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….
Author: Chris Thompson
‘Reconstructing the Lough Croan cenn áit of the medieval Ó Cellaig lordship of Uí Maine’
Another recent paper by Daniel Curley As I posted a link to the Tain bo Fraich paper published By Ralph Kenna with Daniel and Mike , I thought I might mention another of Daniel’s recent papers. This paper examines a range of sources to consider the place held by the former lake of Lough Croan,…
The handsomest hero in Ireland : a tale of two halves
New research and a brand new paper. By Professor Ralph Kenna Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems The most famous story in Irish mythology is Táin Bó Cúailnge – the Cattle Raid of Cooley. It’s about a war between Connacht in the west of Ireland and Ulster in the north. When the Connacht army attacks,…
Chris’ Ramble 3: Is This Not a Story Worth the Telling?
Join Chris on her ramble through the landscape of early Irish story and discover why many of the best stories contain the environmental messages which are still highly relevant today. Links for this ramble.
The Kyiv Bylyny Cycle: a new paper from Professor Ralph Kenna
NETWORK ANALYSIS OF THE KYIV BYLYNY CYCLE — EAST SLAVIC EPIC NARRATIVES In our last conversation Ralph mentioned an upcoming paper exploring the network connections and relationships contained in the Kyiv bylyny story cycle. The oldest byliny belong to a cycle dealing with the golden age of Kievan Rus in the 10th–12th century. They centre…
Coming soon: Two new ‘Stories in the Landscape’ Conversations
The September conversation had to be postponed for a couple of weeks, or so. This means that there that there are now two upcoming, and very interesting conversations on the way. A Conversation with Mary Forde Mary and I will be discussing the important, and unique Corlea Trackway Centre in County Longford A Conversation with…
Scottish and Irish ‘landscape’ stories: with Professor Patrick Nunn
Every community has folk tales to share, but do some of these stories encode ancient memories of climate change? This short podcast conversation with Professor Nunn focuses on stories from the North west coast of Ireland and Scotland that may have been told far longer than we might imagine. Listen, and then discover more in…
A Conversation with Professor Patrick Nunn
Patrick Nunn is the Professor of Geography at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. He is a leading climate change scientist, author, and a specialist on how stories from oral traditions may have encoded memories of geological and oceanic change from around seven thousand years ago. Join Chris and Patrick as they…
The ‘ÉIRÍ’Competition Schools’ Pack
‘ÉIRÍ’ Evoking Ireland’s Resilient female Ícons ‘ÉIRÍ’ An International Competition Celebrating Women and Girls in Irish Mythology An interactive support package for Primary and younger Secondary Students Feel free to download this interactive Google Slides presentation as a teaching aid for exploring the wondeful old Irish stories set in their early Medieval pre-Norman Irish context….
Chris’ Ramble 2: David and Goliath, Meet Lugh and Balor
Some reflections on a journey to discover Irish stories. Join Chris as she explores Irish oral story transmission and wonders if even stories sometimes need careful map makers to prevent them them from being lost. Links for this episode If you would like to find out more about the infamous Giraldus Cambrensis Or just join…