Beverly Brown, MAGI, Co. Down I never met my maternal grandfather; John Rea died in 1947, three years before I was born. My father always referred to him as having been ‘something of an entrepreneur’, so perhaps that is why I have always been interested in finding out more about him. He was a joiner, a carpenter and a successful building contractor, but these undertakings were secondary to John Rea’s foremost occupation – primarily that of a garage proprietor. In fact, my grandfather owned the first petrol-filling station in Northern Ireland; or so I was told. It was only once … Read More
Paul MacCotter MAGI contributes to ‘Making Christian Landscapes in Atlantic Europe’
Paul MacCotter MAGI has contributed a chapter on the early history of north Kildare, featuring his work as an historical geographer, to Making Christian Landscapes in Atlantic Europe (Cork University Press, 2016). The book concerns the fabric of the medieval church in Ireland, Britain, France and Spain during the early medieval period (c AD 400-1200) and its impact on how landscapes were inhabited and managed. More at the publisher’s website.