The Little Book of Wicklow

Did you know?- According to legend, St Kevin founded his monastery at Glendalough after being shown the spot by a goose.- A murder in the sleepy village of Barndarrig in east Wicklow in 1890 led to the last hanging in Wexford gaol. The Little Book of Wicklow is a compendium of fascinating, obscure, strange and entertaining facts about County Wicklow, the last Irish county to be created and one of the most beautiful, the 'Garden of Ireland'. From the stark grandeur of the Wicklow Mountains to the fertile coastal plains, this book takes the reader on a journey through the county and its vibrant past. Here you will find out about Wicklow's castles and great houses, its monastic heritage and heroic leaders. You will also glimpse a darker side to Wicklow's past with a look at crime and punishment and Wicklow's wicked women. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage and the secrets of this ancient county.

Dr CHRIS LAWLOR is a former head of the History Department in Méanscoil Iognáid Rís, Naas, and has published eleven history books and many historical articles, essays and chapters in journals, magazines and anthologies. Chris won the Lord Walter Fitzgerald Prize for Original Historical Research in 2003 and the Irish Chiefs' Prize for History in 2013. He is the treasurer of the West Wicklow Historical Society and co-editor of the society's biennial journal. He is also a member of the Dunlavin Writers' Group and continues to write, publish and lecture during his retirement. He lives in Dunlavin.