Manchester University Press Unfolding Irish Landscapes: Tim Robinson, Culture and Environment

Unfolding Irish landscapes offers a comprehensive and sustained cross-disciplinary study of the work of cartographer, landscape writer and visual artist Tim Robinson. Robinson's work continues to garner significant attention not only in Ireland, but also in the United Kingdom, Europe and North America, particularly with the recent celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his monumental Stones of Aran: pilgrimage. In The Guardian, Robert Macfarlane has described Robinson's work in Ireland as 'one of the most sustained, intensive and imaginative studies of a landscape that has ever been carried out'. It is difficult to separate Robinson the figure from his work and the places he surveys in Ireland - they are intertextual and interconnected. This volume explores some of these characteristics for both general and expert readers alike. The multi-genre essays and visual texts of this collection explore Robinson's writing, map-making and art. The individual studies demonstrate disciplinary expertise; as parts of a cohesive project they form a collective overview of the imaginative sensibility and artistic dexterity of Robinson's cultural and geographical achievements in Ireland. By navigating Robinson's method of ambulation through his prose and visual creations this book examines topics ranging from the politics of cartography and map-making as visual art forms to the cultural and environmental dimensions of writing about landscapes. The collection draws from the expertise of international scholars in fields of Irish studies, geography, environmental studies, literature and visual culture, with contributors including Patrick Duffy, John Elder, Moya Cannon, Gerry Smyth and Moynagh Sullivan. Unfolding Irish landscapes will be an essential companion not only for students and lecturers in Irish studies and environmental humanities but also for the general reader seeking a deeper understanding of Ireland's geography and culture.