Anthony Murphy, author of 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality", reads from William Borlase's 'Dolmens of Ireland' in relation to the ancient place name Bro or Broe which is found at Newgrange and in its vicinity.

Newgrange and the place name Bro or Broe

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality author Anthony Murphy briefly describes some of the themes explored in his book. From an extract of a speech he made at the launch of the book in Drogheda in October 2012.

Newgrange and life's big questions

Newgrange author Anthony Murphy reads 'Anahorish' in tribute to the late Seamus Heaney, the Nobel prize winning poet who passed away on August 30th 2013.

Anahorish - a tribute to Seamus Heaney by Anthony Murphy

Jack Roberts, author of 'The Sun Circles of Ireland' and co-discoverer of the Cairn T Loughcrew equinox alignment with Martin Brennan, is interviewed by Anthony Murphy of www.mythicalireland.com

Interview with Jack Roberts, author of The Sun Circles of Ireland

Ireland and the Romans

Anthony Murphy, author of the novella 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones', is interviewed on LMFM radio by Gerry Kelly.

Land of the Ever-Living Ones author Anthony Murphy interviewed on LMFM radio

This is the sound of a male goldfinch recorded at Walkinstown Park, Dublin, January 20th 2014.

Male goldfinch song

This is Tony Barrett playing 'The Lonesome Boatman' at the funeral of Sean 'Esso' Smith in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Drogheda. Sean played this very tune at many a funeral during his life, so it was fitting that he be remembered with such a hauntingly beautiful rendition. I hope Tony doesn't mind me sharing it, but I was incredibly moved by his performance. Apologies for missing the first few bars . . .

The Lonesome Boatman

Anthony Murphy reads The Dead Kings, a poem by Francis Ledwidge

The Dead Kings by Francis Ledwidge

In my first ever Mythical Ireland podcast, I discuss a new study which suggests that 90% of the Neolithic DNA in Britain was replaced by Beaker people in some sort of mass influx around 4,500 years ago. By that time, megalithic passage-tomb construction had reached its zenith here in Ireland with the building of the great Boyne monuments (Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth), but just after reaching this apex there were no more such monuments built. In the Irish invasion myths of the Lebor Gabála (Book of Takings), the mortal Milesians come from Spain and take Ireland from the gods, the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Beaker people, we are told, originated in Iberia. Is there something in the myths that reflects real events, real movements of people? Do the Tuatha Dé Danann, retreating into the mounds (sídhe) represent a dying megalithic culture that was being replaced by an entirely new and different people?

mythicalireland

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