Life on the frontier: Garrett Carr's journey along our northern border

In his book, ‘The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border’, Garrett Carr blends rhythms of philosophy, history, legend, memoir, and travelogue into a beguiling melody. Brendan Daly savours the tune

WHEN Winston Churchill addressed the House of Commons in February 1922, in the wake of Irish partition, he despaired that “we see the dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone emerging once again”.

Despite the catastrophe of the first world war and the transformation of the map of Europe, Churchill wearily acknowledged the stubborn persistence of Ireland’s intractable divisions.