Atlas of Ireland

This review evaluates the 1979 Atlas of Ireland in terms of its origins, organization, cartographic quality, and scholarly significance. Produced through extensive academic and governmental collaboration, the volume contains nearly 250 maps and draws heavily on the 1971 population census to represent island-wide patterns in environment, settlement, population, economy, and culture. The reviewer praises its balanced thematic coverage, clear documentation of sources, bilingual place-name index, urban plans, landscape photographs, and innovative treatment of tourism, foreign investment, language decline, and folk traditions. Although the omission of a dedicated historical section may appear controversial, it is judged reasonable given spatial constraints and the atlas’s emphasis on contemporary Ireland. Minor weaknesses include muted color schemes and missing scales on some urban maps. Overall, the atlas is presented as an aesthetically accomplished, intellectually stimulating, and indispensable reference work.