Story Archaeology

Designed by Morgane Suquart for 'Paris 24' Olympics opening ceremony.

This 'Ramble' is inpired by the silver rider on the River Seine at the Paris 24 Olympics. So join Chris as she explores the history and mythology of three great rivers, the Seine, the Severn and the Shannon and discovers just how their stories may just meander together.

Explore a gallery page of images of places explored in this podcast.

A selection of 'Story Archaeolgy' links for this episode

Sinann podcast conversation

Sinann in the Metrical Dindshenchas

The dindshencas poems ÁTH LÍAC FIND

Medb and her sisters

Imbás: Poetry, Knowledge and Inspiration

The Romano British temple at Lydney

The Fisher King

And a few External Links

A useful article on Sequana

The Pocklington Chariot excavation

The Lochnashade trumpets

EX Voto items from Sequana temple complex (Dijon).

New Scientific evidence supporting the origin of the altar stone at Stonhenge supports a better understanding of the of societal connections and collaborative co-operation to be found between the communities of early neolithic farmers throughout Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. Join Chris in this new ramble and share her excitement!

Links for this Episode

Listen to 'A Conversation with Anthony Murphy' (This conversation is referenced throughout this Ramble)

News of the new evidence on the Altar stone, Stonehenge from the BBC

News of the discovery from 'The Guardian.'

A short youtube video on the discovery.

Further information on the discovery of the original bluestones location in Wales, This is the article that I quote in the podcast.

The SchoolsCollection | dúchas.ie

The National Folklore Schools Collection was compiled in 1937 with stories and memories collected with the support of schools from all over Ireland. Itis one of Ireland's unique and valuable treasures and a wonderful resource. Join Chris as she explores this collection including its current relevanceand considers whar a similar collecton might look like if gathered now, in 2024, some 87 years later.

Search the Schools Folklore collection for yourself

Links for this episode

A Comversation with Anthony Murphy

Chris' Ramble 6~ Just how old are Irish Stories

Goibniu and the Gobbán Sáor

The Legend of Knockmany Hill – a late tale of Cú Chulainn

Newgrange at Twilight ~ Anthony Murphy

Anthony Murphy, is an author, journalist, astronomer and photographer. He also curates the wondeful Mythical Ireland website. Join Chris and Anthony as they explore how Irish mythological stories, supported by recent evidence from genertics, seem to reflect the remarkable story of both neolithic and bronze age Ireland.

This is a slightly longer 'Conversation in the Landscape' than usual but why not?

There is so much to explore in this fascinating topic .

Links for this episode

First and foremost here is the link to Anthony's impressive webite Mythical Ireland 'New Light on the Distant Past'. There is so much to discover and learn on this site.

This is the link to the article that inspired me to contact Anthony and invite him to share this conversation. The Beaker People and their Replacement of Neolithic DNA. ~ Is this remembered in Irish Myth?

The new henge of Newgrange ~ A once-in-a-lifetime discovery.

Read Anthony's blog article on the implications of the 2020 A-DNA discoveries

Explore Books by Anthony Murphy

Links to other books, talks and articles referenced in our conversation

Professor J.P Mallory : Talk: Genetic Geneology Ireland (Belfast 18) Book: In Search of the Irish Dreamtime

Professor Mallory on The Beaker People arrival in Ireland

Lara Cassidy, (2020). Ancient DNA in Ireland: Isolation, immigration and elite incest. British Archaeology

The Horse, The Wheel and Language by David Anthony (PDF format)

Story Archaeology Links

Chris Ramble 6: Just how old are the Irish stories?

Brú na Bóinne and Cnogba - the Boyne Valley in the Metrical Dindshenchas: (Isolde's translations)

The Dindshenchas of Knowth - Cnogba: (Isolde's translations)

The Dindshenchas of Brug na Bóinde

And for conversations, articles and translations based on a wide variety of Irish myths and stories, some of which we discussed in this conversation, explore the Archive through the page top navigation or, of course explore 'Mythical Ireland' for more Irish stories and their settings.

Grianstad an Gheimhridh, the winter solstice is that special moment when the year turns and the hours of daylight, begin slowly to increase. This time of year has long been a cause for reflection and celebration. So, join Chris on yet another ramble, as she explores an Irish Winter Solstice journey.

Links for this episode

Links on Story Archaeology

The Craneskin Bag

A Christmas card from the Archaeologists.

Extolling the Holly

A Satirical Tale of Extreme Gastronomy

Fair’s Fair

The Dagda’s Cauldron

The Dagda’s Cauldron ~ A home-brew supplemental

Some Questions answered by the Story Archaeologists This one covers both a discussion of poets' grades and titles as well as , 'Who were the Celts?'

A Conversation with Patrick Nunn

Edge of Memory and Worlds in Shadow, (information On Patrick Nunn's books.)

Read Candles in the Window an anthology of Longford Christmas memories

An Archdruid in his Judicial Habit

from Costume of the Original Inhabitants of the British Isles (1815) by Samuel Rush Meyrick and Charles Hamilton Smith.

