18 July 2023 - HUNDREDS OF RUINS IN IRELAND - RATHCROGHAN

 

HUNDREDS OF RUINS

 IN IRELAND 

- RATHCROGHAN  -

G'day folks,

This ancient Irish landscape boasts hundreds of legendary ruins. 

Rathcroghan, or Cruachan Aí, is an archaeologist’s dream. Found in the center of County Roscommon, it contains about 240 identified archaeological sites packed within an area of about 2.5 square miles.

This landscape confidently bears witness to nearly 5,500 years of continuous settlement. The earliest known monument is a small court tomb from the early Neolithic Period. Bronze and Iron Age burial mounds dot the earth. You’ll also find traces of massive feats of late Iron Age architecture such as the Rathcroghan Mound and the Mucklaghs earthworks as well as early historic settlement sites and religious foundations. The later medieval period sees Rathcroghan divided into a large matrix of field systems, evidence of the pastoral farming practice common to this region from prehistory up to the present day.

 

This area, perhaps unsurprisingly, is also one of the key theaters of Ireland’s impressive collection of intoxicating mythology and literature. It boasts the mythological gateway into the Irish Otherworld: the cave of Oweynagat. Uaimh na gCat (Gaelic for “Cave of the Cats”) is the origin place of the pre-Christian seasonal celebration of Samhain, the Celtic precursor to modern Halloween.

Rathcroghan is the starting point for a whole series of Iron Age heroic cattle raiding tales, known as na Tána. Indeed, the central tale of the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, an Táin Bó Cúailnge, Ireland’s greatest epic, rises out of Rathcroghan, at the behest of the famous Iron Age Warrior Queen Medb (Maeve) of Connacht. Medb is a vital part of this landscape, and of the West more generally, and her capitol and palace are reputed to be located on the Rathcroghan landscape. These stories record the deeds of Ireland’s heroes, such as Cú Chulainn, Fráoch, the Morrigan, Conor Mac Nessa, Ferdia, and Medb herself.

Many of these archaeological sites retain links to these heroic tales through their names, among them Reilig na Rí (the Cemetery of Kings), Caiseal Mhanannán (the stone fort of Manannán mac Lír, god of the sea), Rath na dtarbh (the fort of the bulls), Daithí’s Stone, and more. Hearing these stories, told on this earthen canvas, is the perfect way to understand the previous generations who walked this sacred landscape.

13 October 2021 - St. PATRICK, SNAKES, AND IRELAND

 

St. PATRICK, SNAKES,

 AND IRELAND

G'day folks,

March 17 is St Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick, a cultural and religious holiday celebrated every year in Ireland and by Irish communities around the world. 

The celebration marks the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in the fifth century and represents the arrival of Christianity in the country.

Celebrations to mark the event long ago spread across the world from the "Emerald Isle". New York, for example, is noted for its extravagant parades and marching bands on this day – a tradition said to date back to 1776. Such is the enthusiasm that in recent years up to 300,000 marchers and two million spectators have brought the "Big Apple" to a virtual halt.

Boston, too, is noted for its spectacular parades with floats, marching bands, live music, and dyed green beer! Bostonians got in on the act even before New York, when in 1737 the newly formed Charitable Irish Society organised its first parade to honour St Patrick.

Not to be outdone, Chicago dyed its river green on March 17 in 1962 – the start of a new tradition. There has even been a parade on the streets of Moscow since 1992.

So what is known about St Patrick? Well, for a start, it is not certain that he was Irish, claims having been registered that he was born in Wales or Scotland!

Wherever his roots, the history books show that in the late fourth or early fifth century he was captured by pirates, sold into slavery and kept in bondage for six years in Ireland. Breaking away from his chains, as it were, he escaped to France where he became a monk. By about 432 he had become a bishop and returned to Ireland as a missionary. 

According to Catholic scholars he arrived there in 433 and soon met the chieftain of one of the druid tribes, who tried to kill him. After an intervention by God, Patrick was able to convert the chieftain and went on to preach the Gospel throughout Ireland. He preached there for 40 years, converting thousands of people and building churches across the country.

He died in 461 at Saul, where he had built the first Irish church and is believed to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick.

Today, there are no snakes in Ireland and that, according to legend, is thanks to St Patrick. The priest John Colgan began work on a six-volume Irish ecclesiastical history in the 17th Century, including the lives of the saints. In it, he tells how Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland by luring them to the sea where they were drowned.

Colgan relates that he accomplished this feat by beating a drum, but he did so with such fervour that he knocked a hole in it, putting the success of the miracle in jeopardy. Fortunately, we are told, an angel appeared and mended the drum.

Patrick then rendered the Irish soil so obnoxious to serpents that to this day they die immediately on touching it. Scientists say this is all bunkum and that snakes have never been seen on the island of Ireland. How would they have got there?

Scholars in their turn believe that the snake story is an allegory for St Patrick’s eradication of pagan ideology. American classics professor Philip Freeman says that since snakes often represent evil in literature, "when Patrick drives the snakes out of Ireland, it is symbolically saying he drove the old, evil, pagan ways out of the country and brought in a new age."

The saint's true name was Maewyn Succat. That obviously lacked an Irish ring and he later became known as St Patrick, named after his place of burial.

Clancy's comment: Go, St. Patrick! He obviously missed Australia. Here we have some of the most venomous snakes in the world. Just sayin' ...

