There are identification notes for all of the species that are treated in detail, as well as distribution maps and hundreds of photographs.

Chapters cover: the habitats of Irish mosses and liverworts, the history of bryophyte recording in Ireland, the background to the fieldwork behind the book and a summary of the most important areas for bryophytes in Ireland (including the Mourne Mountains, Croagh Patrick, the Dingle Peninsula and Dublin Bay).

A Red List for the entire bryophyte flora is provided.

The book is the result of a collaborative programme of research by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Republic of Ireland and the NIEA (Northern Ireland Environment Agency). It sets the bryophytes in a European and global context, and provides a scientifically based foundation for future bryophyte conservation in Ireland, as well as a platform for further studies of the Irish bryophyte flora.