3498-9 Rachel Moss Over the past thirty years Peter Harbison has done much to bring the archaeological gems of the Irish countryside to a wider audience. His latest book, Treasures of the Boyne Valley, is no exception, providing a beautifully illustrated and accessible introduction to one of the most historically important areas in the country. The geographical approach of the first half of the book provides a picture of the changing course of the river from its source near the village of Carbury to the sea at Drogheda – a journey of almost 110 kilometres. Until about two hundred years ago the Boyne, like many of the great rivers of Ireland, played a vital role in the country’s infrastructure, providing easy access to inland areas and exerting a strong influence on patterns of population settlement. With the development of rail and road networks the course of the river is now perhaps best known to most at key crossing points – from the relatively inconspicuous Leinster Bridge on the main Dublin-Galway road, to the spectacular new cable stay bridge constructed for the N1 Drogheda by-pass – and the sense of the river as a major routeway has been lost. By structuring his narrative along the course of the river, Harbison reclaims the landscape that would have been so familiar to previous generations of invaders, tradesmen and tourists, and helps to highlight that there is much more to this valley than the Neolithic landscape of Brú na Bóinne for which it so renowned. Our journey is informed by mythology and social history and we are introduced to some of the key settlements and monuments and the people associated with them. The second part of the book takes a more chronological approach. Here Harbison elaborates on the monuments and buildings alluded to in the first chapter, (with at times a little too much cross-referencing) and uses them to take us through the history of the valley from the Palaeolithic to early modern times, providing something of a microcosm of Irish history in the process. The Boyne valley boasts many of the superlatives of Irish archaeology; the earliest known man-made artefact found in Ireland (the Mell flint flake), one quarter of all known rock art in western Europe (Knowth), the tallest surviving high cross (Monasterboice) the earliest reference to a round tower (Slane), the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland (Mellifont), and, for a time, the largest church in Ireland (Newtown Trim). A relatively large amount of archaeological research has taken place in the valley over the last thirty years. Significant findings, generally published and debated in the pages of specialist academic journals, are summarised in a balanced and easily digestible way, bringing to life the excitement of such important discoveries as the function of Newgrange light box and the two passages in the tumulus at Knowth. The fertile valley that had attracted those early inhabitants was later to provide a draw for some of the most powerful Anglo-Norman settlers. This is illustrated in the number of earthen mottes that dot the landscape along the valley, and perhaps most explicitly in the remains of Trim Castle, Newtown Trim and a large number of carved tombs and later wayside crosses that still survive. The significance of the Neolithic landscape at Brú na Bóinne has become internationally recognised, and has led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage zone and Ireland’s first archaeological park. Other monuments dealt with in the book, in particular the significant medieval remains at Trim, are less well known, even though they represent the pinnacle of medieval achievement and are in a remarkable state of preservation. Yet despite the State’s investment in the high quality conservation work at Trim Castle, its integrity is now threatened by the redevelopment of the medieval town. Similarly, it is no longer possible to produce the beautiful photographs of the high cross at Duleek seen in the book, as it has been encased by a high metal fence following the conversion of the adjacent 19th-century church into a commercial facility. Let us hope that in introducing the monuments of the Boyne valley to a wider audience, Harbison’s book will, as he suggests in his conclusion, help to stimulate further public interest in the valley’s treasures and contribute towards their preservation for future generations. Dr Rachel Moss is a lecturer and archivist in the Irish Art Research Centre, Trinity College, Dublin.   Avenues to the Past: Essays presented to Sir Charles Brett on his 75th Year. Editors: Terence Reeves-Smyth and Richard Oram. Ulster Architectural Heritage Society 2003 pp 365h/b £16.00 e23.00 Fully illustrated ISBN 0 900457 60 0 Arthur Gibney Avenues to the Past is a festschrift; a celebratory volume of twenty-seven essays presented as a tribute to the distinguished Northern Irishman, Sir Charles Brett, on the occasion of his 75th birthday. C E B Brett is the sixth generation of his family to practise as a solicitor in the city of Belfast. He is best known in Dublin however, for his pioneering intervention into the protection of Ulster’s architectural heritage and for the highly successful cultural role he has played in public affairs. Brett has been actively engaged in architectural conservation since the 1950s during his service as Ulster’s