Story Archaeology

Click to view the complete Immram Brig Bostúin

What if Brigid had undertaken her own Immrám? Join Chris and Jamie as they explore James' Immrám Brig Bostún, an Irish Mythology Collage, in which he garners stories from Irish mtyhology and folklore, to curate a remarkable Immrám voyage for Brigid, taking her to the coastal islands of Boston and Cape Cod; a reflection on the more recent journies of the Diaspóra na nGael.

Jamie, from Boston but now living in Seattle, is not only a story discoverer, a story teller, something of a genealogist and, oh yes, an affordable housing expert, but also a imaginative interpreter of Irish mythology.

More information connected to this conversation

Read the full Immrám Brig Bostúin

Find out more about the history of Malaga Island The Island of the black and white sheep.

Find out about The Graves and its lighthouses. The Isle of the guardian cat.

Listen to the keening of Kitty Gallagher

As a part of the ImmrámBrig, Jamie included a 'Dúchas' story. The Dúchas project was designed to digitize the Irish National Folklore Collection. This includes the Schools Collection. In 1937 and 38, children, in schools all over Ireland, were asked to collect stoeies from older neighbours and relatives. Now they have been transcribed, you can find them on duchas.ie . The story Jamie included concerning Saint Ruadhán's well came from a school in Kiladysert, County Clare. View it here. Holy Wells.

Information on Ruadhán's well. The Clare Heritage site states that Saint Martin's Well, previously known as Saint Ruadhán's well, was said to lie in a grazing field in the old Paradise House Estate. However at the time of the research visit, the well could not be located.

Go to the Gallery page for futher information and pictures including the hagiographical account of Brigid and Bishop Brón.

Links for this episode

View A tabulated Immrama

Explore Series 4: Rowing Around Immráma episodes 1-6

Explore Series 4: Rowing Around Immráma: Episodes 7-14

Meet Louise Shine, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Ruth as they discuss, the importance of creativity in art and education, explore art and technology as well as the way in which women from Irish mythology can still speak powerfully to current issues.

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.

View a gallery of Loiuse's work.

Bóand by Lee Fenlon

Meet Lee Fenlon, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. Now, join Chris and Lee as they discuss, what can be acheived in leaded glass and ceramic mosaic work , how Sinann has been treated in Athlone as well as stories of Boand and the Boyne. 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.

View a gallery of Lee's brilliant glass work,

Find out more about ÉIRÍ

View all the winning adult entries

View the winning Schools' entries

Ruth Egan

Meet Ruth Egan, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Ruth as they discuss, art, mthology and the importance of listening to the stories told by your grandmothers.

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.

So how old are the Irish stories? Come to think of it what exactly is meant by old, or medieval or any of the other terms so frequently used to describe mythological stories, and... does it matter? Join Chris as she follows a familiar route and sets up a few indicative, and hopefully useful, signposts along the way.

Links for this episode

These rambles are not intended as fully footnoted articles. They are intended more as observations, thoughts while out walking, if I attach my favourite metaphor. However, in this ramble I have made reference to the Justinian plague and its effects, as observed by early recorders, as well as modern archaeologists, botanists and dendrochronologists. If anyone is interested, I am happy to provide links to supporting sources.

The whole of the Cath Maige Tuired is covered in series 2 , episodes 1-6 , or episodes 6 - 12

Here are Isolde's translations of the Morrigan's final prophecies a. Poems of the Morrigan and b. Declaration of Peace

Series 6 covers The Táin Bó Cuailnge

You will find links to all of Tocmarc Étaíne on this page

Here is a link to the folktale The Giants of Knockmany Hill

Goibniu and the Gobbán Sáor

Nicola and Rosemary are both gifted artists from the Celtic Eye artists group who have all come together to draw on their talents to create some inspiring and innovative landscape and environmental projects. Join Chris, Nicola, and Rosemary as they talk about about the wide scope of some of Celtic Eye's impressive and on-going, still growing, projects as well as getting to discuss 'art in the landscape'.

