Ireland
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Mount Sandel: Ireland’s ancient beginnings
Read more: Mount Sandel: Ireland’s ancient beginningsTracing our family history has become one of the most popular pastimes across the world. This is particularly true for the many millions (estimates vary between 50-80million) of people claiming Irish ancestry. Meticulous detective work reveals all sorts of fascinating personal histories tracing back generations to their roots. But what about 400 generations? For that’s…
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Newgrange – the prehistoric whodunnit
Read more: Newgrange – the prehistoric whodunnitThe world record for the heaviest weight ever lifted by a human is a staggering 2.4 tonnes. With years of training, specialized dieting, and intensive preparations, this is the greatest weight a single human has ever lifted. And yet, the passage tomb of Newgrange consists of a colossal 97 stone slabs, all weighing more than…
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Fort Navan: Ulster’s Ancient Capital
Read more: Fort Navan: Ulster’s Ancient CapitalThe Tain1 is one of Ireland’s most vivid ancient tales centering around the theft and subsequent conflict over a mighty bull. The famed Ulster hero Cu Chulainn, known as the “Hound of Emain Macha,”2 sets out to reclaim the bull himself, and (after the Ulster army are stricken with a debilitating sickness3) he single-handedly holds…
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The Hill of Tara: Ireland’s Historical Scar
Read more: The Hill of Tara: Ireland’s Historical ScarHistorical landmarks can, in themselves, become symbols and even metaphors for an entire historical period: whether it’s the Coliseum in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens, or the Pyramids in Egypt. These sites take on a character beyond the mere stones and presence they embody, becoming immortalized in the myths, legends, and histories which surround them.…
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Book Review: Ireland’s Animals, Niall Mac Coitir
Read more: Book Review: Ireland’s Animals, Niall Mac CoitirI have a small, energetic dog that will never grown-up – a puppy locked inside a four-year-old’s body. If you asked me to describe him, I would focus on his obvious traits: the colour of his fur, his hyperactive personality, or his never-ending quest to hunt/steal food. I may even recount memories of him, such…
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Book Review: A smaller social history of ancient Ireland, P.W. Joyce
Read more: Book Review: A smaller social history of ancient Ireland, P.W. JoyceI recently discovered that my 1 year-old daughter has already chosen her favourite book, one she undoubtedly picked for the colourful flaps and dynamic dinosaurs. When I ask what she wants to read, she has no hesitation, through pointing and screaming, which one it is. I only hope this is a sign that she is…
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Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre
Read more: Battle of the Boyne Visitor CentreGrowing up in Northern Ireland, for many around me the infamous Battle of the Boyne was more akin to a religious doctrine than a historical event. Many worshiped this mysterious figure on a white horse much like they did their saints, more so even. But like any historical event which becomes a political narrative, the…
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Book Review: The Celts, Barry Cunliffe
Read more: Book Review: The Celts, Barry CunliffeSome historians are born academics, their work is thorough, detailed, and completely incomprehensible. But there are a rare few, of whom we will have all heard of (e.g. Tom Holland, Anthony Beevor), who manage to bridge that great divide, turning facts into narrative, bringing history to life through a colourful string of characters. Barry Cunliffe’s…
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Book Review: Ancient Ireland, Laurence Flanagan
Read more: Book Review: Ancient Ireland, Laurence FlanaganArchaeology can often feel as dry and dead as the very artifacts it unearths. Debates around dating methodologies, discoveries of inane objects of little to no importance, or merely terminology so densely formulated in ‘isms’ and ‘tions’ that no lay-person has a hope of understanding it. Thankfully, Ancient Ireland by Laurence Flanagan can be accused…
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Book Review: The Oldest Irish Tradition, Kenneth Jackson
Read more: Book Review: The Oldest Irish Tradition, Kenneth JacksonI can’t count the times I’ve prayed for the dull, droning monotony of a lecture to end. We will all be able to remember a talk we wished we could escape, a pointless meeting, or a seemingly unending work presentation. I resent how much of my life has been stolen away by such moments. So…