Description: Spanning the life's work of archaeologist Elizabeth Wincott Heckett, Textiles of Ireland: Archaeology, craft, art is the first wide-ranging book on the archaeological textiles of Ireland published since 1989.
Brief description: Elizabeth Wincott Heckett was an archaeologist who specialised in the study of the archaeological textiles of Ireland for more than thirty years. Shortly after receiving her MA from University College Cork, she published her research into a group of headcoverings worn by tenth-century women in Viking Dublin, which were found in the Wood Quay excavations. Wincott Heckett gained worldwide recognition for this style of headcovering, which became known as the 'Dublin Cap'. Over her long career, she researched and wrote about the earliest textiles of Ireland, from artefacts long held in museum collections to finds that surfaced during recent roadworks. She consulted with leading archaeologists throughout Ireland, including Raghnall Ó Floinn, former director of the National Museum of Ireland, Maurice F. Hurley, Conleth Manning, Alan Hayden, Sheila Lane and Claire Walsh. She was a part-time faculty member in the Archaeology Department of University College Cork. Her skill as a teacher and her gift for public speaking inspired students and wider audiences alike.
Review Quotes:
The book is a series of scholarly essays composed by archaeologist Elizabeth Wincott Heckett, adroitly edited by Mary Ann Williams, and produced with the overall quality we expect from Cork University Press...It is considered the first authoritative history of Irish textiles since Mairead Dunleavy's Dress in Ireland (1989). It's also generously illustrated with photography, drawings, and charts, laid out to make it a satisfying browse for the casually interested reader.
--Eleanor Flegg "Selvedge Magazine"