Filed under Archaeology …

Community Gatherings in Ireland Old and New part one                  

Community Gatherings in Ireland Old and New part one                  

. To this day, we have a saying in Irish ‘Bhí togha gacha bí agus rogha gacha dí le fail ann’, The finest of every food and the choice(st) of every drink was to be had there. This is believed to originally date from bards of one to two thousand years ago. As a chieftain or king, one’s reputation had to be maintained, or enhanced and these ‘songs of praise’, so to speak, were pivotal in this regard. Continue reading →

God in a Bottle

God in a Bottle

they were usually ‘a reused glass spirit, wine or mineral bottle often containing a carved wooden cross, with a ladder leaning against it inside, sometimes (but not always) filled with water’. The water was usually holy water, or at least marketed as such. Continue reading →

More of Fr Bob’s Musings

More of Fr Bob’s Musings

Last month we had an account of Fr Bob Arthure’s cocooning with the good nuns at Glencairn Abbey where he has found a new interest, writing blogs. Here are some of his writings on St Carthage.    ST CARTHAGE (MOCHUDA) OF LISMORE Traditional feast day: 14 May; Liturgical feast day (since Vatican II): 15 May … Continue reading →

An Irish Clachan in South Australia by Susan Arthure

An Irish Clachan in South Australia by Susan Arthure

The archaeologist Originally from Trim, County Meath, Susan Arthure has been researching a nineteenth century Irish settlement in South Australia. Her 2014 Masters thesis ‘The Occupation of Baker’s Flat: a study of Irishness and Power in 19th century South Australia’ examined the illegal settlement of an Irish community of mostly labourers and their families on … Continue reading →

Mythology in the Irish Landscape

Mythology in the Irish Landscape

Thousands of commuters drive over the N4 that winds through the landscape of Contae Liatroma agus Sligeach* every day but I wonder how many take a moment to glimpse the foggy shores of Lough Arbhach and ponder the significance of the landscape. Continue reading →