Story Archaeology

The Táin Bó Cúailnge is an dramatic epic well worth the telling but with some challenging themes including broken loyalties and friendships and destruction laid on the land, for the sake of status and honour. Join Chris as she explores the telling of the tales and encounters a fresh resonance for our times. Links for this episode For podcast episodes and related articles on The boyhood deeds of Cú Chulainn, his training with Scathach, the birthpangs of Ulster, and more. For the podcst episode on Macha For related articles and textual translations concerning Macha (episode 2) For podcast episodes and related material on The stoy of Medb and her sisters; Fled Bricrenn or The further adventures of Nera (Series 3, episodes 3 to 9) For the original story of Nera and his Samhain adventure in the Otherworld For information on the Roscommon schools projects including the on-line Oenachs

The The Lebor Gabála tells of a series of mythical Irish migration stories, which can be traced back to a very early date. Its history is somewhat complex and, although fascinating, it is not an 'easy read'. So, join Chris and Jamie as they share Jamie's new telling. 'The Writing of The Takings'. Jamie has created an entertaining and highly amusing interpretation, which gets to the heart of how and why these mythical migration stories were so valued. Read the full version of The Writing of the Takings. Highly recommended! Jamie is planning to record an audio version of 'The Writing of the Takings'. I will add a link to this as soon as it is available. Meanwhile, find out more about Jamie's writing on Jamiemadden.org About the Lebor Gabála / The Book of Invasions or the Book of the Taking of Ireland The ‘Book of Invasions’ (‘Leabhar Gabhála’ in modern Irish) is not the name of a specific manuscript. Rather it is an origin legend of the Irish people that exists in many variant versions, in po

Culture heroes, ancestor figures, genii loci, gods and godesses ... Can all, or indeed, any of these terms be useful in defining some favourite characters in Irish mythology, Join Chris as she takes a walk throuh a forest of stories on a light hearted search for hidden identities. Links for this episode I have referenced a wide variety of stories over the route of this ramble. I would recommend exploring the Story Archaeology archive where you will find links to all these stories. However, I did specifically reference the episodes below. In Search of Manannan In Search of Midir The Writing of the Taking: A converstion with Jamie Madden (available very soon)

The Morrigan by Kate Lionis Meet Kate Lionis one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Kate as they discuss, the many creative possiblities of digitally enhanced photography, the enviromental relevance of Australian indigenous stories and share the colours, light, and scents of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales. This is one of a series of shorter ‘Stories in the Landscape’ conversations to celebrate the 2023 ÉIRÍ Evoking Irelands Resilient Female Icons competition and continuing project. Each of the winners takes a very different approach to the rich treasure of Irish mythology, particularly the strong and active women characters to be found in the stories. Each of the winners has a different and exciting story to share. Look out for more conversations very soon. Find out more about ÉIRÍ View all the winning adult entries View the winning Schools’ entries. Take a look at a Blue Mountain Gallery (including the Three Sisters) Take a l

Click to view the complete Immram Brig Bostúin What if Brigid had undertaken her own Immrám? Join Chris and Jamie as they explore James' Immrám Brig Bostún, an Irish Mythology Collage, in which he garners stories from Irish mtyhology and folklore, to curate a remarkable Immrám voyage for Brigid, taking her to the coastal islands of Boston and Cape Cod; a reflection on the more recent journies of the Diaspóra na nGael. Jamie, from Boston but now living in Seattle, is not only a story discoverer, a story teller, something of a genealogist and, oh yes, an affordable housing expert, but also a imaginative interpreter of Irish mythology. More information connected to this conversation Read the full Immrám Brig Bostúin Find out more about the history of Malaga Island The Island of the black and white sheep. Find out about The Graves and its lighthouses. The Isle of the guardian cat. Listen to the keening of Kitty Gallagher As a part of the ImmrámBrig, Jamie included a 'Dúchas'

Meet Louise Shine, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Ruth as they discuss, the importance of creativity in art and education, explore art and technology as well as the way in which women from Irish mythology can still speak powerfully to current issues. This is one of a series of shorter ‘Stories in the Landscape’ conversations to celebrate the 2023 ÉIRÍ Evoking Irelands Resilient Female Icons competition and continuing project. Each of the winners takes a very different approach to the rich treasure of Irish mythology, particularly the strong and active women characters to be found in the stories. Each of the winners has a different and exciting story to share. Look out for more conversations very soon. Find out more about ÉIRÍ View all the winning adult entries View the winning Schools’ entries. View a gallery of Loiuse's work.

