18:00 - 19:00 | Friday 30 January 2026, Adults
BOOK LAUNCH: Booleying in Ireland by Dr Theresa McDonald
Admission free | No booking required
The National Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park is delighted to host the launch of a new book by Dr Theresa McDonald of Achill Archaeological Field School, exploring the ancient farming tradition of booleying.
The launch takes place at 6pm in the exhibition galleries. The official launch will be performed by Professor Michael O’Connell, Member of the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) and Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Botany at the University of Galway.
Professor O'Connell is well-known for his extensive palaeoenvironmental research and in-depth studies of Irish landscapes, including the Céide Fields.
Booleying in Ireland – A Study of an Ancient Farming Tradition in Achill, Co. Mayo offers a fascinating insight into the practice of ‘booleying’, or transhumance, on Achill Island and beyond. Drawing on extensive research from Ireland, Britain, and continental Europe, the book provides a fresh perspective on the history and importance of booleying in Achill, Ireland and further afield.
About the author
Dr Theresa McDonald founded the Achill Archaeological Field School in 1991, the first of its kind in Ireland, and a fully accredited Field School of the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Theresa studied archaeology and anthropology at the Institute of Archaeology (UCL) in London where she received a BSc. in 1984. She completed her MA in landscape archaeology at the National University of Ireland, Galway in 1988 and in 2014 was awarded a PhD by NUI Galway for her doctoral thesis entitled: Transhumance (booleying) practice in the Civil Parish of Achill.
She has written three books on the archaeology, history and folklore of Achill and in 2016 published a guide book to archaeological sites in Achill, Achillbeg and the Corraun peninsula. She is regarded as the foremost expert on the archaeology and history of the Achill Island.
She is currently working on a major publication on the archaeology and history of Slievemore Deserted Village.
This book launch takes place at 6pm on Friday, 30 January 2026, on Level A of the exhibition galleries at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar. Everyone is welcome and no booking is required.
Suíomh:
BOOK LAUNCH: Booleying in Ireland by Dr Theresa McDonald suite ag:
Páirc Thurlaigh,
Caisleán an Bharraigh,
Co Mhaigh Eo
F23 HY31
Come along to the launch of a new book about the ancient practice of booleying in Ireland, by Dr Theresa McDonald
Páirc Thurlaigh
Páirc Thurlaigh,
Caisleán an Bharraigh,
Co Mhaigh Eo,
F23 HY31
+353 94 903 1755