Useful External Links

Images of Newgrange in the past, before the excavations

Mythical Ireland website

Newgrange: The Winter Solstice reports, image and videos of Winter Solstice sunrises over the last twenty years.

Information about Iron age burials in earlier tomb structures.

Professor Ralph Kenna

As many friends of Story Archaeology will now have heard, Professor Ralph Kenna passed away and left the world we know, last Thursday. I received the sad news from his wife, Claire, last Friday. It is so very sad that it has taken me a few days to feel ready to write this post. I will stay in touch with Claire, and have sent her my deepest condolences but if any of you wish to leave a message of sympathy below I will willingly forward it on to his family. You can also send messages of sympathy through the link below.

It feels as though Ralph has been a friend and colleague for years, but in fact, he first contacted me in early 2020. The impact he has had on me, and the work of Story Archaeology. in that time. is considerable. He now leaves a creative, imaginative, enthusiastic 'Ralph-shaped-space' but in his support for Irish Mythology through the 'Art for Sinann' competition and the on-going ÉIRÍ project, he has passed us an important legacy.

I am certainly not, in any way, qualified to speak to his work as a statistical physicist. I clearly recall his patience in our first, quite lengthy, online conversation, as he tried to explain the processes that lead to his ground-breaking paper Maths Meets Myths: Quantitative Approaches to Ancient Narratives. I did read it, or did my best to read it, but I did appreciate that this process represented a innovative method of comparing the characters and structures of myth from various places and times, gathering some illuminating and very useful data. It was an inspiring cross-discipline approach; a way of working I very much admire! I also discovered that this paper, first presented in Moscow, was one of the most downloaded papers of the year!

And, of course I mustn't forget that about a year ago, November last year, I think it was, he also published a futher paper, based on a similar approach, on the Kyiv bylyny cycle, the East Slavic epic narratives originating in modern-day Ukraine. Impressive!

But I want to talk about Ralph's impact on Irish Mythology. I was delighted when I received Ralph's email, especially when I discovered that he was a longtime listener to Story Archaeology and was more than happy to help when he told me about his plans for a new project based on the character of Sinann, who gave her name to the River Shannon. Ralph had followed our explorations on Sinann, supported by Isolde's own translations, since the first episode of Story Archaeology. He was more than irritated when plans were made to set up a male, 'river god' sculpture in his home town of Athlone.

In 2020, Ralph created a well-funded competition to raise awareness of Sinann and together, in October, with the support of Daniel Curley from Rathcroghan and Mal Rivers from the Irish Post, we launched the Art for Sinann competition, offering three prizes of 1000 euros. Ralph was also very active in promoting events to raise awareness of Sinann in Athlone.

But Ralph didn't want to stop there! Data he had gathered in his papers on quantative approaches to ancient narratives, including the new paper on the Irish hero Fráoch’, demonstrated strong evidence suggesting more active agency of women ,in Irish stories, than in story cycles from other countries. I must admit, I was delighted with this. I always felt that this was the case, but here was real supporting evidence. We talked this over in one of our lengthy online chats and launched a second even bigger and better project in 2021, Ralph came up with the acronym ÉIRÍ for the event. This arts and information project was not only intended to promote the centrality of women in early Irish stories but was also designed to resonate with the celebration of the position of women in Ireland in the recent past, now, and in the future. You can find out all about the ÉIRÍ. competition on Story Archaeology, of course, and there are also several podcast episodes that explore the journeys of at least a few of the winners. Take a look at some of the schools' winners as well!

ÉIRÍ derives from two early Irish words meaning 'to soar, rise up, stand up', both in the sense of growing to maturity as well as in the taking of deliberate action. We wanted the on-going project to grow, to rise up, and so ÉIRÍ has now become a group of like-minded people who all believe that the Irish stories are well worth celebrating, and what is more, still have a definite relevance for today. We feel the stories should 'rise up' and be counted. They matter! Plans have been prepared for future projects but, understandably, they have been on hold for a while. Yet Ralph has left us an inspiring legacy and, I for one, will do all I can so see it grow and hopefully 'soar'.

There is one more thing I wanted to say. In Ralph's first email to me he wrote,

Most of what I know about Sinann I know through your podcasts. I understand Isolde may no longer have time for research but, who knows, perhaps the adventure we embark upon will lead to something in the future – like a joint paper on this very project or something (I have no idea).

He wrote this email about the time that Isolde was deciding to step back, largely for health reasons. His positive interest was a real support as I undertook the work of turning Story Archaeology around and pointing it in a new direction. Ralph never forgot about the Sinann paper that he had suggested. It was in our plans for this Autumn. Ralph wouldn't let it go. With his immense positivity and energy, he made it possible to get that paper written. What is more, in this, his last paper, he drew together so many members of the fledgling ÉIRÍ group into the telling of the journey of the story of Sinann. It is published, and available, although it still awaits peer review.

And that paper could lead to new possibilities, new EIRI projects. As Ralph said back in 2020 'Who knows?' So let's rise up and soar!

