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News |
 Add news |
Archaeologists warn against delisting of post-1700 historical structureshttp://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0916/1224304193570... continues... |
Posted by bogman16th September 2011ce Edited 16th September 2011ce |
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Stone Circles This quarter's 'Archaeology Ireland' has a three page feature on Stone Circles, by Muiris O'Sullivan and Liam Downey. "The architecture and orientation of stone circles were inherently symbolic, reflecting in a fundamental way a sense of spirituality and belief in the otherworld..." So there you are. |
Posted by gjrk15th March 2011ce |
Newbuildings time team to excavate ancient RathLondonderry Sentinel By Olga Bradshaw - 21st January 2009 MEMBERS of Newbuildings and District Archaeological and Historical Society are eagerly awaiting the results of a new survey scheduled to take place this week, to discover what lies beneath a rath which has been discovered in the village... continues... |
Posted by moss22nd January 2009ce |
Grassy mounds our earliest breweries, claim archaeologistsby Sarah Stack (Irish Examiner 11 August 2007) 'Bronze age Irish men were as fond of their beer as their 21st century counterparts, it was claimed yesterday. Two Galway archaeologists have put forward a theory that one of the most common ancient monuments around Ireland may have been used for brewing ale... continues... |
Posted by gjrk 13th August 2007ce Edited 30th September 2008ce |
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Ireland not ruled out as Atlantis by museum Contrary to press reports in August, the National Museum of Ireland did not rule out that Ireland could have been Atlantis (Full text). The previous reports were apparently the result of quoting out of context. There is a new website for the theory now, AtlantisInIreland.com, which includes a blog and an invitation to a real time debate. |
Posted by odysseus 11th December 2004ce Edited 13th December 2004ce |
Irish Times: Historic sites Bill likely to face legal challengeDaniel McConnell The Irish Times 17 June 2004 Opponents of newly-published legislation, which will give the Government power to proceed with road projects which interfere with national monuments after archaeological works are carried out, have threatened to challenge the legislation in the courts... continues... |
Posted by otuathail3 19th June 2004ce Edited 22nd June 2004ce |
Irish Independent: 'Ill-conceived' bill threatens heritage sitesIrish Independent 17.06.04 Save Tara! IMPORTANT archaeological sites, including Ireland's oldest Viking settlement, will be threatened if the Government's proposed amendment to the National Monuments Bill is passed, heritage activists said yesterday... continues... |
Posted by otuathail3 19th June 2004ce Edited 12th April 2006ce |
Irish Examiner: Cullen 'failing to protect heritage sites'Irish Examiner 17/06/04 By Jim Morahan HERITAGE groups yesterday accused Environment Minister Martin Cullen of failing to protect national monuments... continues... |
Posted by otuathail3 19th June 2004ce Edited 22nd June 2004ce |
Labour describes Monuments Bill as 'official vandalism'TaraWatch Irish Times Marie O'Halloran 18.06.04 A Bill to allow for the completion of the M50 motorway at Carrickmines will legalise "official vandalism" of national monuments, the Labour Party's environment spokesman has claimed... continues... |
Posted by otuathail3 19th June 2004ce Edited 12th April 2006ce |
Monuments Bill 'legal vandalism' claims LabourMonuments Bill 'legal vandalism' claims Labour Irish Independent 18.06.04 continues... |
Posted by otuathail3 19th June 2004ce Edited 12th April 2006ce |
Folklore |
Add folklore |
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Old traditions, crumbling with time.. I suspect that this news comes in defence of folklore which in turn preserves the archaeological monuments by superstition or 'piseogs' to use the rather lovely Irish word......... Superstitions may seem strange and baseless, but somehow they have clung on for thousands of years. Are they a sign of respect for the past and if so just how much longer might they last? WHEN I WAS growing up, there was a ring fort at the end of our road. We were warned not to play there. It was accepted that fairy forts contained some mystique or potential for harm. Our parents were probably told the same by their parents, and so on through the generations. But has belief in science and technology replaced faith in superstitions? Perhaps not. Dara Molloy, a former Roman Catholic priest based on Inis Mór, is in demand to perform Celtic rituals and blessings. When we spoke last week, he was at a wedding ceremony in which he used blessings dating from what he terms "Celtic Christianity". It involves the tying of knots and sprinkling of water from a nearby well. These practices predate the Roman Catholic Church, he says, and are more in keeping with old Irish customs and beliefs. "We held on to a lot of traditions but they were pushed to the margins of the church," he says. "People still visit holy wells, climb Croagh Patrick or go to Lough Derg, but many other Irish customs and traditions didn't carry on and some local priests were instrumental in encouraging them to be