Dr. Theresa McDonald, Director of Achill Archaeological Field School, has published a new book based on research conducted in Achill. Titled ‘Booleying in Ireland: A Study of an Ancient Farming Tradition in Achill, County Mayo’, this hardback book is published by Cambridge Scholars and released on 27th June 2025.
From the publisher:
This book offers a detailed account of booleying both in Achill and beyond. Drawing on extensive research from Ireland, Britain, and continental Europe, the book challenges the view of booleying as a post-medieval practice, typically outside the scope of traditional archaeology. By examining early Irish manuscripts and cross-referencing findings, the research sheds new light on the origins of booleying, suggesting its roots stretch back to the prehistoric period. The book highlights how farmers maximized economic resources through transhumance, altering perceptions of the significance of booleying beyond the 19th-century rundale system. This work provides a fresh perspective on the history and importance of transhumance in Ireland and Achill. It is based on extensive research on transhumance or booleying in Ireland, Britain and Scandinavia with many new insights into its economic and social aspects over a long period of time.
Details:
ISBN: 1-0364-4744-8
ISBN13: 978-1-0364-4744-1
Release Date: 27th June 2025
Pages: 331