The Way That I Went: An Irishman in Ireland

by Robert Lloyd Praeger

Written by Ireland's greatest field botanist and first published in 1937, Robert Praeger's personal tour of Ireland's natural wonders has had a greater influence on Irish naturalists than any other book. It represents five years of weekends spent walking the countryside (some 5,000 miles), swimming through flooded caverns, staying out all night on islands, sifting fossil bones, and exploring cattle-tramped tombs. That was when conservation was still in the future, farmers welcomed rambling strangers, bogs were intact, bungalows, cars, ESB poles and chainsaws were absent, and the countryside was largely tourist-free. Praeger's journey becan in Donegal and ended in Kerry. Along the way he discovered much, including the passage tombs of Carrowkeel in Sligo, which he was the first to enter. The Way that I Went is an absolute must for lovers of natural history. ""The author offers his observations on not only the Emerald Isle's flora but also its animal life, geology, archaeology, and more...Still one of the best titles on the subject.""--Library Journal.

Genres: Ireland, Travel, Nature, History

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Robert Lloyd Praeger was an Irish naturalist, writer and librarian.

Praeger worked in the National Library of Ireland in Dublin from 1893 to 1923. He co-founded and edited the Irish Naturalist, and wrote papers on the flora and other aspect of the natural history of Ireland. He organised the Lambay Survey in 1905/06 and, from 1909 to 1915, the wider Clare Island Survey. He was an engineer by qualification, a librarian by profession and a naturalist by inclination.

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In my daily rambles along the path, I have been inspired by a famous observer of the Irish landscape, the early-twentieth-cenury naturalist Robert Lloyd Praeger, who walked over all of Ireland "with reverent feet," he said, eschewing motor transport, "stopping often, watching closely, listening carefully." Quote by Chet Raymo

[Ron Caves]

A magical book that deserves being much better known and wider read. I first heard of Praeger when reading the first of [author Tim Robinson]'s Connemara Trilogy. I was intrigued to find that Praeger attended the same Grammar School as I in Belfast, though many years earlier. The book provides a wonderful cross country stomp through Irish topography and natural history. There is quite a bit of humour and anecdote at times catching an Ireland that is sadly but inevitably gone. I particularly enjoyed the accounts of the wilder fringes of Ireland both the hills and the coastlines, which makes them as interesting as any I have traveled in Europe or North America.

[Brian Gormley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 out 5. This has been on my To Be Read pile for years. It’s a great insight into the Irish landscape and archaeology, and I look forward to retracing some of the walks he took. He probably goes more into the geological formation of the land than I would have liked, and I thought there would be more about the bird life. It took me a fair few weeks to get through it.

[Aaron Hollander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Lloyd Praeger opens his naturalist peregrinations under the auspices of a discourse on Irish rocks and vegetation, but it swiftly broadens into something much grander. Weaving natural history, archeological provenance, geology, the interplay of sea & land, regional highlights, Irish ecclesiastic history, meditations and observations on plants (both terrestrial and marine life), birds, sea creatures, and animals, Gaelic linguistics, the national poetic traditions, philology and personal anecdotes, tailored to the trousers of a fine travelogue of the emerald isle.

Praeger has fashioned one of the most thrilling travelogues I have ever read, packed with evocative descriptions, detailed approaches, handled in a breezy, affable style, in a charming colorful voice, with a deep erudition and respect for the reader. He speaks from the perch of the hiker-naturalist, in search of quiet, unfettered, wild surroundings. Countless suggestions for alpine, meadow, lakeside and coastal walks are presented as curiosities for further points-of-departure. His writing actually inspired and guided my own recent visit to the country, seeking out specific sights, ruins and craggy attractions. There is no topic with respect to the wild, verdant Isle which Praeger leaves untouched in this tidy tome.

Two major criticisms: subsequent versions should include cursory maps of the regions described. I found myself having to consult numerous external atlases, maps and supplements to grasp geographical content. Secondly, an expanded index, and/or glossary section. I’m well aware this was mostly written for the upper class Irish reader in 1937, but there’s such specificity that’s detailed, it would be of great help to a minimum include updated footnotes. For the adventurous reader in search of nature writing, Irish history, or simply an enjoyable armchair sojourn, this is highly recommended!

[Rob Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing journey of exploration and discovery. 100 years later its eerie following in some of his footsteps and imagining the excitement he must have felt.
Still relevant today, well written and a delight to read.