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14 October 2020 - PERFECTLY PRESERVED 19TH CENTURY COTTAGE FOUND IN IRELAND

 PERFECTLY PRESERVED 

19TH CENTURY COTTAGE

 FOUND IN IRELAND

G'day folks,

Here’s a question. What would you think if we told you that time traveling is a real thing? Would you assume that we’re joking? Or that we read too many science fiction books? Fair enough. Time traveling is a mysterious concept wrapped in thousands of legends and myths and most of us will probably never figure it out whether it’s a real thing or just another creation of the seemingly limitless human imagination. 

Though some people are at times lucky enough to get their chance of diving a few centuries back into the past. One of those people is a photographer named Rebecca who recently had a chance to take a look inside an eerie cottage built in the 19th century that turned out to be a historical treasure chest.

Rebecca is a photographer with a passion for exploring old abandoned buildings full of history. Recently on her webpage called Abandoned NI, she shared a post about a 19th-century farmhouse that she got a chance to explore and photograph. “An artist follows my page and his brother in law inherited the cottage,” explains the photographer.

This house is located in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and it was lived in until 2015 by one of three brothers who did their best to keep all of their family’s history untouched. The brother who lived here was named Dessie and he stayed here alone among the relics of the past.

Here Rebecca found loads of old books, magazines, papers, photographs, frozen clocks, and old letters from more than 100 years ago. “It was so interesting because of the valuable social history that was behind the walls. It looked very unassuming from the outside so I was quite pleasantly surprised!” the photographer shared with us. One of the things she found was a newspaper that documented the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic back in 1912.

Clancy's comment: I'd love to check out this place. Amazing, eh? Thanks, Rebecca.

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7 August 2020 - JAMES LINNANE - GUEST AUTHOR, PODCASTER AND POET

 JAMES LINNANE 

- GUEST AUTHOR, PODCASTER AND POET -

G'day folks,

Today, I interview an interesting character from Ireland.

Welcome, James ...

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.

  I was born on a farm in Galway, close to the sea, raised there till I was almost ten then moved to County Meath in the midlands about a 100 miles away another farm and a totally different landscape. I was the youngest of a family of ten: 6 girls and 4 boys. By the time I was in my teens most had moved out to work in the city. I was 7 years younger than the rest so I spent much time on my own. At 15 we moved to a posh suburb of Dublin city.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?

I started to write at 17, when I first got the crazy notion into my head to be a writer. Of course my initial efforts were pretty dire. Though on some of my cringe worthy efforts I did indeed see some potential. Encouragement was mostly in short

supply in the society I inhabited at that time.

WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?

I am not a great planner but I do plan a little in my head. I do make copious notes and write stories to weld together to make up the book, whether a novel or short stories. Poetry is different.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

 I enjoy getting it finished as quickly and as well as I can.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

Mostly in this country writing is indeed a thankless unappreciated task. Many writers wind up broke or alcoholic or both. For me whatever the drawbacks

it would be hard to be other than a writer, it is simply within me for better or worse.

WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?

  I was in construction on and off for about 20 years or so. A bartender

and a Security Guard among other things.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?

 Getting my books published mostly on my own, in spite of adversity.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?

 A book about my bartender days.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

 Many things: Past events perhaps, good times,bad times. Who knows?

WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?

 Some perhaps autobiographical in origin, some based on experience, my poetry just from within and just life.

DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?

  Read a lot, join a writer's group, get practice and learn. Don't be discouraged.

Believe in yourself and work at it. But you must enjoy life also and get experience.

DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?

 Not so much writer's block, maybe laziness or possibly both.

DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?

No just when I am in humour mostly.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?

 Where I can get peace or enough light.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?

 A sunny day in the countryside, feeling well and something good to write.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?

 So many, it used to be Wilbur Smith, John Pilger and David Icke.

WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?

 They said to me as they were reading it, they felt like they had experienced it themselves.

WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?

 Someone said there was too much swearing in my writing, though I felt they

were motivated by something else I won't discuss. I am happy to say I have received

many more compliments.

WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?

 Almost totally.

OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

 Podcasting, Karaoke singing, surfing the web, reading.

DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?

 No not really but lots of correcting and editing.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.

 A sunny day, lots of peace, a good book or good company.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?

 No particular person, perhaps a dog.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?

 Stop your wars, your endless greed, look after the poor and helpless and

under-privileged. Be kind to your citizens, listen to them, look after our planet, stop being tyrants.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

 I am not much of a planner. Live a good life and take it easy.

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY SELL BOOKS?

 Perhaps, truly I have no clue.

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?

 Being as much is autobiographical, obviously I do.

DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?

Yes it has and does. Until self-publishing it was a totally closed shop

accessible only to the chosen few  and it seems to be going back that way again, sadly.

DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?

 It was never a job to me, as you get paid for a job, writers just get exploited worse by the day. Except for the few, very few. When I die I will quit.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?

 Perhaps 'The life and times of a Gotcha'  as it made me laugh out loud as I was writing it.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER?

Contentment, enough money to live on and a comfortable life.

WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?

 Perhaps that it was something they had enjoyed.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A SCREENPLAY?

Well definitely some do have potential. People have said it to me.

HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?

 Simply put, a lot.

WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?

  I do not really have dreams anymore.

WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?

I am no good at marketing.

ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?

 Yes.

WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?

 Ordinary, bookish and a bit lazy.

WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?

 I have lived a busy life and have tried to share some of it with my readers. My poetry is just what it is.

 Clancy's comment: Thank you, James. Keep going. Regards to Ireland.

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