Local History

In our Local History section, you can browse our stock relating to Irish books and pamphlets relating to the four provinces of Ireland, Leinster, Ulster, Munster and Connaught. Aswell as family names & places, and Counties throughout Ireland. Rare local history books relating to these titles can be found below. If you cant find a book please get in touch and we will do our best to locate it for you.

Our books are sorted in these categories:


	WEBSTER, William Bullock. Ireland Considered as a Field for Investment or Residence. (Signed by the Author) Dublin: Hodges and Smith; London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., [c. 1852–53]. Small octavo. pp. 125. With folding hand-coloured “Geological Map to Webster’s Ireland,” showing the principal geological formations throughout the country. Publisher’s original red cloth, boards blind-stamped with ornamental design, upper cover and spine lettered in gilt. Light wear to… €375.00
	SHERIDAN, Richard Brinsley & OTHERS: A Volume of Plays, as they are Acted at the Theatre, Smoke-Alley, Dublin. Containing The School for Scandal, The Duenna, The Agreeable Surprise, Love-a-la-mode, The Poor Soldier. Bound with: Peeping Tom of Coventry; a Comic Opera, as it is performed at the Theatre-Royal, Smoke-Alley. [Dublin]: Printed for the Booksellers, 1786. Medium 12mo. pp. [iv], 72, [2]; 37, [1], 32; 25, [1]; 28, 34, [1 (plate)]. Contemporary full tree calf, title in gilt on original red morocco label on spine. Upper joint starting, but very firm. Inner joints strengthened. A very good copy. Internally near… €685.00
	BELFAST POLICE: Act for Paving, Cleansing, Lighting, and Improving the Several Streets, Squares, Lanes, and Passages, within the Town of Belfast, in the County of Antrim ; and for Removing and Preventing all Encroachments, Obstructions, and Annoyances, therein; and also,For Establishing and Maintaining A Nightly Watch, throughout the said Town and Precincts thereof, and for other Purposes. Friday the first day of August, one thousand eight hundred, royal assent given. John Gayer, D. Cler. Parl. Belfast:… €265.00
	ERLESTOKE MANSION SALE CATALOGUE Catalogue of the magnificent assemblage of property at Erlestoke Mansion near Devizes, in Wilts : accumulated, within this far-famed abode of taste and vertu, during the last twenty years, at an enormous expense, the whole selected by George Watson Taylor, Esq. M.P. … / which will be sold by auction… €1,250.00
	RAILWAY POLICE: Rules to be Attended by the Police employed by the Great Southern and Western Railway until the opening of the line. Dublin: Printed by Alexander Thom, 87 Abbey-street, 1846. Post octavo. pp. 8. Original quarter cloth on marbled stiff card. Stamp duty rates laid on front pastedown. Signature of A. Scott on lower cover. A very good copy of an extremely rare item. [L3 3C] €575.00
	Irish Metropolitan Magazine. Volume II. October, 1857 – Volume III, September 1858. Two volumes of three. Dublin: Edward J. Milliken & W. Robertson; London & Edinburgh: Simpkin, Marshall; Oliver and Boyd, 1857-1858. Demy octavo. pp. (2) iv, 720 (3) iv, 728. Contemporary full green morocco, covers ornately blocked in gilt with a large harp decorated with shamrocks in centre. Spines divided into six panels by five… €695.00
	McCLINTOCK, H.F. Old Irish and Highland Dress and that of the Isle of Man [WITH ORIGINAL DRAWINGS & GALLEY PROOF] Dundalk: Dundalgan, 1943. Quarto. pp. [xiv], 188, [32 (plates)]. Quarter linen on pictorial boards, title on upper cover. Loosely inserted are original drawings and a galley proof. A very good copy in repaired dust jacket. Scarce. With chapters on pre-Norman dress as described in early Irish literature by Rev. Professor… €325.00
