This case-study explores the rich landscape of the compact and highly distinctive Hook peninsula in south-west county Wexford and places its layered archaeological legacy in an historical context. In the medieval period, the region experienced the initial Anglo-Norman landings in Ireland and was subsequently divided into three major ecclesiastical estates.

The introduction of the Cistercians and the Knights Templars on to these estates brought mainstream medieval European practice to the Hook and determined the future development of community and landscape. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century, the new lay owners of the estates continued to develop natural and economic resources, establishing the basis for modern settlement and landscape organisation. The Hook forms the eastern boundary of Waterford Harbour, the gateway to south-east Ireland.

Because of its strategic nature, the harbour has played a central role in Irish history and this is reflected in the physical remains around its shores. This book connects these remains in the Hook peninsula with the historical record and places the local story into a wider narrative. The origins of present-day families are also discussed.

By using a wide range of maps, colour photographs (many of them aerial) prints and illustrations, the gradual evolution of the cultural landscape from earliest times to the present day is traced. The need for modern developments to appreciate and respect the inherited environment, and to conserve it for future generations, is also examined.