representative on the National Trust. He was a founder member of the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society in 1967 and he acted as editor, as well as author, of many of its scholarly publications. He has served as vice-president of the Ulster Arts Council, chairman of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and he became the first chairman of the International Fund for Ireland in 1986. Through his communal activities and his prolific writings, he has advanced the mechanism of conservation in Northern Ireland and he has awakened public perception to the importance of the urban fabric of Belfast. His first published work, Buildings of Belfast, written as long ago as 1967, will endure as a definitive history of that city for many generations. His success has prompted many demands on his time in areas outside his native province. He has acted on the Board of the Irish Architectural Archive in Dublin and served as an advisor on the listing of historic building in the Channel Isles. He was awarded a CBE in 1981. Festschriften are commonly the territory for reflective scholarship, but a scholarship leavened by wit and personal sentiment from close friends and colleagues of the recipient. This book tends to follow this pattern, but as the editors point out – the contributions are drawn not solely from contemporaries but from widely differing generations. The involvement of nine contributors (out of twenty-seven) who reside in the south of Ireland is indicative of the esteem for Charles Brett on this side of the border. These southern contributors include major historic writers such as Maurice Craig, Edward McParland, Patrick Shaffrey, Anne Crookshank, Alistair Rowan and Desmond FitzGerald. Another important aspect of the festschriften form is the opportunity it offers to indulge in personal hobby-horses. The opening essay by Maurice Craig, the doyen of Irish architectural historians, is not about the built fabric of his native Belfast or his adopted city of Dublin, or any buildings. It is about the gender of ships, or more properly, the current failure to acknowledge the true gender of ships. It is apparent from the text that Dr Craig is just as passionate and erudite about the refinements of nautical design as he is about the delights of classical temples. His engaging and lucid comments are delivered in an elegant prose which is a joy to read. Another hobby-horse with a nautical flavour, is Donnell Denny’s essay entitled ‘Recollections of Patrick O’Brien’. The O’Brien in question is the writer who became famous for his novels of naval engagements of the Napoleonic era. In recent years, O’Brien has become a cult figure in England and Ireland promoted by the historical veracity of his novels but also by the mystery of his origins and his use of an Irish surname. Denny, who appears to be one of the few fans who knew him personally, provides a valuable insight into O’Brien’s persona and background. Country houses and their provenance provide the subject of four contributions to the book and by coincidence three of these are situated in Co. Fermanagh. David Griffin investigates Richard Cassel’s proposals for a c.1730 Palladian palazzo on the Curry estate at Castle Coole. Ian McQuiston explores what he describes as the ‘Palingenesis’ of Florence Court in an account of the heroic attempt by the National Trust and the Dowager Countess of Enniskillen to restore the original furnishings, pictures and library to this 18th - century mansion. Terence Reeves-Smyth provides a comprehensive picture of the building of the Elizabethan Revival, Crom Castle, on the shores of Lough Erne by the Victorian architect Edward Blore. The building of Rockingham, Co. Roscommon on the shores of Lough Key, and the part played by John Nash in its architectural expression are the subject of the fourth essay by Gordon Wheeler. Hugh Dixon’s essay draws attention to the strange qualities of Richard Cassel’s Parish Church at Knockbreda, Co. Down, built in 1737, with a squat broach spire surmounting a tall Palladian Hall with the unusual addition of apsidal transepts. Country churches too are the subject of Alistair Rowan’s scholarly study of the mid-Victorian architect Joseph Welland. Nicholas Robinson, in an essay illustrated with late 18th-century caricatures, traces the embarrassment caused to the distinguished architect Sir William Chambers by allegations of structural problems in the floor supports of the Royal Academy at Somerset House in the 1790’s. Artist-craftsmen are celebrated in two contributory essays. Colin Hatrick provides a wide survey of the design of stained glass windows in Ulster churches, from the medieval era to the twentieth century. Anne Crookshank and Desmond FitzGerald trace the careers of 18th-century woodcarvers such as Henry and John Houghton, and John Kelly in a splendidly illustrated study of their contribution to Irish classical interiors. Architectural history is a most serious subject but Edward McParland’s essay ‘A small but serious architectural object’ combines scholarship with wit in a humorous discussion on the provenance of the 19th-century Trinity College Campanile. This contribution is particularly appropriate. Sir Charles Lanyon its designer, was Victorian Belfast’s most eminent architect, ending his career as mayor of Belfast in 1862 and president of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland in 1867. Richard Oram provides a deeply reflective view of historic attitudes to building conservation over the ages, in ‘Space, time and conservation’. Oram and Terence Reeves – Smyth acted as joint editors of the festschrift, published by the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, and exceptional value at £16 sterling. The book has many fine illustrations, and notably, a painting of the Temple of the Winds at Mount Stewart by David Evans, which also serves as a dust jacket. Arthur Gibney is an architectural historian and architect.   