Bóand by Lee Fenlon Meet Lee Fenlon, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. Now, join Chris and Lee as they discuss, what can be acheived in leaded glass and ceramic mosaic work , how Sinann has been treated in Athlone as well as stories of Boand and the Boyne. This is one of a series of shorter 'Stories in the Landscape' conversations to celebrate the 2023 ÉIRÍ Evoking Irelands Resilient Female Icons competition and continuing project. Each of the winners takes a very different approach to the rich treasure of Irish mythology, particularly the strong and active women characters to be found in the stories. Each of the winners has a different and exciting story to share. Look out for more conversations very soon. View a gallery of Lee's brilliant glass work, Find out more about ÉIRÍ View all the winning adult entries View the winning Schools' entries

Ruth Egan Meet Ruth Egan, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Ruth as they discuss, art, mthology and the importance of listening to the stories told by your grandmothers. This is one of a series of shorter 'Stories in the Landscape' conversations to celebrate the 2023 ÉIRÍ Evoking Irelands Resilient Female Icons competition and continuing project. Each of the winners takes a very different approach to the rich treasure of Irish mythology, particularly the strong and active women characters to be found in the stories. Each of the winners has a different and exciting story to share. Look out for more conversations very soon. Find out more about ÉIRÍ View all the winning adult entries View the winning Schools' entries.

So how old are the Irish stories? Come to think of it what exactly is meant by old, or medieval or any of the other terms so frequently used to describe mythological stories, and... does it matter? Join Chris as she follows a familiar route and sets up a few indicative, and hopefully useful, signposts along the way. Links for this episode These rambles are not intended as fully footnoted articles. They are intended more as observations, thoughts while out walking, if I attach my favourite metaphor. However, in this ramble I have made reference to the Justinian plague and its effects, as observed by early recorders, as well as modern archaeologists, botanists and dendrochronologists. If anyone is interested, I am happy to provide links to supporting sources. The whole of the Cath Maige Tuired is covered in series 2 , episodes 1-6 , or episodes 6 - 12 Here are Isolde's translations of the Morrigan's final prophecies a. Poems of the Morrigan and b. Declaration of Peace Series 6 cov

Nicola and Rosemary are both gifted artists from the Celtic Eye artists group who have all come together to draw on their talents to create some inspiring and innovative landscape and environmental projects. Join Chris, Nicola, and Rosemary as they talk about about the wide scope of some of Celtic Eye's impressive and on-going, still growing, projects as well as getting to discuss 'art in the landscape'. Links for this episode Introducing Celtic Eye Celebrating A Very Special Landscape Find out about Celtic Eye's recent visit to the the Seanad at Leinster House to acknowledge and celebrate the work undertaken by the community groups involved in the Karst Landscape project. I will be adding more images and information about Celtic Eye projects very soon.

This ramble, begun in Queensland, Australia and completed in Leitrim, Ireland. begins to explore the ways in which the environment in which the stories were told may change elements creating the tale. And, no, I didn't walk all the way! Loughnashade trumpet This ramble was a long time in the making, begun in late January in Brisbane and picked up again at the start of April. It is a big topic and I am very aware that I have hardly scratched the surface. I would be interested in your views. How much does climate and the local landscape influence stories from where you live? Just before the pandemic, I was working on a project in Longford called 'A Story to Share'. One focus was that of folk stories coming from all the diverse heritages shared by the class, particularly eastern European, in this case. Parents, and a few grandarents, had joined the class and we were happily exploring Baba Yaga stories. They all knew one or two but one mother said 'Those are of Russian origin'. 'How do you kno

Shona is a talented artist and illustrator who tells stories through images. Join Chris and Shona as they explore some of the wonderful women characters to be found in the world of Irish story, and even try out a path to a most perplexing library. https://youtu.be/KM-v6StvTc4 Watch Shona's animation- The Forest of Cake. Brig Fand The Library of Perplexing Perplexities A Game for Etain. View more of Shona's work on her own website.

SacrumProfanum by Benjamin Dwyer is an exploration of the Sheela-Na-gig through music. Join Chris as she encounters this profound and poetic experience out walking her local landscape accompanied by Sheela-na- gigs. Music for this episode: Lamentum from SacrumProfanum by kind permision of Benjamin Dwyer https://www.farpointrecordings.com/product-page/benjamin-dwyer-sacrumprofanum https://benjamindwyer.bandcamp.com/album/sacrumprofanum Listen to the podcast episode 'A Conversation with Professor Ben Dwyer' SacrumProfanum is the second release from composer Benjamin Dwyer on Farpoint Recordings. SacrumProfanum features music by Benjamin Dwyer based on his personal engagement with Sheela-na-gigs. These richly detailed and adventurous compositions feature Garth Knox (viola), Siobhán Armstrong (late-medieval Irish harp, sean-nós singer, narrator), Emma Coulthard (piccolo, flute, alto flute), Donnacha Dwyer (uillean pipes), Jona Xhepa and Benjamin Dwyer on bowed guitar. Dwyer also contribu