	LONGFIELD, Ada K. [Mrs. H. Leask] Ed. by. Fitzwilliam Accounts 1560-65 (Annesley Collection) [FROM THE LIBRARY OF ÉAMON DE VALERA] Dublin: Stationery Office, Irish Manuscripts Commission, 1960. Royal octavo. pp. xii, 139. Red buckram, title in gilt on spine. From the library of Éamon De Valera, with his signature on front free endpaper. A fine copy. Sir William Fitzwilliam was Receiver General in Ireland. The contents include: details of revenues;… €575.00
	The Traveller’s New Guide Through Ireland: Containing A New and Accurate Description of the Roads, with Particulars of all the different Towns, Villages, Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Seats, Churches, Monastic Buildings, Antiquities and Natural Curiosities. Also, The Present State of Agriculture, Manufactures, and Commerce: With a Complete List of all the Fairs Throughout the Kingdom. Illustrated with a new and accurate Map of Ireland; Plan of the Lakes of Killarney, Views of the Giant’s Causeway, Waterfall at Powerscourt, Delineations of the Principal Post-Roads, With other… €375.00
	BOVET, Madame de. Three Months’ Tour in Ireland. Translated and condensed by Mrs. Arthur Walter. With illustrations. London: Chapman and Hall, Limited, 1891. 8vo. 312pp. Illustrated. Original green cloth, upper cover attractively decorated in gilt with a trailing shamrock design, spine lettered in gilt. Light occasional spotting, principally to preliminary leaves; contemporary ownership inscription to front free endpaper. A very good copy. An engaging late… €275.00
	BARRINGTON, Sir Jonah. Personal Sketches of His Own Times. By Sir Jonah Barrington, Judge of the High Court of Admiralty in Ireland. Three volumes. London: Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley, 1827/1832. First edition. Large post octavo. pp. (1) xxvii, [1], 476, (2) xiii, 4, 474, (3) xxxvi, 436. First and second volumes have “In two volumes”. Near contemporary half brown morocco on marbled boards. Spine divided into six panels by five raised bands, title… €685.00
	THOMPSON, H.S. Ireland in 1839 and 1869 (Signed by the Author) London: Dorrell and Son. Dublin: Hodges, Foster, 1870. pp. [iv], 115. Blue cloth, title in gilt within a garland of flowers on upper cover and lettered in gilt on spine. Armorial bookplate of Hastings Russell on front pastedown. A fine copy. Very scarce. In this work the author deals extensively… €375.00
	POCOCKE, Richard: Pococke’s Tour in Ireland in 1752. Edited with an introduction and notes by George T. Stokes. Dublin: Hodges Figgis. London: Simpkin Marshal, 1891. Crown octavo. First edition. pp. [ii], 187. Green cloth over bevelled boards, titled in gilt on spine, publisher’s device in blind on both covers. Previous owner’s signature on front endpaper. A fine copy. Very scarce. COPAC with 6 locations only. Richard Pococke made… €375.00
	MORRIS, F.O. Ed. by. A Series of Picturesque Views of Seats of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland. Illustrated with fine colour plates. Six volumes London: William MacKenzie, (c.1880). Quarto. Contemporary full red morocco over bevelled boards, covers framed by double gilt fillets a wide gilt roll enclosing in the centre the title and royal Cypher blocked in gilt. Spine divided into six compartments by five gilt raised bands, title and volume number in gilt… €975.00
	RONEY, Sir P. Cusack. How to Spend a Month in Ireland. With map. Illustrated. Third edition, with a large folding map of Ireland. London & Dublin: W.H. Smith, and at all Booksellers and Railway Stations, 1866. Crown octavo. pp. vii, 180, [2 (advertisements)]. Printed green wrappers. A very good copy. Scarce. The author in his introduction encourages his English friends to spend a… €275.00
	BAYNE, S.G. On An Irish Jaunting-Car Through Donegal and Connemara. Illustrated. 136 New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1902. Quarto. pp. 138. Pictorial cloth. Presentation inscription from the author on front free endpaper. Top edge gilt. A very good copy. Memoir of the author’s trip from New York to Queenstown, travelling to Londonderry, Gweedore, Ballinrobe, the Aran Islands, Limerick… €250.00
