Anthony Murphy: Mythical Ireland

About this episode

Anthony Murphy discusses his book 'Mythical Ireland' and explores the deeper meanings behind Ireland's ancient ruins and myths.

Mythical Ireland embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, and is an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from 5,000-year-old megalithic monuments and their associated myths. The book represents a fascinating and engaging journey through time, landscape and the human spirit. Dealing with archaeology, interpretive mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, the book attempts to grapple with a core meaning, something beyond the functional interpretations of academia. In this revised and expanded edition, Anthony Murphy delves further into the many enthralling aspects of this journey. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the ancient hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland’s Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? Who were the first kings of Tara? What were the indigenous Irish myths about the Milky Way? Did someone try to steal the Tara Brooch? Why are there myths in Ireland about flooded towns and cities? Lavishly illustrated with exquisite photographs of the Irish landscape and ancient monuments, Mythical Ireland represents a…

People in this episode

Host: Cliff Dunning

Guest: Anthony Murphy

Topics covered

• archaeology
• mythology
• Irish culture
• ancient monuments
• cosmology
• history

Keywords

• Ireland
• mythology
• Newgrange
• Cailleach
• Tara
• ancient monuments
• archaeology
• Mythical Ireland

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Mythical Ireland

Places: Ireland, Newgrange, Tara, Drogheda, Stonehenge, Boyne, Milky Way, Tara Brooch

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