Dotting the landscapes of Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales, fulachtaí fia remain a mystery from millennia gone by. The most common type of prehistoric archaeological site in Ireland, fulachtaí...
It is probably not possible to tell when humans first began to wonder about the stars, the sun, and the moon or try to understand their motion, though there is evidence of a lunar calendar being used...
To hear her harrowing wail tear through the night sky was an omen of certain death. The cry of the banshee implied that someone in your family had died or was about to– or, that you were about to...
Maybe the solstice sunlight-trapping “roof box” in Ireland’s ancient Newgrange stone monument is not a 5,000-year-old astronomical feature but rather a construct that is just 50 years old. The box on...
Over 200 pieces of a precious treasure were hidden underground in Dowris, County Offaly, in Ireland. When the artifacts were discovered by farm workers in the 1820s, no one could imagine the...
The golden treasure called the Broighter Hoard was found at the site of Lough Foyle, near Limavady in Northern Ireland at the end of the 19th century. Its discoverers couldn't believe their eyes when...
Archaeologists have shed new light on the belief systems of early Mesolithic hunter-gatherers after analyzing cremated remains and artifacts given as grave offerings from the earliest recorded human...
Sitting almost exposed in the hollow of the curious hill behind the Hellfire Club in Dublin, a dark chunk of blazing rock served as a convenient border to many bonfires over the centuries. Ironically...
The Newgrange (New Grange) tumulus is found in County Meath, Ireland. This ancient site is connected to stories about magic, fairies, and incredible excavations. Newgrange is a part of the impressive...
Rathcroghan, which is said to mean Fort of Cruachan, is a complex of archaeological sites containing about 60 different national monuments. These include barrows, a holy well, standing stones and a...
One of the most prominent characters of Irish mythology and literature, Lugh Lama-fada, served as the High King of Ireland for 20 years before his unfortunate death at the hands of the sons of...
(Read Part I) As mentioned in Part 1, the Dál Riatan fort of Dunollie has been an archaeological headache for some scholars, as its remains lie beneath a castle built by the MacDougall clan in the...
Snuggly enveloped within the arms of the Irish Sea, Dunollie Castle towers over Argyll from its sandstone promontory at the edge of Loch Etive in Scotland, a surviving symbol of the power and...
Branwen is an ancient Goddess from Wales. She is also a major character of the famous book Mabinogi (Mabinogion). Although she is often related to folklore, there are some interesting pieces of...
The legend of Irish Milesians is one of the strangest stories connected with the origins of these islanders. Where did they come from? Is it possible that the early ancestors of modern Irish people...
In Scottish folklore, Beira is said to be the goddess of winter. According to some sources, she is known also as the Cailleach, a name which is said to be translated literally into English from...
An archaeologist studying musical horns from iron-age Ireland has found musical traditions, thought to be long dead, are alive and well in south India. The realization that modern Indian horns are...
The man followed the tracks through the snow. His hound sniffed eagerly, almost pulling the leash from the man’s grasp. The wolf was not far ahead of them. Through a break in the clouds a full moon...
A fulacht fiadh (spelled also as fulacht fian ) (the plural form being fulachtai fia ) is a type of archaeological feature found in Ireland. Such features have also been found in other parts of the...
Mythologies around the world speak of beings which cannot be defined as good or evil. German folklore mentions a household elemental named kobold . Even though he can be helpful, as a trickster, he...
Celtic warriors were one of the most important supports of Mediterranean armies. However, it is a little known fact that apart from their role in the Byzantium, these powerful warriors also had a...
The name Ben Bulben, also spelt as Benbulbin or Benbulben, is said to be an anglicized version of the Irish Binn-Gulbain, meaning ‘Gulban’s Peak.’ This jaw-shaped rock formation (the word ‘gulban’...
The remains of two apparently prominent people who were among some of the first farmers who settled in Southwest Ireland have been unearthed at a prehistoric stone dolmen monument in County Kerry...
The Leprechaun is a much-loved and sometimes feared magical creature of Irish folk legend. Short in stature and with a long-beard and pot of gold, leprechauns were once believed to pervade the Irish...