	HOUSTOUN, Mrs. Twenty Years in The Wild West. Twenty Years in The Wild West; or, Life in Connaught. London: John Murray, 1879. pp. xii, 288, 32 (publisher’s list). Pictorial cloth. Signature of Isaac Latimer, dated Feb. 1880 on half title. A fine copy. Rare. An Englishwoman’s recollections of her twenty-two years of residence at Delphi, near Westport, County… €875.00
	AN OXONIAN, AN [S. Reynolds Hole]. A Little Tour in Ireland. Being a Visit to Dublin, Galway, Connamara, Athlone, Limerick, Killarney, Glengariff, Cork, etc. etc. With Illustrations by John Leech. London: Bradbury & Evans, 11, Bouverie Street, 1859. First edition. Octavo. pp. xii, 220, [2]. With a fine hand-coloured folding frontispiece and 20 other illustrations (including full-page plates) by John Leech, the celebrated Punch cartoonist. Publisher’s original green cloth, covers panelled in blind with shamrock cornerpieces, upper cover gilt-blocked with… €485.00
	COULTER, Henry. The West of Ireland: its Existing Condition, and Prospects. Illustrated with thirty-four lithographic plates (some coloured) and one folding map. Dublin: Hodges & Smith, 1862. pp. xii, 372, [36 (plates)], 20 (Adverts). Pebbled green cloth, title in gilt on spine, Hibernia and Britannia in gilt on upper cover and in blind on lower. Some light spotting to a few plates. Lacking the telegraph map, as usual. Spine professionally rebacked. Stamp… €875.00
	BORLASE, William G: The Dolmens of Ireland. Their distribution, structural characteristics, and affinities in other countries; together with the folk-lore attaching to them; supplemented by considerations on the anthropology, ethnology, and traditions of the Irish people. With over 800 illustrations (including 3 coloured plates), and 4 coloured folding maps. Three volumes. Dublin: Éamonn de Búrca for Edmund… €295.00
	O’NEILL, Henry. Fine Arts and Civilisation of Ancient Ireland. Illustrated with chromo and other lithographs, and several woodcuts. London: Smith & Dublin, Herbert, 1858. Small folio. pp. vi, 118, 23 (plates). Blue blind-stamped cloth, title in gilt on upper cover. Spine professionally rebacked. A very good copy. Very scarce. O’Neill has stated: “that Ancient Irish Art originated in Heathen… €675.00
	O’HART, John. Irish Pedigrees; or The Origin and Stem of The Irish Nation. (Limited American Edition) Two volumes. New York: Murphy & McCarthy, 1915. 4to. Vol. I: pp. xxiii, 912, [40 coloured armorial plates], 19A; Vol. II: pp. xxiv, 948, 22. Bound in full green morocco, covers framed by gilt fillets with shamrock tools at the corners, the gilt armorial device of the Office of Arms… €1,475.00
	IRELAND – Baptista Boazio] Irlandiae Accurata Descripto 1609 by Baptista Boazio. Finely engraved map of Ireland of considerable interest. Coloured. The towns as usual in red, the woods in green, and the county boundaries in various tints. The north is to the right, and an ornamental border round the map takes the place of graduations for latitude and longitude. Depicted are the provinces, counties, cities, towns, rivers, lakes, mountains, forests, islands, bays, headlands, forts, castles, ecclesiastical centres, and clans with their location. There are two ships, a fisherman in a boat and three monsters on the seas. Royal coat of arms and several cartouches with title, description, glossary, and scale. Dublin: De Burca, 1990. Size 810mm x 620mm. In fine condition. It bears six decorative cartouches containing long inscriptions. These inform us among other things that the map was ‘diligently collected & partly surveyed by Baptista Boazio’; and there is a dedication to Queen Elizabeth, ending with the naïve rhyme… €95.00
