Episode 3 takes us to Loughcrew in County Meath, where travel writer Fionn Davenport witnesses the autumn equinox at one of Ireland’s most extraordinary ritual landscapes. It’s a moment when the rising sun meets ancient stone and the beliefs of the ancestors feel very close indeed. 

Here, Fionn speaks with archaeologist Dan Maher about Loughcrew’s significance on the celestial calendar and the myths woven into the land. Later, he hears from Eimear Burke, Druid and Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, who explores the power and purpose of these rituals in the lives of the Iron Age Irish. 

With every new insight, we edge closer to understanding the belief systems that might explain the brutal deaths of Old Croghan Man and Clonycavan Man and why they were chosen for such a fate. 

Explore more of Ireland’s ancient past, from the Neolithic to the early Christian era, at https://www.discoverireland.ie/the-discovery-series