A native of Birr, Co. Offaly, Caimin O'Brien is an archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of Ireland, a branch of the National Monuments Service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This gives him unique insight into much of Ireland's landscape, which he has put to interesting use in a new book called "Stories from a Sacred Landscape." The book is an excellent example of local history, proving that sometimes it is best to look closely at a small slice of Irish life, rather than shallowly at the entire nation. "Stories from a Sacred Landscape" explores the history of Christianity in Offaly, where some of the first Irish saints came from. O'Brien, who graduated from University College Galway with a degree in archaeology and later earned another degree in Medieval History at Trinity College Dublin, notes that Offaly was the place where the boundaries of four of Ireland's five ancient provinces came together. This region became known as the "Flowering Garden of Monasteries." But this is not mere religious history with pretty pictures. O'Brien argues that the monasteries in Offaly began to play important political roles in Irish life, eventually undermining their religious foundations. O'Brien is uniquely qualified for a project such as this. His other books include "Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly," "The Medieval Churches of County Offaly" and "Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary." Occasionally, he (as well his publisher) strain to argue that Offaly's destiny was tied tightly to the Irish nation's as a whole. All in all, however, "Stories from a Sacred Landscape" has a fascinating story to tell. (Go to Mercierpress.ie for more details.)