Textile from Ireland: Archaeology, Craft, Art, Elizabeth Wincott Heckett and Mary Ann Williams

Textiles of Ireland is a landmark tapestry of textile heritage, resurrecting Ireland’s fabric history from bogs, burials, hoards and collapsed city walls. It includes discoveries ranging from a pre–800 BC horsehair weave to Viking-era cloth wrappings and early 20th‑century liturgical embroidery inspired by the Book of Kells. With over 528 pages of images, charts, glossaries and field guidance, this is the first substantial archaeological textile volume since 1989, and a must-read for archaeologists, historians and anyone passionate about the threads of cultural memory.

The narrative unfolds across periods—from Mesolithic to modern—revealing how linen, wool and silk articulated identity, belief and craftsmanship. Highlights include Viking‑age Dublin headcoverings (the iconic ‘Dublin Cap’), bog-body robes, early pilgrim stoles and medieval silk fragments. Rich in technical detail yet gracefully written, the book reveals how fibre connects ecological environments, gendered labour and social hierarchies in Ireland’s material past.

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About the Author
Elizabeth Wincott Heckett was a pioneering archaeologist who dedicated over thirty years to documenting Ireland’s ancient textiles. Her research—a blend of excavation, conservation and interpretation—introduced the world to iconic finds such as the Dublin Cap and Viking burial cloths .

Mary Ann Williams, the book’s editor and later contributor, is a heritage writer specialising in textile history and archaeology. She shaped this volume as both tribute and scholarship—ensuring that Heckett’s legacy is preserved in form and context.

Publication date: 2024
Publisher: Cork University Press
Pages: 528
ISBN: 9781782055716