abandoned." Molloy says when he first moved to the Aran Islands 25 years ago, he was struck by the reverence the locals had for ancient sites and monuments. "Neighbours of mine on Inis Mór who were born and raised on the island had never been up to the hill fort of Dún Aengus," he says. "One of the reasons given was that their parents wouldn't let them. They said the place was lived in by the sióga or other world folk. Nowadays some young locals want to have their weddings up there because they believe the energy of the sióga is there. The belief hasn't been lost. It is just used differently. I have witnessed young adults who want to go to Dún Aengus and sleep there overnight to get the feeling that is up there." That feeling may relate to the fact the site has been used by locals for centuries as a place of gathering or safety. Piseogs [superstitions] are still heeded on the islands too, says Molloy. That is why a red-haired woman who turns up at a door on New Year's Eve is unlikely to be shown indoors. "It would be a bad omen for the coming years," he says. Colm Moloney, managing director of Headland Archaeology, says much has been lost in recent years in relation to Irish folklore. "My own childhood revolved around my dad, who spent a lot of his time walking his greyhounds (and his children) around the landscape of east Cork. Every hill, river, nook and cranny had a story attached to it and he told them so well it was captivating," he says. "Modern Ireland does not readily facilitate this kind of activity. Landowners have a problem with people wandering across their land and kids have so much to distract them, it is near impossible to get them outside." Moloney says much of our folklore is in danger in the hands of the current generation. "The Irish psyche has changed. The respect that was there for the past is losing ground. Our knowledge and links to the past through oral traditions were what made us unique." There have been reports recently that a farmer destroyed a ring fort in Co Cork. This would not have occurred a decade ago, he says. Folklore often existed to protect the built heritage and vice versa. "Every country boy knew the traditions associated with ring forts," he says. "If you touched the fairy forts something very bad would happen to you. This tradition and similar kinds of piseog resulted in the preservation of archaeological monuments across the country, probably for thousands of years. "This is a frightening development, where 30 sq m of farmland is of greater value than a monument that may have stood on that spot for 1,200 years." EMILY ROSS http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/0104/1224286698278.html |
Posted by moss 4th January 2011ce Edited 4th January 2011ce |
The Fairy MusicTHE evil influence of the fairy glance does not kill, but it throws the object into a death-like trance, in which the real body is carried off to some fairy mansion, while a log of wood, or some ugly, deformed creature is left in its place, clothed with the shadow of the stolen form. Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland By Lady Francesca Speranza Wilde A huge collection of folklore and folk-magic from Oscar Wildes' mother. View online at Google Books, Sacred-texts Com, or download this collection for your iPhone or iPod. |
Posted by Chance19th July 2010ce |
Links |
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Megalithic Monuments of Ireland.comsite index |
Posted by wideford25th June 2011ce |
Megalithomania"Megalithomania is the story of one man's journey across 10 years (and counting) around the stones of Ireland. Tom Fourwinds' site is a catalogue of over 2200 sites, containing more than 10,000 photographs of Irish sites, and is a testament to his stamina and zeal." Alan S. http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/web-focus-on-megalithomania/ |
Posted by Littlestone28th March 2011ce Edited 9th June 2011ce |
Ordnance Survey IrelandMap viewer for Ireland - there are historical maps too. |
Posted by Rhiannon15th September 2010ce Edited 15th September 2010ce |
Newgrange, Boyne Valley, IrelandNewgrange with Knowth and Dowth are the major sites of the Boyne Valley World Heritage Site. Images and information on Newgrange itself with visitor and tour information. |
Posted by knowth16th June 2010ce |
A Road on the Long RidgeA Road on the Long Ridge - In search of an Ancient Highway on the Eiscar Riada by Hermann Geissel. This is a free pdf book based on the TG4 program about a journey on the Eiscar Riada or Sli Mor from Dublin to Galway. It is a great read and he also proposes that Early Christain sites were constructed beside the road for access etc. It could also be argued that perhaps some of these were based on early prehistoric sites and therefore sites were located near the road. It also has a section on Croghan Hill and it mentions the alignment of the Hill of Uisneach - Croghan Hill on Winter Solstice Sunrise. |
Posted by bawn7919th June 2007ce Edited 19th June 2007ce |
British ArchaeologyArticle from November/December 2005: "Ireland's road network is experiencing an astonishing development, with sometimes controversial implications for the country's rich and largely unexplored rural heritage. Dàire O'Rourke, senior archaeologist at the National Roads Authority, says a new code means everyone will benefit." |
