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REVIEW BY EILEEN MURPHY
Exploring the mortuary record for Ireland from 8000 BC to AD 400, Death in Irish Prehistory is an inspirational book. Professor Gabriel Cooney draws on his rich experience of Irish prehistory to provide a thought-provoking and highly accessible volume. While the book focuses on death, it is made clear from the start that this is intricately intertwined with life, through the frequent connections the author makes between past and present peoples and their responses to the universality of death.
The book’s introductory chapters successfully set the scene for the remainder of the volume, including broad discussions on topics such as attitudes to death, interpretative frameworks, and social identities. An overview of scientific evidence derived from osteological and ancient DNA analysis of human remains is also provided.
The remainder of the volume is divided by period, and each chapter contains a wealth of information on sites from across the island, some of which will be very familiar to the reader, such as Newgrange and Tara, but lesser-known sites are also brought to the fore. The evidence from Ireland is carefully placed within the broader European contemporary context, and the book represents a far-reaching body of research, with comprehensive supporting notes and references.
The volume has been beautifully produced on sustainably sourced paper with an interesting texture. The earthy colour palette used throughout is reminiscent of the natural world, in which death has a central role. The book is richly illustrated with photographs and evocative illustrations produced by Conor McHale. In keeping with the artistry of the volume, it starts and finishes with two carefully selected poems, while each of the period-based chapters commences with a poignant fictitious narrative that connects the reader with people from the past and their responses to death.
Professor Cooney writes in a sensitive manner and shows clear empathy for these past communities and their experiences of death. The appearance and rich content of the book are exceptional, and it will no doubt become a firm favourite for future generations of students and scholars interested in Irish prehistory and archaeological approaches to death and burial.
Death in Irish prehistory
Gabriel Cooney
Royal Irish Academy, €30
ISBN 978-1802050097
