A Map of the Kingdom of Ireland from the Latest and Best Observations

Ireland, attempting to recover from Bliain an Áir (the Famine of 1740-41).

This lovely map of Ireland was drawn and engraved by R.W. (Richard William) Seale for Nichols Tindal’s The History of England by Mr Rapin de Thoyras, published in London between 1744 and 1747.

.The four historic provinces are clearly outlined and labeled, with toponyms identifying a fascinating variety of historic sites, villages, estates (often owned by absentee landlords), religious institutions, and geographic features. The landscape is generalized pictorially – shaded lowlands, forests, and hilly areas. Conflict with the British is reflected in the presence of numerous forts, castles, redoubts, and barracks of infantry and cavalry.

In the 1740s, Ireland was under British rule, governed as a kingdom in personal union with Great Britain but dominated by a Protestant elite. The majority Catholic (and rural) population faced severe legal and economic restrictions under the Penal Laws, which limited their rights to own land, hold office, and practice their faith freely. The decade was marked by hardship, especially during the Irish Famine of 1740–1741, which caused widespread starvation and death (proportionally higher than the Great Famine) due to extreme weather and crop failure.