	The Great Book of Irish Genealogies MacFHIRBHISIGH, Dubhaltach. – Leabhar Genealach. Edited, with translation and indices by Nollaig Ó Muraíle. List of subscribers. Five volumes. Dublin: De Búrca, 2003/4. Quarto. Full buckram gilt. Over 3,600 pages. In presentation box. The great Connacht scholar Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh (c.1600-1671), from Lackan, County Sligo, compiled his monumental Great Book… €635.00
	WARNER, Ferdinando. The History of the Rebellion and Civil-War in Ireland (With map of Ireland) London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson, in the Strand, 1767. First edition. 4to. pp. xxiii, [1], 614. With engraved folding map. Contemporary full calf, rebacked in period style with raised bands, gilt rules and ornaments, contrasting morocco letterpiece titled in gilt; original boards with some staining and surface wear… €875.00
	BURKE, Rev. William P. History of Clonmel. Illustrated with frontispiece and numerous plates. Waterford: Printed by N. Harvey & Co. for the Clonmel Library Committee, 1907. First edition. 4to. pp. [iv], 523. Contemporary red full morocco with the arms of Clonmel in gilt on both covers within a single gilt fillet border intersected at corners. Spine professionally… €575.00
	CARLETON, William. Traits and Stories of The Irish Peasantry. Portrait frontispiece. Four volumes. 914 London: J.M. Dent, 1896. Original olive-green cloth. Title in gilt on spines. Occasional light foxing. Minor wear to covers, otherwise a good set. William Carleton (1794-1869) was born in Prillisk, County Tyrone, one of fourteen children of a tenant farmer. He went to Dublin and… €250.00
	CROWE, E.E. To-Day in Ireland (First edition) Three volumes. London: Printed for Charles Knight, 1825. First edition. pp. (1) [ii], 291, (2) [ii], 319, (3) [ii], 305. Bound in contemporary half calf on marbled boards, title and volume number in gilt on double maroon morocco labels on elaborate gilt decorated spine. With the armorial bookplates of Richard… €575.00
	SOMERVILLE, E. OE. & ROSS, Violet Martin. The Hitchcock Edition of Somerville and Ross (Signed limited edition) With a forward by Harry Worcester Smith. Sporting Works: Some Experiences of an Irish R.M.; Further Experience of an Irish R.M.; In Mr. Knox’s Country; Dan Russell the Fox; All on the Irish Shore; Wheel Tracts; and Irish Memories. Illustrated by Drawings by E. OE. Somerville and Photographs. Seven volumes… €950.00
	ARCHER, Lieutenant Joseph. Statistical Survey of the County Dublin, with Observations on the Means of Improvement; Drawn up for the Consideration, and by order, of The Dublin Society. With folding map of the County of Dublin. Dublin: Printed by Graisberry, 1801. Medium octavo. pp. ix, [2], 12-13, [8], 276, [7 (index)]. Modern quarter black morocco on marbled boards, title in gilt on spine. Top edge trimmed. From the library of A. Conroy with his neat stamp on titlepage. A very good copy. Rare. The Royal Dublin… €365.00
	KIMBER, Edward. The Peerage of Ireland. A Genealogical and Historical Account of all the Peers of that Kingdom; their descents, collateral branches, births, marriages and issue … together with the paternal coats of arms, crests, supporters and mottoes. Also complete lists of the baronets, extinct peers and Chief Governors of Ireland. Some Account of the Ancient Kings. Illustrated with 141 engraved coats of arms. Two volumes. London: Printed for J. Almon, opposite Burlington-House in Piccadilly … and Johnson and Davenport in Pater-noster, 1768. pp. (1) [cxlii], 145, (2) [ii], 248. Contemporary full calf. From the library of Michael Smith Esq. and Rev. George Edm. Cotter with their… €875.00
	HUNTER, Robert. The Racing Calendar for the Year 1826. Volume the Thirty-seventh. Dublin: Printed for the Proprietor by James Daly, and Sold at the Publisher’s Office, No. 2, North Cumberland-street, 1827. 12mo. pp. li, [1], 135, [1]. Contemporary full red morocco elaborately tooled in gilt. ‘John Mac Donnell Esq. / Steward of the / Turf Club’ in gilt on upper cover. Light… €575.00
