Beware the Coast of Ireland - Sam Hutchison

Sam Hutchison has produced a nicely illustrated digest of the principal well known wrecks of the Irish coast from secondary sources augmented with newspaper sources for some five wrecks. The wrecks covered are the well known ones from the Armada to the Princess Victoria. A penultimate chapter summarises the extent of loss of life and the last one covers the rescue services but unfortunately omits mention of the original 1820-1922 coastguard. The book is of interest for the general reader as it has been delivered in a readable style without too much detail or analysis. It will augment awareness of our maritime heritage and draw attention to the extent of shipwreck around the Irish coast. The illustrations are a compendium of the well known views but have been beautifully reproduced and somehow improved technically to deliver a nice sepia colour and augmented sharpness. It has been published in paperback with an attractive Illustrated London news depiction of Vanguard salvage on the cover. Wordwell, Sligo, 2013 ISBN 978 1 905569 77 9