The Pathless Land
Finding a Way Across Ireland
Will be published approx. on 3. September 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-0359-0844-8 (ISBN)
Description
An epic journey on foot from Dingle to Burr Point in search of Ireland's lost footpaths, and a quest to unravel the complexities of countryside access in Ireland and Britain.
Ireland is a pathless land. Public access to the Irish countryside is more limited than almost anywhere else in Europe - no right to roam, no network of footpaths across the landscape and minimal legal protection for existing rights of way. When Tim Hannigan discovers a forgotten web of paths recorded on an old map of Ireland, he sets out on an epic journey to find out how the country lost its ways.
As well as an evocative travelogue and a fascinating exploration of the turbulent history of the land in Ireland, The Pathless Land also offers an important new perspective on contemporary debates about extending the "right to roam" in neighbouring Britain, and asks vital but neglected questions about the most practical mechanisms for public access in heavily agricultural landscapes.
This is also a deeply personal journey for the author. Born in Cornwall but living and raising a family in County Galway, he must confront awkward questions about landscape and identity, and about the connections between walking and belonging, as he struggles to find his way across a pathless land.
Ireland is a pathless land. Public access to the Irish countryside is more limited than almost anywhere else in Europe - no right to roam, no network of footpaths across the landscape and minimal legal protection for existing rights of way. When Tim Hannigan discovers a forgotten web of paths recorded on an old map of Ireland, he sets out on an epic journey to find out how the country lost its ways.
As well as an evocative travelogue and a fascinating exploration of the turbulent history of the land in Ireland, The Pathless Land also offers an important new perspective on contemporary debates about extending the "right to roam" in neighbouring Britain, and asks vital but neglected questions about the most practical mechanisms for public access in heavily agricultural landscapes.
This is also a deeply personal journey for the author. Born in Cornwall but living and raising a family in County Galway, he must confront awkward questions about landscape and identity, and about the connections between walking and belonging, as he struggles to find his way across a pathless land.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for Tim Hannigan:Absorbing and insightful... skilfully interweaves geography, geology, travel memoir and history. * The TLS * The best kind of traveller, Hannigan is brimful of boundless curiosity... a beguiling book that throbs with passion. * The Irish Times * A magnificent work of travel and historical deconstruction - deeply personal, meticulously researched and hugely enjoyable. * Philip Marsden *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0359-0844-8 (9781035908448)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Tim Hannigan, was born and brought up in the far west of Cornwall. After leaving school he worked as a chef for several years in busy Cornish restaurant kitchens. He escaped the catering industry via a degree in journalism and a move to Indonesia, where he taught English and worked as a journalist and guidebook writer. He is the author of several narrative history books, including A Brief History of Indonesia and the award-winning Raffles and the British Invasion of Java, as well as the critically acclaimed The Travel Writing Tribe. He's also an academic, with a research specialism in contemporary travel literature. He divides his time between Cornwall and the west of Ireland.