Rathgall

Irish Hillforts – Grounding History

As you walk around any modern city, nearly always your eyes will be drawn to the architecture. The style, scale, and shape of the buildings captures our attention, eliciting emotions and leaving an enduring impression. I have had the privilege of visiting many cities around the world and invariably it’s the government buildings which standout. …

Rathcroghan: Ireland’s ancient metropolis

Little inspires the imagination as vividly as walking through the ruined remains of a once thriving metropolis. Seeing the great stones of buildings, the hills and walkways where our ancestors would have stepped, or just the sense of scale of a place which has fallen so far from its place of greatness. Rathcroghan, with a …

Mesolithic rock art from Newgrange

Newgrange – the prehistoric whodunnit

The 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 …

The Giant’s Ring: Belfast’s Neolithic Roots

When we look at the ancient stone monuments, thousands of years old, which dot our landscape, it is difficult to truly comprehend what we are seeing, never mind comprehend their significance. There’s no questioning that they have inspired generations of writers, artists, and thinkers: with fantasy genres full of scenes centred around these mysterious sites, …