Posted by Rhiannon 3rd February 2006ce Edited 3rd February 2006ce |
Megalithic Ireland as the inspiration for Plato's AtlantisNews and discussion about the book Atlantis from a Geographer's Perspective: Mapping the Fairy Land, by Ulf Erlingsson. A short video presents some of the intriguing details from the book. The author considers that Plato's Atlantis was a utopia, but shows that with a probability of over 99.98%, Plato based the description of Atlantis' geography on Ireland. |
Posted by odysseus 18th February 2005ce Edited 19th February 2005ce |
Mythical Ireland - new light on the ancient pastAn exploration of Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth, Tara, Loughcrew and other ancient sites of Ireland in the context of art, astronomy, mythology and archaeology. |
Posted by mythicalireland 19th March 2004ce Edited 29th September 2004ce |
Mythical IrelandSpirals, lozenges and concentric circles in one of the world's hubs of megalithic art. Knowth, Dowth, Newgrange and Fourknocks sun-lit in their full glory! |
Posted by Annexus Quam 10th March 2001ce Edited 20th May 2005ce |
Latest posts for Eire |
Showing 1-10 of 7,720 posts. Most recent first | Next 10 
Proleek (Portal Tomb) — Links |
Proleek portal tomb on BBC Iplayer.Great British Railway Journeys goes to Ireland where Michael Portillo visits the Cromlech stones of Dundalk ...not that I am a train spotter or anything!... watch it before its pulled on Feb 10th 2012. :o) |
Posted by scubi632nd February 2012ce |
Hill of Tara — News |
Conservation plan to protect Hill of Tara in the futureA conservation plan has been commissioned for the State-owned lands on the Hill of Tara by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan. The minister, in collaboration with the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Heritage Council, has commissioned the Discovery Programme to undertake the plan which, he said, "will illustrate the unique cultural and historical significance of Tara and identify appropriate policies to ensure its preservation and presentation". The area to be examined includes the immediate environs of the Hill which contribute to the experience and enjoyment of the monument. While the conservation plan will also consider access and visitor amenity issues, Mr Deenihan stressed that Tara was "essentially an outdoor experience and that should not change". The minister emphasised that the emerging conservation plan would "place a key emphasis on consultation with stakeholders, and the local community in particular". Ultimately, it is intended that the conservation plan for the Tara complex will act as an overarching framework for management and interpretation. Navan area town and county councillors received a delegation from the Department of Heritage and the Heritage Council to brief them on the commissioning of the plan at their January meeting. Ian Doyle of the Heritage Council, Brian Lacey of the Discovery Programme and Tom Condit of the Department's National Monuments Service, provided an initial information briefing about the planned preparation of the plan. Mr Lacey said the structure of a conservation plan is quite specific. It is recognised internationally as an ideal formula for protecting heritage and managing change in important historic places. Since 2005, when the Cunnane Strattan Reynolds Report on the conservation of the Hill was submitted, there have been much more developments, including the completion of the M3 and the excavations associated with the motorway building, numerous publications relating to Tara, as well as remote sensing surveys, Mr Lacey told the meeting. In the summer of 2010, the Discovery Programme and its partners at NUI Galway doubled the amount of geophysical surveys on the hilltop, revealing in the process what is almost certainly the previously unknown whereabouts of the medieval manor of Tara. While broadly welcoming the report, councillors expressed concerns about possible restrictions on the Hill, as well as 'Americanising' the monument. However, in response to Cllr Shane Cassells' concerns that the 'rawness' of Tara which attracted people would be lost, Ian Doyle said there was no intention of creating the 'Disneyfication' of Tara, but the manage and help understand its character. Cllr Joe Reilly said he hoped that the consultation process was not going to be similar to the recent one concerning Tara. "There is a sad history of consultation and failure to reach agreement 18 months ago," he said. Cllr Jim Holloway said it was an "exciting" project but that he hoped the "mystique" of Tara would be maintained. Cllr Tommy Reilly and Cllr Jenny McHugh asked that visitor facilities and car parking be looked at, with Cllr Reilly criticising the fact that the OPW centre is closed for the greater part of the year. Mr Doyle said the purpose of the plan was to look at four points - access, value, protection and enjoyment. The Department officials requested that a representative of the council be appointed to the steering committee to oversee the project, and councillors agreed to consider this. Archaeological works to investigate the significant degradation of the covering of the Mound of the Hostages have been completed. These excavations have resulted in the removal of a portion of the earthen mound over the passage tomb. Design