	O’MADDEN, Patrick L. Cruach Phádraic St. Patrick’s Holy Mountain O’MADDEN, Patrick L. Cruach Phádraic St. Patrick’s Holy Mountain. Illustrated. 143 Dublin: Printed for the Author at the Sign of the Three Candles in Fleet Street, [1929]. First and only edition. 185 x 125mm., pp. 48. Pictorial wrappers. Covers a little dusty and edges frayed as usual. A very good… €75.00
	YOUNG, Arthur. A Tour in Ireland; with General Observations on the Present State of that Kingdom: made in the years 1776, 1777, and 1778. And brought down to the end of 1779. Engraved frontispiece. London: Printed for T. Cadell, Strand; and J. Dodsley, Pall-Mall, 1780. Quarto. pp. [5], ii-xi, [1], [4 (list of subscribers)], 384, 168, [4 (index and advertisement)]. Recent half brown morocco on marbled boards, spine divided into six panels by five thick gilt bands, title in gilt on green… €685.00
	YOUNG, Arthur. Travels during the years 1787, 1788 and 1789, undertaken more particularly with a view of ascertaining the Cultivation, Wealth, Resources, and National Prosperity of the Kingdom of France To which is added, the Register of a tour into Spain. With three folding maps, one coloured. Dublin: Printed for Messers. R. Cross P. Wogan L. White and Others, 1793. Medium octavo. pp. (1) xvi, 581 (2) 571 [3]. Contemporary full tree calf, spines professionally rebacked, title in gilt on… €675.00
	GAUGHAN, J. Anthony. Listowel and its Vicinity. Foreword by Bryan MacMahon. With numerous illustrations, maps and folding genealogical table of the Lords of Kerry and Lixnaw. Cork: Mercier, 1973. First edition. pp. 611. Edition limited to 1,000 copies. Ex-lib. Very good in good d.j. Scarce. A most comprehensive study of the north Kerry town and the surrounding… €475.00
	HENRY, Francoise. Irish Art: In the early Christian period to 800; During the Viking Invasions 800-1020; In the Romanesque Period 1020-1170 A.D. THE DEFINITIVE WORK Three volumes. Profusely illustrated with coloured and mono plates. London: Methuen, 1965/70. Revised edition. Medium quarto. pp. (1) xvi, 256, 112, viii, (2) xvi, 236, 112, viii, (3) xvi, 240, 112. Black cloth, title in gilt on spine. Ex lib with labels and neat stamps. A very… €385.00
	D’ALTON, Rev. E. A. History of Ireland. From the Earliest Times to the Present Day. With coloured frontispiece to each volume and numerous maps and illustrations throughout. THE RARE COMPLETE EIGHT-VOLUME SET Eight volumes, complete. London: The Gresham Publishing Company, 1911–1925. Small 4to. Original green cloth, attractively decorated and lettered in gilt and blind, top edges gilt. Some minor signs of use, otherwise a very good and particularly attractive set. The complete eight-volume issue is exceedingly scarce… €475.00
	WARD, Mary. The Microscope, or Descriptions of Various Objects of Especial Interest and Beauty, Adapted for Microscopic Observation. With Directions for the Arrangement of a Microscope, and the Collection and Mounting of Objects. Illustrated by the Author’s Original Drawings. Third Edition. London: Groombridge and Sons, 1869. Small octavo (18 × 13cm). pp. [2], vi, 154, [2]. With a colour frontispiece and seven further colour plates, together with numerous wood-engraved illustrations in the text. Bound in contemporary full red calf by Relfe Brothers, London, their stamp on front blank; boards… €425.00
	MUNSTER MOTOR CYCLE & CAR CLUB. Cork Veteran Run. Saturday, 7th June, 1958. Official Programme. Cork: Munster Motor Cycle & Car Club, 1958. Octavo. pp. 40. Illustrated throughout with photographs, advertisements and line drawings. Original pictorial red, cream and black wrappers, priced 1/-. A very good copy. Official programme for the third Cork Veteran Run, organised by the Munster Motor Cycle & Car Club. The… €150.00