Traditional Crafts of Ireland Edited and Photographed by David Shaw-Smith Drawings by Sally Shaw-Smith Thames and Hudson, London 2003 pp255 h/b £24.95 y 35.99 ills 621 col& 56 b/w ISBN 0-500-51142X Peter Lamb This wonderful book first appeared nearly twenty years ago in 1984, chronicling in loving detail the fast-disappearing traditional crafts of Ireland. It covered everything from knitting and weaving to dry-stone walling, boat building, thatching and blacksmithing, also the making of baskets and straw work and in addition furniture, harness, glass and pottery. It was a solid study with texts by fourteen experts ranging from folklorists to crafts-people, including Kevin Danaher, Mairead Dunlevy, Timothy P O’Neill and Benedict Kiely. The texts covered not only historical aspects but also current practice in the various fields, and the book was illustrated with an abundance of excellent photographs and line drawings, that recorded, step-by-step, how things were made, and the tools that were used. The quality of the illustrations and of the information in the book was a by-product of the Shaw-Smith’s series of television documentaries, Hands, on Irish traditional crafts, which was originally commissioned by RTE in 1977 and eventually numbered forty films in all. Between them, the book and the film helped to raise awareness in this country of the enormously rich traditional craft heritage, which had survived, despite the huge social changes of the post-war period. In recent years it has been difficult to get the book and a reprint was much needed. One has to say that, good as the first edition was, the second is even better. It is longer and slightly larger, most of the original text is still there, but enhanced or expanded and sometimes re-arranged; also new subjects and new writers have been introduced. The number of illustrations has increased by 50%. The old black and white photos have been gloriously transformed by being printed in colour, and, in some cases, trimmed and enlarged to heighten their visual impact. Also there are lots of new photographs, including a fascinating series showing a tin smith at work making a bucket, and another showing the operation of a ‘pole lathe’ for woodturning. At the back of the volume the list of ‘Further Reading’ is bulging with new books and articles that have appeared since 1984, and the list of ‘Places to Visit’ is a lot longer and more comprehensive. Even if you have the first edition, I would strongly recommend that you acquire this volume too. Take the ‘Ceramics’ section for example. As well as new material on ‘Clay Smoking Pipes’ and ‘White Earthenware’ it retains the original essays on ‘Fine Ware’ by Mairead Dunlevy and on ‘Coarse Ware’ by Megan MacManus. This latter contains a useful account of the Carley’s Bridge Pottery in Co. Wexford, the last of the big-ware potteries once common over most of the country, but now there has been added a short account of the Pearce Pottery in east Cork, which springs directly out of the same tradition, and continues to use the local earthenware clay from Youghal that has been used for centuries for pottery making. The illustrations for this section show the processes of ‘wax resist’ and ‘slip-pouring’ being carried out, and this helps to demonstrate how traditional crafts can survive by adapting to changed circumstances. Of course not all the crafts have made it, indeed the editor says it is a miracle that any traditional crafts at all have survived, and he gives fulsome praise to those who have supported craftworkers down the years, especially the RDS and the Country Shop, but also Kilkenny Design, the Crafts Council of Ireland, and more recently the Heritage Council. One survival story is that of the Breens, coachbuilders of Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, who, after World War II, had to branch out into joinery and shopfitting to survive. Now thanks to the worldwide fashion for vehicle racing, they are busy again ‘making new gigs, dog carts, and carriages’ for export. Similarly on the Aran Islands, although traditional dress is in decline and pampooties are no longer made or worn, there is a tourist market for the colourful woollen crios, and the island women continue to weave them. On the east side of the country the Boyne coracle is no longer used by salmon fishermen, but the knowledge of how to make these stone-age type vessels is alive, and an interesting series of photographs shows one being made and used by an enthusiast, skimming over white water near New Grange. I found this book both fascinating and useful, as well as being a visual feast. Peter Lamb is an Arts and Crafts collector and a regular contributor to the Irish Arts Review