options for conservation works to the passage tomb and the restoration of the mound are now being considered and will begin as soon as possible. The Mound of the Hostages, Duma na nGiall, is one of the most prominent monuments among the concentration of prehistoric sites on the Hill of Tara. The covering of the mound is showing signs of significant degradation which, according to Minister Deenihan, "has begun to increase as a result of the very inclement weather over the last few years". He said that a non-invasive geophysical survey had already been completed which was followed by investigative archaeological excavations overseen by his Department and the Office of Public Works. "The excavation results will feed into a detailed conservation and management plan for the mound," added the minister. The Tara-Skryne Preservation Group (TSPG) has welcomed Minister Deenihan's announcement of a conservation plan. Carmel Diviney of the group, which was formed during the M3 motorway controversy, said it is a most welcome announcement to all concerned about the long-ranging state of disrepair on the Hill. http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/roundup/articles/2012/02/01/4008743-conservation-plan-to-protect-hill-of-tara-in-the-future/ |
Posted by moss 2nd February 2012ce |
Uragh (Stone Circle) — Images (click to view fullsize) |
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Posted by Meic2nd February 2012ce |
Drombohilly (Stone Circle) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited 1st February 2012 Turn off the R571 at Lauragh Bridge, down a narrow lane which takes youu towards Drombohilly. I parked by a green hut just past Gowlaur Lough. From here , I found an easy spot to cross the small stream and headed directly uphill towards Drombohilly Hill. It's a little boggy,but nothing to really get your feet wet. after gaining some height, I headed left parrallel with the road towards the fence. Theres an easy spot to step over by the high rocks. Then head around the head of the wet are to the next fence. There is one spot where it has fallen down and it's relatively easy to slip under it. Keep going to the last fence, hich is easily negotiable. You find yourself on a firebreak/track which heads left down hill, turning sharply right and steeply down. Drombohilly Circle soon comes into view in the infant plantation ahead right. Just before reaching the small stream veer off right, heading directly towards the circle. It may take a little longer than the more direct routes, but its relatively easy. Drombohilly Circle is a gem. A multiple circle, there are 9 stones standing and 1 fallen. All are quite tall. This circle looks like it will disappear into the forestry which has been planted here in years to come, so visit while you can ! |
Posted by Meic 2nd February 2012ce |
Uragh West (Stone Circle) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited on 1st February 2012 Directions to the car park are the same as for Uragh. Then follow the farm track up over the cattle grids, up the hill until the track does a v to the left. There is a handmade sign pointing you in the right direction (for fulacht fia and boulder burials). Go through the gate and follow the signs and well worn track around Uragh wood and you will walk straight into Uragh West Circle. The Farmer walked some of the way with me, he was really friendly and proud that he has all of this history on his land. He gave me the directions to the higher of the two circles, pointing it out on the hillside to me. I didn't begrudge the ?‚?2 here. He obviously does his best to upkeep everything and has made that path to the lower circle ! As I said, you walk straight into this one. The first thing that strikes you is the big boulder burial in the centre. There are 8 stones still standing in the circle with 2/3 fallen. An old wall has been built across the Northern edge, incorporating one of the circles stones ! There are two further boulder burials nearby ! This is a great little circle, hidden behind the woods below Knocknagarrane.Hopefully the gorse won't become too invasive and take over. |
Posted by Meic 1st February 2012ce |
Uragh (Stone Circle) — Fieldnotes |
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Visited on 1st February 2012 Follow the signs for Gleninchiquin Park and Uragh Stone Circle off the R571. Look out for a right turning signposted Uragh Stone Circle. This will take you to the private car park and there is a charge of ?,?2. From the car park, the Farmer has laid out a nice footpath over the hill to the circle, making it a nice easy dry 5 minute walk. The circle makers certainly chose a magical place, on a hill between two loughs, with amazing views in all directions. Overlooked by the mountains of Knocknagaraveela, Knockagarrane and Knockreagh.Unfortunately the waterfall wasn't very visible today in the haze ! The circle is made up of 5 stones, including 2 portals (one of which now leans outwards) and a recumbant. The massive standing stone is set right behind the recumbant. There also seems to be a rectangular pit in the centre. |
Posted by Meic 1st February 2012ce |
Drombohilly (Stone Circle) — Images |
   
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Posted by Meic 1st February 2012ce |
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