In her email to me Ralph's wife, Claire, said 'He is and always will be a hero'. I agree.

Thank you Ralph. I will miss you.

You can add personal messages of sympathy and find details of the funeral to take place shortly, in Athlone, through this link

The Táin Bó Cúailnge is an dramatic epic well worth the telling but with some challenging themes including broken loyalties and friendships with destruction laid on the land, for the sake of status and honour. Join Chris as she explores the telling of the tales and encounters a fresh resonance for our times.

Links for this episode

For podcast episodes and related articles on The boyhood deeds of Cú Chulainn, his training with Scathach, the birthpangs of Ulster, and more.

For the podcst episode on Macha

For related articles and textual translations concerning Macha (episode 2)

For podcast episodes and related material on The stoy of Medb and her sisters; Fled Bricrenn or The further adventures of Nera (Series 3, episodes 3 to 9)

For the original story of Nera and his Samhain adventure in the Otherworld

For information on the Roscommon schools projects including the on-line Oenachs

The The Lebor Gabála tells of a series of mythical Irish migration stories, which can be traced back to a very early date. Its history is somewhat complex and, although fascinating, it is not an 'easy read'. So, join Chris and Jamie as they share Jamie's new telling. 'The Writing of The Takings'. Jamie has created an entertaining and highly amusing interpretation, which gets to the heart of how and why these mythical migration stories were so valued.

Read the full version of The Writing of the Takings. Highly recommended!

Jamie is planning to record an audio version of 'The Writing of the Takings'. I will add a link to this as soon as it is available. Meanwhile, find out more about Jamie's writing on Jamiemadden.org

About the Lebor Gabála / The Book of Invasions or the Book of the Taking of Ireland

The ‘Book of Invasions’ (‘Leabhar Gabhála’ in modern Irish) is not the name of a specific manuscript. Rather it is an origin legend of the Irish people that exists in many variant versions, in poetry and prose. The origins of the tradition can be traced to the seventh century, although the earliest surviving manuscripts are much later. The story was extensively reworked in verse form in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Over time, prose versions were derived from the poetry, and additional historical material was added. It was revised again in the seventeenth century by the team of historians known as the Four Masters. It continued to be accepted as a plausible story of the settlement of people on the island of Ireland long after that.

The core of the story of the peopling of Ireland was built on top of biblical traditions. It begins with Noah and the Flood, and Noah’s granddaughter Cesair (she does not feature in the Bible), who was said to be the first to arrive in Ireland. The next wave involved the Parthalonians, descendants of Japhet, son of Noah, but they succumbed to plague. The third wave of settlers, descendants of Nemed, were vaguely related to the Parthalonians. The Nemedians were eventually defeated by the Formorians. Some Nemedians later returned from Greece as the Fir Bolg. They, in turn, were replaced by the Tuatha Dé Danann. A second strand traces other descendants of Japhet, including Fénius Farsaid and his grandson, Goídel Glas (the term ‘Gael’ is traced to him). Later, Breóghan, descended from Goídel Glas, viewed Ireland from a tower in Galicia on a clear night. His grandson, Míl Espáine, went to Ireland, where he defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Clann Mhíleadh (‘sons of Míl’), Ír, Éibhear and Éireamhón and their descendants, became established in Ireland.

From

https://www.ria.ie/leabhar-gabhala-book-invasions

Culture heroes, ancestor figures, genii loci, gods and godesses ... Can all, or indeed, any of these terms be useful in defining some favourite characters in Irish mythology, Join Chris as she takes a walk throuh a forest of stories on a light hearted search for hidden identities.

Links for this episode

I have referenced a wide variety of stories over the route of this ramble. I would recommend exploring the Story Archaeology archive where you will find links to all these stories. However, I did specifically reference the episodes below.

In Search of Manannan

In Search of Midir

The Writing of the Taking: A converstion with Jamie Madden (available very soon)

The Morrigan by Kate Lionis

Meet Kate Lionis one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Kate as they discuss, the many creative possiblities of digitally enhanced photography, the enviromental relevance of Australian indigenous stories and share the colours, light, and scents of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

This is one of a series of shorter ‘Stories in the Landscape’ conversations to celebrate the 2023 ÉIRÍ Evoking Irelands Resilient Female Icons competition and continuing project. Each of the winners takes a very different approach to the rich treasure of Irish mythology, particularly the strong and active women characters to be found in the stories. Each of the winners has a different and exciting story to share. Look out for more conversations very soon.

Find out more about ÉIRÍ

View all the winning adult entries

View the winning Schools’ entries.

Take a look at a Blue Mountain Gallery (including the Three Sisters)

Take a look at a gallery of Kate's work.

Links for this Episode

Listen to the podcast episode on the Morrigan on Story Archaeology

Meet the Morrigan in the Battle of Moytura: Amarc na Mór Rígna - The Morrigan's View (Part 1)Amarc na Mór Rígna - The Morrigan's View (Part 2)