Primary tabs

Ed Whelan

My name is Edward Whelan and I graduated with a PhD in history in 2008. Between 2010-2012 I worked in the Limerick City Archives. I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. At present I am a full-time freelance writer and researcher and live in Gillogue, County Clare.

I am from Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. I have a lifelong love of history and have been fascinated by the subject from an early age. I attended the University of Maynooth 2003-2008 and studied history and classical studies. I obtained a BA from Maynooth and was admitted to the History PhD program. Based on my BA results I was awarded two scholarships and during my post-graduate studies I worked as a tutor.

History

Member for: 5 years 12 months

Opt-in to Ancient Origins Newsletter (AC):

Yes

Posts

New Duckbill Dinosaur Evidence Shows That Dinosaurs Crossed Oceans

7 November, 2020 - 00:47 Ed Whelan

New Duckbill Dinosaur Evidence Shows That Dinosaurs Crossed Oceans

An international team of scientists claims that dinosaurs were able to migrate across oceans. This remarkable claim was based on the discovery of new duckbill dinosaur fossils unearthed in Morocco...

Hidden Medieval Portrait Discovered in a Famous Spanish Cathedral

6 November, 2020 - 01:35 Ed Whelan

Hidden Medieval Portrait Discovered in a Famous Spanish Cathedral

Imagine finding a selfie carved in stone in the high darkness of a medieval church! While working in one of the most famous churches in Europe, a British art historian discovered exactly that. She...

Discovery of 9,000-Year-Old Female Hunter in Peru Is Rewriting History

5 November, 2020 - 17:29 Ed Whelan

Discovery of 9,000-Year-Old Female Hunter in Peru Is Rewriting History

A grave in Peru has been shown to contain the world’s oldest female hunter. This news is potentially explosive. It may change our understanding of gender relations in the ancient Americas and even...

Neanderthal warrior Source: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

4 November, 2020 - 13:50 Ed Whelan

Neanderthals and Humans Were at War… For 100,000 Years!

Once much of Eurasia was dominated by Neanderthals, our archaic human ancestors. And the extinction of Neanderthals is one of the great mysteries in science. An evolutionary biologist and...

3 November, 2020 - 22:31 Ed Whelan

Machu Picchu Re-opens With Ancient Incan Thanksgiving Ceremony

Major archaeology and cultural sites are starting to re-open across the world. Machu Picchu, one of the most famous archaeological sites in all of Latin America, has reopened with the spectacle of an...

Denisovan DNA in Tibetan Cave Changes History of Early Humans in Asia

3 November, 2020 - 02:29 Ed Whelan

Denisovan DNA in Tibetan Cave Changes History of Early Humans in Asia

An international team has found evidence that could change our understanding of a mysterious species of early humans, the Denisovans . They have found DNA from these humans in a Buddhist cave on the...

View of the baptistery in the ancient city of Butrint, Albania.

3 November, 2020 - 00:58 Ed Whelan

Christian Symbols Hidden in Ancient Pagan Mosaics of Butrint Baptistery

For many years Albania was an isolated country, but in recent decades it has opened to tourists and we are gradually becoming more familiar with its many spectacular heritage sites. The remarkable...

Basilica of the Holy Blood – Does it Really Hold the Blood of Jesus?

2 November, 2020 - 13:58 Ed Whelan

Basilica of the Holy Blood – Does it Really Hold the Blood of Jesus?

The beautiful city of Bruges in Belgium is so well maintained it is said that strolling through town is like walking through a gallery of European architecture. But it’s not only the buildings which...

Ireland Keeps Ancient Samhain Alive with Fiery Festival

31 October, 2020 - 16:46 Ed Whelan

Ireland Keeps Ancient Samhain Alive with Fiery Festival

Halloween is an ancient tradition that traces its origins back thousands of years. It is now a global festival, but this year, sadly, it won’t be observed in the usual way. However, the ancient...

Scientists have discovered one of the earliest cases of multiple myeloma, a malignant cancerous tumor, found to date in East Asia within skeletal remains that date back to Bronze Age China. The image shows osteolytic lesions visible on photographs and X-rays of vertebrae. Source: Jenna Dittmar / Science Direct

31 October, 2020 - 00:00 Ed Whelan

Breakthrough Discovery of Earliest Cancer Case from Bronze Age China

An examination of the skeletal remains of a man from Bronze Age China has produced some astonishing results. Work conducted by the international research team resulted in experts finding one of the...

An Exceptional Medieval Irish Book Returns to Ireland

29 October, 2020 - 20:59 Ed Whelan

An Exceptional Medieval Irish Book Returns to Ireland

An incredibly significant medieval book of manuscripts has been returned to Ireland . The Book of Lismore is a collection of hand-written texts that was donated by an aristocratic English family to...

Volterra: Home to Three Civilizations and the World’s First Witch

28 October, 2020 - 23:49 Ed Whelan

Volterra: Home to Three Civilizations and the World’s First Witch

Volterra, an archaeological gem in the province of Pisa, in Italy, is often eclipsed by more famous historical sites. This beautiful village, however, dates to the Etruscan period and also contains...

Egyptian writing sample from a medical treatise (inv. P. Carlsberg 930) belonging to the Tebtunis temple library with headings marked in red ink.

28 October, 2020 - 13:04 Ed Whelan

Danish Experts Discover the Earliest Secrets of Egyptian Writing Ink

Egyptian writing has always fascinated modern people because it is so exotic. Researchers studying Egyptian writing in manuscripts from an ancient Egyptian temple have made an important discovery...

Poulnabrone portal tomb in Burren at sunrise, Ireland Source: Patryk Kosmider

27 October, 2020 - 23:39 Ed Whelan

If Not the Fairies, Then Who Built the Ancient Poulnabrone Dolmen?

Incredible monuments dating back to various ages are found throughout Ireland, including the Giant’s Causeway, the Blarney Stone, and Fort Newgrange, which is older than the pyramids. All have a...

A metal detector and shovel on the beach with coins that might be rare medieval coins. You never know! Source: andrewbalcombe / Adobe Stock

27 October, 2020 - 20:56 Ed Whelan

British Metal Detectorists Find 3 Rare Medieval Coins Worth Thousands!

Three lucky metal detectorists in Britain have uncovered three incredibly rare medieval coins . Two were found by teenage enthusiasts and the third was found by a family. And all these lucky...

Egyptian Pharaonic Tomb Of Elite Family And Countless Artifacts Found!

27 October, 2020 - 00:12 Ed Whelan

Egyptian Pharaonic Tomb Of Elite Family And Countless Artifacts Found!

Major archaeological finds in Egypt continue to be unearthed and this one involves an entire elite family burial tomb. Archaeologists have found a new ancient Egyptian pharaonic tomb, belonging to an...

Pages