Mythical Ireland, a new book from Anthony Murphy, author of the acclaimed Island of the Setting Sun and Newgrange: Monument to Immortality, embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from megalithic monuments and their associated mythology and cosmogony. Mythical Ireland provides a fascinating and compelling journey through time, landscape and spirit. Looking equally at archaeology, mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, Murphy explores the authentic wisdom from ancient times for a modern Irish society desperately searching for meaning. Along the way, the book delves into the many enthralling aspects of this story. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland's Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? What connects Fourknocks, a tiny passage-tomb, with the stones of Newgrange? What were the indigenous Irish myths about the Milky Way? Did someone try to steal the Tara Brooch? Why are there myths in Ireland about flooded towns and cities? Lavishly illustrated with exquisite photographs of the Irish landscape and ancient monuments, Mythical Ireland represents a personal and yet universal journey, a quest for real wisdom in an age when information is everywhere. What is the true message of Ireland's myths and monuments?

Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past

Murphy, Anthony

Religion & Spirituality

The Liffey Press

In July 2018, Anthony Murphy and Ken Williams discovered a giant previously unknown monument close to Newgrange while flying their drones over the Boyne Valley. They found what archaeologists believe to be a Late Neolithic henge monument, measuring 154 meters (just over 500 feet) in diameter, and a number of other mysterious and intriguing features. Their discoveries became an internet and media sensation and made headlines all around the world. In the days, weeks and months that followed, there was intense interest in these gigantic relics of the prehistoric world. Archaeologists pored over the drone imagery and the National Monuments Service conducted their own helicopter flights over Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site to capture the features in more detail.In Dronehenge, Anthony Murphy tells the story of the remarkable discovery of this monument, and attempts to unravel some of its mysteries. Anthony describes the events that followed the first social media post about the discovery and how he spent three weeks doing little else but taking phone calls, answering emails and engaging in Skype calls with media all around the world.Lavishly illustrated, Dronehenge includes discussion of how this monument might have been constructed and what it might have been used for, and includes 3D models of its likely appearance. Anthony explains how the henge, along with the other features discovered, completely changes our view of the Brú na Bóinne landscape, and why it will have archaeologists and historians studying them for many years to come.

Dronehenge: The Story Behind the Remarkable Neolithic Discovery at Newgrange

History

Ancient Civilizations

Mythical Ireland embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, and is an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from 5,000-year-old megalithic monuments and their associated myths. The book represents a fascinating and engaging journey through time, landscape and the human spirit. Dealing with archaeology, interpretive mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, the book attempts to grapple with a core meaning, something beyond the functional interpretations of academia.\nIn this revised and expanded edition, Anthony Murphy delves further into the many enthralling aspects of this journey. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the ancient hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland’s Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? Who were the first kings of Tara? What were the indigenous Irish myths about the Milky Way? Did someone try to steal the Tara Brooch? Why are there myths in Ireland about ﬂooded towns and cities?\nLavishly illustrated with exquisite photographs of the Irish landscape and ancient monuments, Mythical Ireland represents a personal and yet universal journey, a quest to reimagine the shrines as empowering and transformative sacred places. Murphy invokes the druids and poets of the Boyne and thus the sídhe of the ancient texts are reawakened for a modern and turbulent world.

Around 6,000 years ago a most sophisticated and enigmatic community of people began to arise on the island of Ireland. They were the megalithic builders of the Stone Age, cunning engineers and master astronomers who systematically assembled a vast calendrical and astronomical scheme which would stand intact over five millennia. Today, the individual monuments which each form a part of that complicated astronomical assembly lie decaying in the landscape, straddling the Boyne river, which in ancient times was named after the Milky Way galaxy and was considered its earthly equivalent. Archaeologists have been probing individual sites over the last fifty years, and have been revealing intriguing information, carvings, artefacts and dating material which, as well as answering many questions, pose even more about the purpose and genesis of these great monuments. Perhaps more importantly, some of the ancient stone sites continue to function more than five millennia after they were constructed, with famous examples, such as Newgrange and Dowth, featuring alignments to the Winter Solstice sun. In "Island of the Setting Sun" a greater story of their genesis can finally be told. As these sites awaken from the slumber of five millennia, we can more definitively describe their true purpose - to track time, vast periods of time, to bring the sky down on to the ground in a grand astronomical scheme. The authors' exploration of the sky-ground system is taken from an array of perspectives, most notably through the ancient stories about these places - some of which may be as ancient as the sites themselves. Within the complex layers of myth, folklore and placename stories lies a concealed astronomical language. Interpreting these coded cosmological messages, the authors have found that together the landscape, the astronomy and the myth reveal the true intent of the megalithic master builders of a time when giants were said to rule the land. In this lavishly illustrated book many disparate things are explored, including the invasion myths of Ireland, the link between the ancient astronomers and St. Patrick, the "pleasant plain" among the stars, the true inspiration behind Newgrange's white quartz facade, the migratory patterns of Whooper Swans, the female reproductive system and its importance to the mound-builders, the eight-year Moon-Venus cycle, and a plethora of stories about such things as underwater spears, giant hounds, tragic drownings, cruel murders, vast battles, strange animals and the Irish cyclops. In short, "Island of the Setting Sun" provides a revision of how we look at prehistory in Ireland.

Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers

Moore, Richard

Europe

Island of the Setting Sun is the story of the sophisticated and enigmatic people who lived in Ireland around 6,000 years ago: the megalithic builders of the Stone Age. Archaeologists have been probing their building sites over the last fifty years, uncovering carvings, artifacts and dating materials that answer many questions about the people, yet pose even more about their purpose and genesis. This updated and revised second edition of this lavishly illustrated book presents evidence demonstrating that the builders of monuments such as Newgrange and its Boyne Valley counterparts were adept astronomers, cunning engineers, and capable surveyors.

Liffey Pr

Many people who visit the ancient and magnificent Newgrange monument in the Boyne Valley are driven by some deep longing to connect with their most distant roots. The giant 5,000-year-old megalithic construction evokes awe and wonderment, and a keen sense of melancholy for the community of people who created and fashioned it from stone and earth in the remote past, a people now lost to time. For the past two centuries, archaeologists, antiquarians, writers and researchers have been probing Newgrange in the hope of revealing something about its purpose, and something about the mysterious people of the New Stone Age who created giant structures using primitive technology. What has become clear from these investigations is that Newgrange is a uniquely special place, and that its construction was carried out not by a grizzly mob of grunting barbarians, but rather by an advanced agrarian community who had developed keen skills in the sciences of astronomy, engineering and architecture. In "Newgrange: Monument to Immortality", writer and researcher Anthony Murphy goes deep into the mind and soul of his Neolithic ancestors to attempt to draw forth some answers to these questions. In a deeply moving, poetic and philosophical exploration, he looks beyond the archaeology and the astronomy to reveal a much more profound and sacred vision of the very spirit of the people who were driven to such marvellous and wondrous efforts. Table of Contents Preface vii Acknowledgements x 1. Connections 1 2. Stone and Bone 19 3. Community Effort 39 4. Sun, Moon &amp; Stars 57 5. Vallancey and the Armed King 81 6. The Test of Time 99 7. Tomb or Womb? 117 8. Towards the Light 133 9. Cave Myths 149 10. The Divine Child 167 11. Inside the Chamber of Light 185 12. What Came after Newgrange? 205 13. What Have We Lost? 223 14. How Can We Go Back? 239 Endnotes 257 Index

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Ireland is home to some of the world’s oldest astronomically-aligned structures, giant stone monuments erected over 5,000 years ago. Despite their apparent simplicity, these megalithic edifices were crafted by a scientifically knowledgeable community of farmers who endeavored to enshrine their beliefs in a stellar afterlife within the very fabric of their cleverly designed stone temples.\nFinally back in print, this reissued edition presents evidence suggesting the builders of monuments such as Newgrange and its Boyne Valley counterparts were adept astronomers, cunning engineers and capable surveyors. Their huge monuments are memorials in stone and earth, commemorating their creators’ perceived unity with the cosmos and enshrining a belief system which resulted from a crossover between science and spirituality.\nAs investigation of this awe-inspiring civilization of people continues on many levels, evidence is emerging that significant archaeological sites dating from deep in prehistory are linked – not just through mythology, archaeology and cosmology – but through an arrangement of complex, and in some cases astonishing, alignments. Some of these alignments of ancient sites stretch from one side of Ireland to another.\nWhile the accounts of the lives of some prominent Irish saints appear to be steeped in folklore and mystery, it seems from new interpretations of the literature that the cosmic world view which existed in Neolithic Ireland experienced a continuity right into the Early Christian period.\nJoin us on this fascinating exploration of stones, stars and stories.\n“The sheer amount of information contained within the book is mind-boggling. It is well thought out and structured . . . The more you read the evidence the more convinced you become.” – Astronomy & Space magazine\n“Refreshing and fascinating . . . a wonderful magical book, sumptuously illustrated and a must for anyone who loves to delve deep into our past.” – Kenny’s Irish Bookshop\n“A fascinating insight into Ireland’s ancient burial sites” – Irish Independent\n“A monument” – Drogheda Independent\n“It is a beautiful book and very well written. The information that you collected is outstanding.” – Barbara Carter, co-author, The Myth of the Year and The Goddess and the Bull\n“The authors . . . reach interesting and challenging conclusions about the significance of ancient astronomical knowledge. The book is jammed with colour illustrations, maps and photographs. A thoroughly interesting read!” – Archaeology Ireland\n"An essential book that demonstrates just how much the beliefs and practices of our ancestors were influenced by the movement of the stars, in particular those of the constellation Cygnus - the celestial swan and Northern Cross - once seen as a source of life and the destination of the soul in death. A must have tome for all those passionate about what remains of our fast disappearing ritual monuments of the prehistoric age." - Andrew Collins, author of The Cygnus Mystery

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Murphy, Anthony. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Murphy, Anthony

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Murphy, Anthony. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past

Dronehenge: The Story Behind the Remarkable Neolithic Discovery at Newgrange

Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past

Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers

Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality

Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers