The text of the Táin Bó Cúailnge is one of Irish story’s greatest treasures. The central tale of the two great bulls may be familiar but the wealth of wider stories that circle the Táin, involve some of the most colourful of Irish characters and encompasses almost the whole of the country. Since 2011, a…
The Cats of Cruachan ~ an short animated film
This time last year, I was struggling with what felt like an impossible task. I was asked to come up with a scripted screenplay for the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre, Roscommon. This short animation was commissioned by Nollaig Feeney, the Roscommon Heritage Officer and was a direct outcome of the Schools workshops undertaken in the county…
Medb: Conquests and Consequences
Medb, Queen of Connacht, is rightly renowned in Irish legend and mythology, as a strong and influential woman leader. Her centre of power, Cruachan Ai, is still recognised as one of the most important Iron-age sites in Ireland. Medb lead her people in her own name and by her own right. She was a strong woman…
Robin Williamson: Five Denials on Merlin’s Grave
Robin Williamson released 1997 When I was putting together my audio-article on story telling, I mentioned that I owed a debt of honour to the musician, story teller Robin Williamson. I also mentioned that I once owned an entire vinyl collection of Incredible String Band albums! (that was in another country and besides …..) I…
Telling Stories : Continuing the Oral Tradition
Join Chris Thompson as she takes a story-teller’s view of the old Irish stories. Who told them and why were they so memorable. In this audio article, Chris celebrates the old stories and explores the challenges in telling them today. For those who have asked me for ideas and advice on story telling generally, I…
Story Archaeology Music
I have been meaning to put up a post recommending the musician whose composition ‘The Tamlin Jig’ has opened and closed Story Archaeology posts since the beginning. Isolde and I met Gian living in Drumshanbo, a few km from us, about the time we were first setting up the podcast. We were impressed with his…
The Dagda’s Cauldron ~ A home-brew supplemental
In the audio article ‘The Dadga’s Cauldron’ I was speculating, in a somewhat lighthearted moment, that the transformative element of the Dagda’s wonderful cooking pot from which no-one went away unsatisfied might have been connected to memories of early fermentation processes, i.e. the brewing of beer. There has been plenty of evidence for feasting at…
The Dagda’s Cauldron ~ A Seasonal Special!
The Dagda with his cauldron of abundance, from which none leave unsatisfied, epitomises the deep and ancient yearning we feel for mid-winter indulgence and good company. It may be that the cauldron had more to offer than just a solid meal. Join Chris, from the Story Archaeologists, as she dips into this extravagant cooking pot….
Some questions answered by The Story Archaeologists
We regularly receive questions from listeners and readers. We try to answer them as soon as we can but many are well worth exploring in more detail. Here we discuss just three. Firstly there is the problem of ‘coir’, a word that we use regularly in episodes to express an important but complex concept. Another…
The Mysteries of Midir: a Samhain Special
What did happen to Midir? Why does he appear in so few stories? It is a mystery. A murder mystery? Could be. Certainly Midir’s reputation was usurped and he, himself, seems to have been, effectively, ‘disappeared! For a more ‘in depth’ examination of this topic go to: In Search of Midir or In Search of…