Down the Dodder, by Christopher Moriarty (Wolfhound Press, £8.99)

Anyone who has a passing acquaintance with the Dodder as the lazy stream that meanders through Rathfarnham will be surprised by the persona it takes on in this fascinating and generously illustrated study. "It was called `Dothra' in Old Irish and there is a theory that this was an adjective meaning `turbulent' or `violent'. A more dramatic possibility is that the name, like those of other Irish rivers, was already established before the Celts came and therefore cannot be interpreted by Gaelic scholars . . ." Christopher Moriarty traces the capricious waterway from the slopes of Kippure - "the headwaters require a mildly energetic mountain walk" - to the Grand Canal Dock - "Some day it will be a colourful centre for canoes and sail boards, with seats and shady trees . . . Meanwhile the mullet splash, the seagulls clamour and the terns flit gently above the water." A treat from source to sea.