	LENIHAN, Maurice. Limerick; Its History and Antiquities, Ecclesiastical, Civil, and Military, from the Earliest Ages. With Copious Historical, Archaeological, Topographical, Genealogical Notes and Illustrations; Maps, Plates, Appendices, and an Alphabetical Index, etc. Cork: The Mercier Press, 1967. First Mercier edition, a facsimile reprint of the original 1866 edition, limited to 1,000 copies. 8vo. pp. 780, [errata]. Publisher’s green cloth, title and author lettered in gilt on spine, with the original striking red and black pictorial dust jacket. Jacket lightly rubbed and chipped… €195.00
	HARBISON, Peter. The High Crosses of Ireland THE DEFINITIVE WORK ON HIGH CROSSES Three volumes Profusely illustrated. Volume one contains the text, volumes two and three the photographs and illustrations of comparative iconography. Bonn: 1992. Folio. Red cloth, titled in black. A very good set. Scarce. The great stone High Crosses of Ireland, often bearing the characteristic… €650.00
	WALSH, Fr. Paul. The Four Masters and Their Work WALSH, Fr. Paul. The Four Masters and Their Work. Dublin: At the Sign of the Three Candles, 1944. pp. [vi], 41, 2 (index), + erratum. Stiff brown paper wrappers. Title printed on paper label on upper cover, light spotting to label. Owner’s signature on half title. A very good copy… €150.00
	STOKES, Margaret. Notes on the Cross of Cong. Illustrated with two chromo-lithographs and two cuts STOKES, Margaret. Notes on the Cross of Cong. Illustrated with two chromo-lithographs and two cuts. Dublin: Printed at the Dublin University Press by Ponsonby and Weldrick for Private Circulation, 1895. Quarto. pp. [4], 12, 2 (lithographs). Quarter blue linen on original boards, printed in red and black. Inoffensive water stain… €675.00
	LEWIS, R: The Post Chaise Companion: or Traveller’s Directory through Ireland (HAND-COLOURED COPY) Containing a new and accurate Description of the Direct and principal Cross Roads, with particulars of the Noblemen & Gentlemen’s Seats, Cities, Towns, Parks, Natural Curiosities, Antiquities, Castles, Ruins, Manufactures, Locks, Glens, Harbours, &c. &c. Forming an Historical & Descriptive Account of the Kingdom. To which is added, A Dictionary… €1,250.00
	NEARY, Rev. John. Notes on Cong and the Neale. Revised and enlarged edition. With map and illustrations. Dundalk: Dundalgan, 1938. Crown octavo. pp. 80. Printed wrappers with image of the Cross of Cong on upper cover. A very good copy. [Porch D] €75.00
	G.A.A. All-Ireland Football Championship Finals Programme, 1981. Kerry and Offaly GAA – ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL, 1981 Kerry v Offaly. Official Programme. Dublin: Gaelic Athletic Association, 20 September 1981. Illustrated throughout, including team line-ups and diagrams of player positions. Original pictorial wrappers featuring the Sam Maguire Cup and the crests of Kerry and Offaly. A very good copy. Official programme for… €65.00
	COLUM, Padraic. The Frenzied Prince: being Heroic Stories of Ancient Ireland. Illustrated by Willy Pogany. Philadelphia: David McKay, 1943. Quarto. First edition. pp. 196. Green cloth, embossed in gilt. A fine copy in very good rare dust jacket. [L3 6C] €295.00
	IRISH LAND IMPROVEMENT – Irish Land Improvement Acts (1). An Act for the improvement of landed property in Ireland. 10 Vict.cap.32. [1847]. Demy octavo. pp. 29, [1]. Title from caption. Imprint from colophon. Dublin: Printed by Alexander Thom for Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. COPAC with 1 location only. (2). Act to Facilitate the Improvement of Landed Property in… €1,250.00
	BONAR LAW, Andrew & BONAR LAW, Charlotte. The Irish Prints of James Malton (Limited edition) Dublin: The Neptune Gallery, 1999. Quarto. pp. [i–iii], 117, [1]. Profusely illustrated throughout with colour reproductions of Malton’s celebrated Irish views. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt, in the original illustrated dust jacket. A fine, fresh copy. Limited edition of 500 copies. A handsome and scholarly modern study devoted… €150.00