Volume II brings together the first six towns of the Irish Historic Towns Atlas series, previously published as individual fascicles. These towns - Maynooth, Downpatrick, Kilkenny, Bray, Fethard, and Trim - illustrate characteristic periods of town formation in Ireland. Maps are presented in large format and include facsimiles of old plans, historical reconstructions and thematic maps. Topographical views, illustrations, and photographs provide additional artistic perspectives. Each town/city in Volume II includes a text section with an explanatory essay and a detailed gazetteer that gives dates, references, and other data on the streets, buildings, and sites of the urban center. The book offers the opportunity to compare details of these Irish towns and cities. The core strength of the atlas project is presenting large-scale town plans as historical documents, showing the different modes of origin and subsequent growth-phases of Irish towns. The topographical history of these towns aims to reflect the complex cultural identity of Ireland.
Authors: No. 7 Maynooth (1995) Arnold Horner No. 8 Downpatrick (1997) R.H. Buchanan, Anthony Wilson No. 9 Bray (1998) K.M. Davies No. 10 Kilkenny (2000) John Bradley No. 13 Fethard (2003) Tadhg O'Keeffe No. 14 Trim (2004) Mark Hennesy
Series editors: Anngret Simms, H.B. Clarke, Raymond Gillespie; Consultant editor: J.H. Andrews; Cartographic editor: K.M. Davies, Sarah Gearty
