This beautifully illustrated book explores the history of the fishery
piers and harbours of Galway and North Clare. A testament to these
structures as feats of engineering, it is also a riveting account of the
human aspect that shadowed their construction; a beautiful rendering of
the maritime activities that gave life to the Wild Atlantic Way -
kelp-making, fishing, turf distribution, and sea-borne trade. Humble
Works for Humble People nurtures the retelling of human stories
surrounding the piers, giving voice to the unacknowledged legacy of the
lives that were their making. Foreign financial support, humanitarian
efforts, controversies and conflict - these are all features of the
piers and harbours' development and preservation. Humble Works for
Humble People is a vital contribution to the maritime history of Galway,
Clare and of Ireland in general; an overlooked but culturally rich facet
of Irish history. [Subject: Irish Studies, History, Maritime History,
Irish History]