Description

For centuries, rural Irish society relied on a sophisticated system of transhumance known as booleying, where communities moved their livestock to high mountain pastures for the summer months. Booleying in Ireland delivers a masterly, data-driven investigation into this vanished way of life, exploring its profound impacts on local folklore, social structures, and the landscape.

The text look deeply into the functional operations of seasonal mountain settlements, analyzing the structural remains of stone “booley huts” found across remote uplands from Donegal to Kerry. The authors evaluate how this unique agricultural cycle shaped the independence of rural youth, traditional dairy manufacturing, and communal land management. Written with direct clarity, this premium volume serves as a gold-standard reference tool for university archaeology tracks, historical geographers, and serious heritage collectors.

Key research frameworks evaluated within this study:

• Archaeological Site Surveys: Maps out the physical layouts, building materials, and geographic locations of surviving seasonal upland settlements.

• Socio-Cultural Impact Tracking: Documents the traditional songs, oral folklore, and legal customs associated with the annual summer migration.

• Elite Reference Quality: Richly supported by precise site blueprints, field photographs, and extensive archival field notes.