Links for this episode

Introducing Celtic Eye

Celebrating A Very Special Landscape

Find out about Celtic Eye's recent visit to the the Seanad at Leinster House to acknowledge and celebrate the work undertaken by the community groups involved in the Karst Landscape project.

View some of Celtic Eye’s recent and up-coming events

News of a forthcoming Celtic Eye exhibition

I will be adding more images and information about Celtic Eye projects very soon.

This ramble, begun in Queensland, Australia and completed in Leitrim, Ireland. begins to explore the ways in which the environment in which the stories were told may change elements creating the tale. And, no, I didn't walk all the way!

Loughnashade trumpet

This ramble was a long time in the making, begun in late January in Brisbane and picked up again at the start of April. It is a big topic and I am very aware that I have hardly scratched the surface. I would be interested in your views. How much does climate and the local landscape influence stories from where you live?

Just before the pandemic, I was working on a project in Longford called 'A Story to Share'. One focus was that of folk stories coming from all the diverse heritages shared by the class, particularly eastern European, in this case. Parents, and a few grandarents, had joined the class and we were happily exploring Baba Yaga stories. They all knew one or two but one mother said 'Those are of Russian origin'. 'How do you know that', I asked her? 'Too many gloomy birch forests' she replied.

Links for this episode

Listen to 'Tales of Sheebeg'

The story of the excavations on Sheebeg

About the Glasshouse Mountains

The Gilla Decair

Shona is a talented artist and illustrator who tells stories through images. Join Chris and Shona as they explore some of the wonderful women characters to be found in the world of Irish story, and even try out a path to a most perplexing library.

https://youtu.be/KM-v6StvTc4

Watch Shona's animation- The Forest of Cake.

Brig

Fand

The Library of Perplexing Perplexities

A Game for Etain.

View more of Shona's work on her own website.

SacrumProfanum by Benjamin Dwyer is an exploration of the Sheela-Na-gig through music. Join Chris as she encounters this profound and poetic experience out walking her local landscape accompanied by Sheela-na- gigs.

Music for this episode: Lamentum from SacrumProfanum by kind permision of Benjamin Dwyer

https://www.farpointrecordings.com/product-page/benjamin-dwyer-sacrumprofanum

https://benjamindwyer.bandcamp.com/album/sacrumprofanum

Listen to the podcast episode 'A Conversation with Professor Ben Dwyer'

SacrumProfanum is the second release from composer Benjamin Dwyer on Farpoint Recordings. SacrumProfanum features music by Benjamin Dwyer based on his personal engagement with Sheela-na-gigs. These richly detailed and adventurous compositions feature Garth Knox (viola), Siobhán Armstrong (late-medieval Irish harp, sean-nós singer, narrator), Emma Coulthard (piccolo, flute, alto flute), Donnacha Dwyer (uillean pipes), Jona Xhepa and Benjamin Dwyer on bowed guitar. Dwyer also contributes a fascinating essay about Sheela-na-gigs and the background development of this project.

released February 22, 2022

Join Chris as she shares a conversation with Professor Benjamin Dwyer. Ben is a prolific Irish performer and composer as well as an educator. He is currently Professor of Music at Middlesex University. SacrumProfanum is Ben's thought provoking musical exploration of the enigmatic Sheela-na-gigs as watchers and witnesses of a thousand years of Irish history.

Opening music for this episode: Lamentum from SacrumProfanum by kind permision of Benjamin Dwyer. Late medieval harp played by Siobhán Armstrong

External Links for this episode

Listen to SacrumProfanum

https://www.farpointrecordings.com/product-page/benjamin-dwyer-sacrumprofanum

https://benjamindwyer.bandcamp.com/album/sacrumprofanum

Ben's paper: Sheela-na-gigs and an ‘Aesthetics of Damage’

Local Links for this episode

Chris' ramble 4: Walking with Sheela-na-gigs