The completely true and absolutely false history of Boston’s annexations.“Why is only this part of Boston officially called Boston?”“Not hard to tell, Ansa… Boston was an English noble. He committed an unspeakable affront to coir and in doing so broke ageis. For this, he was cursed to live alone on a small hill, an island…
Tag: Metrical Dindshenchas
Echtrae Standish, or the Story of Merrymount by Jamie Madden
Echtrae Standish, or the Story of Merrymount“Why do they call this part of Quincy ‘Merrymount’? Why not just call it Wollaston after the Tstop?”“Oh, that one’s not hard to tell, my Ansa. Merrymount meant exactly what it said. The firstEnglish colonists had such a good time here that they named this seaside hill the Merry…
The Charles River by Jamie Madden
In the days of dreaming when the Indigenous ones still walked freely among the misty mudflatsand green hills of the Massachusett, there was a well.It was a deep hidden pool, narrowed by points of land boasting nine strong hazel trees1 whosered nuts would drop softly into the deep reflecting mirror of the well.Within its depth…
Pictures for ‘A Conversation with Jamie Madden’
I mage from Nancy Seasholes’ Gaining Ground showing extent of landfill in Boston, compared to sea level rise projection from the City of Boston’s Climate Ready Boston Map Explorer. Note, the Back Bay (the filled area on the south side of the Charles River) is expected to be spared the flooding of harbor-side neighborhoods like…
Other Appearances of The Mórrígan
As discussed in the podcast, there are several other notable appearances which the Mór Rígan makes through Irish Mythology. Below, I have produced a translation of the Dindshenchas poem, “Odras”. Before we get to her, here are links to some of her other roles: Esnada Tige Buichet, “The Melodies of the House of Buchet”. This is…
Texts of Ethliu
From Tocmarc Étaine, “The Wooing of Étain” Edited O. Bergin & R. I. Best, Translated with endnotes by Isolde Carmody. Terms with related notes are in bold. View Bergin & Best’s edition on CELT While this text is included here in relation to “Tales of Eithliu”, we dealt with the whole of Tocmarc Étaíne in 3 episodes in Series 3, “Dindshenchas…
More Stories of Macha – Revisited
FROM THE METRICAL DINDSHENCHAS VOL 4 edited by Edward Gwynn translated by Isolde ÓBrolcháin Carmody
The Story Of Macha ~ revisited
Three and a half years on from our first examinationof Macha, I am still happy with my re-telling even though it id a touch fanciful.Near Armagh is the green mound of mysterious Emain Macha. This is the story of its naming. In my mind I still hear the rhythmic drumming of many hooves, the thrumming…
Origin stories – revisited
Virtually all cultures have creation stories… There are two main types of creation myth: the cosmogenic, which is about the creation of the universe or the world; and those that concern the creation of human beings. The stories of the creation of humans often comes in the same package as that of the creation of…
How long can a story last?- revisited
Defining the longevity of information passed orally from group to group, and from generation to generation, is hard to quantify. Stories change and grow. Their sources become lost in the mists of time, and yet they continue to have significance. Back in 1998, “The Year of The French”, commemorating the bicentennial of the political events…