“We have fulfilled a promise to ourselves and produced a field guide to the wild orchids of Ireland”
When we completed the Ireland’s Wild Orchids project in 2004, we promised ourselves that the next project would be a field guide to the wild orchids of Ireland. The tremendous interest in the natural flora of the island of Ireland, in particular the orchid family, made the 2004 publication a great success, the complete edition selling out in a few weeks and, now, four years later (in December 2008) we have published the field guide.
The Orchid – a fascinating plant family.
This field Guide is the culmination of our interest in this most fascinating plant family… noting the spread of pink and purple spikes across the stony pavements of the Burren Co. Clare. Making our familiar pilgrimage to the damp and mossy field in the dunes of North County Dublin in the hope that the JCB;s have still not reached the delicate sprinklings of Green-veined orchid elegantly partnered by buttery cowslips… and so on throughout the season until October sees the return of the Autumn-ladies tresses around the coast, tiny white frills braving the salt-laden autumnal gales. We now want to make a book available that can bring some of that pleasure to a wider audience, while also providing an edition for the book collector.
A field guide in the traditional style.
What we have produced is a field guide in the manner of the notebooks and sketchpads used by artists and writers for more than a century.
Designed to fit the pocket, be shower proof and open flat in the field, the standard copy has an inside pocket, space for field notes and photographs and a strong elastic for holding the book closed when required. This book contains 119 pages, filled with paintings by Susan, text notes and new accessible distinguishing keys to the species from Brendan and photographs from contributing orchideers such as Leueen Hill from the Burren to Jackie O’Connell from the Midlands. It promises to make the mysteries of orchid identification easier whilst being a beautiful book in its own right.
A Library copy for the Collector
For collectors and book lovers, the Library copy is printed on fine paper and hand-bound in quarter goatskin leather by Antiquarian Bookcrafts at Marley Park. The Edition is limited to 850 copies and includes an additional 16 pages of sketches and paintings created in the preparation of the book.