Tara The Guidebook

Tara the Guidebook was a collaborative project with the cultural historian Mairead Carew. This richly illustrated book is full of facts, observations and insights into one of the most important archaeological sites in Ireland. The 190 pages include reconstructions of some of the monuments found beneath the soil at Tara as well as cartoons by the Irish artist Annie West. Launched in September of 2016 in St Patricks church on the hill.

The concept of the cover was a hark back to use of ‘Cabinets of Curiosities’ in the 17th, that were encyclopedic collections of objects from natural history. The objects are all featured within the book.

The intent of the inside was to bring the reader on a journey around the site, with each spread offering them something different and engaging. Some early morning and late evening visits to the site concluded in beautiful images of the site. The acamdemic approach of some previous publications was replaced with a visual departure that would interest young and old, and with over 800 copies sold to date it seems to have worked.