A book launch of “Tracking the Wild Bathtubs of North Clare” will take place at 7pm in The Salmon Bookshop, Ennistymon.
The author Michael Walsh will give a presentation which is sure to be visually rich and thought provoking. The book is published on Amazon and available at 15 shops in Clare.
Jessie Lendennie of The Salmon Bookshop & Literary Centre in Ennistymon gave the book a very succinct review: “Pure genius.”
In the windswept fields of North Clare, a curious phenomenon has taken root: hundreds of old cast-iron bathtubs, once fixtures of rural homes, now stand scattered across the landscape—repurposed as cattle troughs. In Tracking the Wild Bathtubs of North Clare, designer and cultural researcher Michael D. Walsh transforms this oddity into a rich cultural study, blending photography, fieldwork, and humor.
What began during lockdown as a personal mapping project turned into a five-year exploration of rural reuse. Armed with a camera and curiosity, Walsh documented these “feral plumbing” sightings—tubs visible from roadside ditches, fields, and farmyards. The result is a field guide, cultural commentary, and visual celebration in one.
The book places these humble tubs in historical context, tracing their origins back to the 1883 Kohler Company enamelled troughs—originally pig scalders. Walsh connects their reappearance in Irish fields to shifts in rural life: electrification, public water schemes, and waves of house renovations. What we discard, he suggests, becomes its own kind of heritage.
With wit and insight, Walsh invites readers to reflect on what everyday objects can reveal about our lives, values, and landscapes. Part of his ongoing collaboration with artists and archaeologists in Ireland and Sweden, the project also inspired academic articles and exhibitions abroad.
Tracking the Wild Bathtubs pairs striking photographs with layered text: historical facts, booklet-style summaries, and playful asides. It’s both a meditation on material culture and a road-trip companion—with a QR-linked “Wild Bathtub Safari” map marking over 470 tub locations for curious explorers.
As Walsh puts it: “Bathtubs are the white rhinos of the Irish countryside—rare, slightly ridiculous, and surprisingly well-adapted.” This book makes the case that they’re also worth remembering.
Spot tubs. Stay curious.
Michael Declan Walsh is a graphic designer with a longstanding interest in art, architecture, and built heritage. He loves exploring, mapping and photographing the backroads of Clare county on his sidecar motorcycle.
