Science Spin 48 September 2011 | Page 22

Searching for gold in County Wicklow, by the late 18th century Irish landscape artist, Thomas Sautelle Roberts. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland. DUE OUT OCTOBER 2011 Price €20 GOLD FRENZY The story of Wicklow’s gold by Peadar McArdle In 1795, following the chance discovery of a nugget, there was a gold rush as people were drawn by the prospect of picking up instant wealth from Wicklow’s Goldmine River. Gold has always been mankind’s enduring passion, and long after the initial rush which the Government tried to crush, the belief persisted that great wealth remained undiscovered among the Wicklow hills. Charles Stewart Parnell was among those eager to support the prospectors, and with independence, nationalists were convinced that Ireland was about to rediscover its source of ancient gold. In his entertaining and highly informative book, Peadar McArdle, former Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, describes how the frenzy has never really died down, and to this day, panners dream that one day they might strike it rich. Hardback €20 IBSn 0 906002 08 7 Gold Frenzy will be available from the Science Spin website, selected bookshops and the Geological Survey of Ireland. Booksellers can order this and other titles direct from Albertine Kennedy Publishing at favourable terms. Enquiries to: [email protected] LIVE LINK Albertine Kennedy Publishing, 5 Serpentine Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4