Join Chris as she shares a conversation with Professor Benjamin Dwyer. Ben is a prolific Irish performer and composer as well as an educator. He is currently Professor of Music at Middlesex University. SacrumProfanum is Ben's thought provoking musical exploration of the enigmatic Sheela-na-gigs as watchers and witnesses of a thousand years of Irish history. Opening music for this episode: Lamentum from SacrumProfanum by kind permision of Benjamin Dwyer. Late medieval harp played by Siobhán Armstrong External Links for this episode Listen to SacrumProfanum https://www.farpointrecordings.com/product-page/benjamin-dwyer-sacrumprofanum https://benjamindwyer.bandcamp.com/album/sacrumprofanum Ben's paper: Sheela-na-gigs and an ‘Aesthetics of Damage’ Local Links for this episode Chris' ramble 4: Walking with Sheela-na-gigs

Join Chris on her ramble through the landscape of early Irish story and discover why many of the best stories contain messages about the environment that are still relevant for us today. Moytur 2000 Links for this ramble. Circling the Táin: seven Story Archaeology podcast episodes.Cath Maige Tuired: six Story Archaeology podcast episodes.Stories in the Landscape Conversations: A conversation with Professor Patrick Nunn. Moytura 2000

The Isle of Harris. Yes, the sea can be this blue! Every community has folk tales to share, but do some of these stories encode ancient memories of climate change? This short podcast conversation with Professor Nunn focuses on stories from the North west coast of Ireland and Scotland that may have been told far longer than we might imagine. Listen, and then discover more in Professor Nunn's recent paper 'First a wudd, and syne a sea:' recently published in the Scottish Geographical Journal. Lough Gill, Sligo / Leitrim Read Professor Nunn's paper: First a wudd, and syne a sea: postglacial coastal change of Scotland recalled in ancient stories Today I was fortunate enough to attend a webinar presented by Professor Nunn and hosted by the University of the Highlands and Islands. It should be available on You Tube shortly, and as soon as it is available, I will include the link. Patrick Nunn was a Lead Author of the 5th Assessment Report (Working Group I) of the IPCC and a Lead Author for

Patrick Nunn is the Professor of Geography at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. He is a leading climate change scientist, author, and a specialist on how stories from oral traditions may have encoded memories of geological and oceanic change from around seven thousand years ago. Join Chris and Patrick as they discuss, remarkable oral story transmission, illustrated by 'climate change' stories from Australia, the Pacific Islands, and, Ireland. And, at last, I get to hear scientific evidence of the, highly probable, antiquity and importance of the dindshenchas story of Sinann. I have been looking forward to this conversation since 2015!Links for this episode Patrick Nunn is the Author of Edge of Memory and Worlds in Shadow, both books I very highly recommend. Listen to The Story Of Sinann podcast.

Some reflections on a journey to discover Irish stories. Join Chris as she explores Irish oral story transmission and wonders if even stories sometimes need careful map makers to prevent them them from being lost. Links for this episode If you would like to find out more about the infamous Giraldus Cambrensis Find out about his 'map making'.Find out a bit more about his opinion on Ireland Or just join in and tell him yourself! Read Edge of Memory: The Geology of Folk Tales and Climate Change by Patrick Nunn I will be sharing a Stories in the Landcape conversation with Professor Nunn very soon. And from the Story Archaeology Archive Colmcille and the Youth at Carn EolairgManannán's Prophecy of MongánListen to the podcast: Immrám Brain Mac Febul

Join Chris and Ralph, professor of Statistical Physics and enthusiastic comparative mythologist, as they enjoy discussing the ongoing ÉIRÍ project, 'Evoking Ireland's Resiliant female Icons', and discover how you, too, can add to some exciting and unusual research as well as discovering more about Ralph's upcoming Myths and Maths projects. Links for this episode. Find out how to enter the arts competion and add your own research.Read the articles from the Irish Post.Support pack for schools. Celebrating Women in Irish Mythology. - Who will you choose?

Find out more about these new posts, 'Chris' Rambles'. Join Chris as she sets off, aided by an unusual sixteenth century map, encounters an excentric English polymath with big ambitions, and with the help of a medieval Irish monk, discovers a fresh view of the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann. And a good ramble is always best shared so please feel free to join in. Supporting links for this episode. Explore the map in an easily searchable formatThe Beauty of Maps: The programmes are not currently available on BBB i-player but there are trailers.View a short You tube video about the map from the Map House of London.John Dee, King Arthur, and the Conquest of the Arctic by Thomas Green Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford published in the Journal, 'The Heroic Age'.A Letter Dated 1577 from Mercator to John Dee by E. G. R. Taylor This is a Jstor paper requiring sign in to access but limited numbers papers can be read online without cost.The Battle of Motura: The Arrival of the Tu