Background
Harbison, Peter Desmond was born on January 14, 1939 in Dublin. Son of James Austin and Sheelagh Helen (MacSherry) Harbison.
(Since its first publication in 1970, this guide has intro...)
Since its first publication in 1970, this guide has introduced many thousands to the archaeological riches with which the Irish landscape is endowed. Now revised and updated, this book includes details of the principal historic monuments of Northern Ireland. Detailed plans and reference maps, reconstructions and illustrations enliven the text, which describes all the monuments in close detail. A lengthy introduction places all the monuments within the context of Irish history.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0717119564/?tag=2022091-20
(Since its first publication in 1970, this classic Guide h...)
Since its first publication in 1970, this classic Guide has introduced countless thousands to the archaeological riches with which the Irish landscape is endowed. Detailed plans and reference maps, reconstructions and illustrations enliven the text, which describes all the monuments in close detail. A comprehensive introduction places these monuments within the context of Irish history. The author's unparalleled knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, his subject have ensured that this Guide is an indispensable companion for everyone travelling through Ireland who wishes to appreciate the riches of its ancient building heritage.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0717132390/?tag=2022091-20
(Tells the story of human settlement in Ireland from its b...)
Tells the story of human settlement in Ireland from its beginnings 10,000 years ago to St Patrick's Christianizing mission in the 5th century AD. This is interwoven with accounts of major excavations at sites such as Carrowmore, Rathgall and Navan Fort.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0500021104/?tag=2022091-20
(This is a wonderful introduction to the history of pilgri...)
This is a wonderful introduction to the history of pilgrimage in Ireland. It is accessible (and entertaining with it); it is full of facts and folklore; it has marvelous plates.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0815603126/?tag=2022091-20
(The Golden Age of Irish Art is the first serious assessme...)
The Golden Age of Irish Art is the first serious assessment of the subject since 1945. In the last fifty years, painstaking research has added a wealth of new information and fresh insight, and Peter Harbison, the acknowledged authority on Medieval Irish archaeology, examines the art of the entire period. This up-to-date account, with over 250 illustrations of illuminated manuscripts, metalwork, architecture, and sculpture, is the most lavish and authoritative survey available on the subject.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0500019274/?tag=2022091-20
( “The Crucifixion…is the only religious event or scene t...)
“The Crucifixion…is the only religious event or scene that has been represented in Irish art in virtually every century from the year 800 down to the present day. Crucifixes and crucifixion scenes thus provide an ideal and consistent yardstick against which we can measure the achievements of Irish artists and craftsmen during the last dozen centuries or so. They can reflect not only the changes in art styles throughout this period, but also―through individual characteristics and the accompanying figures and objects―the changing theology down the years.” - From the Introduction Throughout Irish history artists have captured the Crucifixion using a variety of mediums: on crosses, in stained glass, on tombstones, sculptures, and paintings. Photographs of fifty such depictions of the Crucifixion (46 in black-and-white and 4 in color) ranging from the year 800 CE to the present, along with interpretive commentary, show the development of this image and the theology surrounding it in Ireland. A perfect book for contemplation during the Lenten season.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0819218154/?tag=2022091-20
(The Crucifixion is the only religious event or scene that...)
The Crucifixion is the only religious event or scene that has been represented in Irish art in virtually every century from the year 800 down to the present day. Crucifixes and crucifixion scenes thus provide an ideal and consistent yardstick against which we can measure the achievements of Irish artists and craftsmen during the last dozen centuries or so. They can reflect not only the changes in ...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FKYMTAU/?tag=2022091-20
(This book features the drawings of antiquarian artists Ga...)
This book features the drawings of antiquarian artists Gabriel Beranger and Angelo Maria Bigari drawn during their 1779 tour of the Irish provinces of Connemara, Ulster, and Connacht. The drawings provide contemporary observations of abbeys, castles, and other antiquities, many of which since disappeared and were largely ignored by landscape artists of the period.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1869857534/?tag=2022091-20
(The River Boyne flows from west to east through the rich ...)
The River Boyne flows from west to east through the rich limestone land of Co. Meath, about 30 miles north of Dublin. Its combination of fertile soil and navigable access to the sea has ensured that it has been inhabited continuously from the end of the Ice Age. It is one of the most historic regional areas, not just in Ireland, but in all of north-west Europe. Peter Harbison's book discusses the history of the Boyne Valley, the landscape, the peoples who have left their imprint on the region since pre-history, the houses and monuments, the battle sites and all the other aspects that make it such a rich source of interest. The highlight of the book is of course the three great Stone Age burial sites at Dowth, Knowth and Newgrange, all at least as old as the Egyptian pyramids, and the latter,one of the wonders of Europe. But Harbison also deals deftly with other matters: with the Battle of the Boyne (1690), so crucial for later Irish history; with writers like Mary Lavin, Francis Ledwidge and Lord Dunsany who lived in and wrote about the region; with the houses, churches and monastic settlements. The book is richly illustrated with original landscape photography by Tom Kelly, himself a resident of the valley, and with historic prints.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0717134989/?tag=2022091-20
archaeologist historian magazine editor
Harbison, Peter Desmond was born on January 14, 1939 in Dublin. Son of James Austin and Sheelagh Helen (MacSherry) Harbison.
Bachelor, Master of Arts, University College, Dublin, 1959. Doctor of Philosophy, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany, 1964. Postgraduate, Albert Ludwigs University, Freiburg, Germany, 1961.
Archaeologist Irish Tourist Board, Dublin, 1966-1984, edition publicity officer, 1984-1986. Editor Ireland of the Welcomes magazine, 1986-1995. Chairman National Monuments Advisory Council, Dublin, 1986-1990, Bunratty Castle ownership and furniture trusts.
Visiting professor University Vienna, 2003. Trustee, Hunt Museum Trust.
(This book features the drawings of antiquarian artists Ga...)
(Since its first publication in 1970, this classic Guide h...)
( “The Crucifixion…is the only religious event or scene t...)
(The Crucifixion is the only religious event or scene that...)
(Since its first publication in 1970, this guide has intro...)
(Tells the story of human settlement in Ireland from its b...)
(The Golden Age of Irish Art is the first serious assessme...)
(The River Boyne flows from west to east through the rich ...)
(This is a wonderful introduction to the history of pilgri...)
Author: Guide to the National Monuments of Ireland, 1970, Pre-Christian Ireland, 1988 (British Archaeol. Book award 1988), Pilgrimage in Ireland, 1992, The High Crosses of Ireland, 1992, The Golden Age of Irish Art, 1999 (also French, German and Italian editions), The Crucifixion in Irish Art, 2000, Cooper's Ireland, 2000, Our Treasure of Antiquities, 2002, Treasures of the Boyne Valley, 2003, Ireland's Treasures. 5000 Years of Artistic Expression, 2004, Beranger's Rambles in Ireland, 2004, A Thousand Years of Church Heritage in East Galway, 2005, others.
Contributor articles to academy and professional journals. Co-author: (with Jacqueline O'Brien) Ancient Ireland, 1996.
Fellow Society of Antiquaries of London, Trinity College Dublin (honorary). Member Royal Irish Academy (vice president 1992-1993, council member 1993-1996, 97-2001, 05—08, honorary academy editor since 1995), Royal Hibernian Academy Arts (honorary, professor Archeology since 1999), Royal Institute Architects of Ireland (honorary 2001), Friends of the National Collections of Ireland (secretary 1971-1976), German Archaeol. Institute.
Married Edelgard Soergel, December 6, 1969 (deceased April 24, 2008). Children: John, Maurice, Ronan.