The Pathless Land

An epic journey on foot from Dingle to Burr Point in search of Ireland's lost footpaths, and a quest to unravel the complexities of countryside access in Ireland and Britain. Ireland is a pathless land. Public access to the Irish countryside is more limited than almost anywhere else in Europe – no right to roam, no network of footpaths across the landscape and minimal legal protection for existing rights of way. When Tim Hannigan discovers a forgotten web of paths recorded on an old map of Ireland, he sets out on an epic journey to find out how the country lost its ways. As well as an evocative travelogue and a fascinating exploration of the turbulent history of the land in Ireland, The Pathless Land also offers an important new perspective on contemporary debates about extending the “right to roam” in neighbouring Britain, and asks vital but neglected questions about the most practical mechanisms for public access in heavily agricultural landscapes. This is also a deeply personal journey for the author. Born in Cornwall but living and raising a family in County Galway, he must confront awkward questions about landscape and identity, and about the connections between walking and belonging, as he struggles to find his way across a pathless land.