Medieval Castles of Ireland

Rating:
Summary: Medieval Castles of Ireland - expect to struggle through it
Review: Based on the publisher's synopsis, one would expect this book to be elucidating, interesting, and entertaining. It is nothing of the sort. While the descriptions of the multitude of Irish castles are organized by structural type and era (i.e. ringworks, stone fortresses, hall houses, etc.), the text within each chapter comes across as almost random. I struggled through the first two chapters twice each, frustrated with nearly every page. The chapters I finished did not provide overviews that invite the reader onward. The author assumes that the reader is fimiliar with technical terms without defining them well or at all. The reader must often refer to the glossary for definitions, yet many technical terms are not included in the glossary. The second chapter on early medieval stone fortresses addresses a number of noteworthy fortifications. However, the chapter is organized by castle features rather than the castles themselves, so one must read in turn about the siting of all the fortresses, then their various perimeter walls, then their keeps and donjons. The illustrations are scattered throughout the chapter rather than being aligned with the text. One must pour over the chapter to try to glean points of interest, recall (or highlight as I did) features of each castle, and out of this mental stew put together a picture of any particular location. The book seems to have been prepared as a series of lectures or a technical paper which someone decided to sell to the general public without editing it to suit its audience. There are certainly other books on the market on the same subject that will hook the reader's interest much more successfully. Having struggled through a good portion of this book, I would certainly not recommend it.