This splendid book explores a wholly different furniture landscape, that of the rural population... [It] bristles with sharp insights into the social history of furniture. Christopher Gilbert, Country Life This is a welcome addition to the small collection of works on Irish material folk culture. It is beautifully illustrated and will be of interest not just to folklorists but also to anyone who has an interest in history or antiques. Timothy P. O'Neill, Irish Arts Review [Kinmonth's] is a sympathetic and deeply committed account of a fast-disappearing victim of contemporary Irish culture to which she does full and fitting justice. Nicola Gordon Bowe, Journal of Design History Kinmonth's champion study of Irish vernacular furniture is strong on social history and literary allusion, over and above its engagement with craftsmanship and aesthetics... A pioneering book,... full of riveting details. Patricia Craig, Times Literary Supplement Not only an informative history and gazetteer of a subject we all know about and may not adequately appreciate, but thanks to the energy of the author, it does convey a very vivid sense of how life was lived in rural Ireland. Milo Drummond, Irish Sunday Independent
