Audio podcast: 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones' author Anthony Murphy interviewed on LMFM radio

The otherworld under the great western ocean

A nice quote from Land of the Ever-Living Ones set against a beautiful backdrop. Feel free to download and share. For more information about my new novella, and my first work of fiction, you can see it on the following websites and pages:

Amazon.com - Buy the new book for Amazon Kindle.

Goodreads - Anthony Murphy author profile.

Facebook - Land of the Ever-Living Ones page.

Blog - The official blog site of Land of the Ever-Living Ones.

'Land of the Ever-Living Ones' a novella and my first work of fiction, published on Amazon Kindle

The cover of my new book.

I'm delighted to report that my first work of fiction, a novella entitled 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones' has just been published on Amazon Kindle and will soon be available in printed format. Inspired by Tír na mBeo, an old Irish name for the otherworld, it is a deeply spiritual and philosophical book which attempts to draw on ancient Irish wisdom and is an uplifting and inspirational work.

Land of the Ever-Living Ones is an extraordinary dialogue between an old man and a young boy that reaches into cosmic and spiritual realms. In one fireside conversation, they explore the universe with discussion about many different things, including natural phenomena, the mysteries of life and the question of what happens to us when we die. The old man (sean-draoi) has gained much knowledge and wisdom during his life, and readily imparts it to the eager young boy, who is full of questions.

Tír na mBeo (Land of the Ever-Living Ones) was an ancient Irish name for the otherworld, the home of deities, spirits and ancestors. It was believed to be a place where there is no sickness or old age and where happiness lasts forever. In this wide-ranging conversation, the man takes the boy on a journey into his own ancestral past, and through lesson, metaphor, story and dream, creates for him a stunning insight into his spiritual existence and his quest for eternity.

The journey is a magical and powerful one, evoking both ecstasy and melancholy, for lost ancestors, for the frailties of mankind, and for the sometimes harsh lessons of worldly life. However, it is an optimistic tale, one that stirs up great aspiration for the eventual destiny of the boy, and for all his kin.  Its central message is one of hope – a reminder that light will always emerge out of the darkness, and that all our struggles on this earth are not in vain.

'Land of the Ever-Living Ones' can be purchased for Amazon Kindle at this link:
http://www.amazon.com/Land-Ever-Living-Ones-Anthony-Murphy-ebook/dp/B00GPMOS0U/

Remember, if you like it, why not post a review on Amazon? Thanks a million.

The story of the slaying of the Mata at Newgrange - is this Ireland's original creation myth?

Some interesting thoughts on the story of the slaying of the monster known as The Mata, which took place at Newgrange. The monster was said to have been torn limb from limb and thrown into the Boyne. Is this Ireland's original creation myth?

A brilliant light appeared . . . going to the otherworld at Newgrange

A short quote from my soon to be released novella 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones', from a sequence where the sean-draoi (wise old man)  recounts an incredible experience that happened to him in Newgrange.

Help get Land of the Ever-Living Ones published

Self-publishing is not for the faint-hearted!! Writing a book is one thing. Editing it and proofing it and designing it for print and eBook formats is an entirely different thing! And then getting it printed and distributed is another matter also. You'd imagine a guy like me, who has been writing professionally for years, and who has been an editor of two different newspapers, would have no problems with all this. The truth is that I think I can write (I'll let you be the judge of that), and I think I can edit, and even design the book and get it ready for print. The one thing I seem unable to do is to raise the finance necessary to get it printed.

It won't cost me anything to upload the book to Amazon for the Kindle reader. Great. But it's a costly business trying to get a physical book printed. So I have come up with an idea. Why not ask my readers and followers and Facebook fans to donate towards this project? If you have a few dollars/euros/pounds (delete/add currency as required!) and would like to help me out, please hit the "donate" button. You can use PayPal or a Visa or credit card. I greatly appreciate anything you can do to help get this project completed.

More information about the book at the link below:
http://www.mythicalireland.com/landoftheeverlivingones/land-of-the-ever-living-ones.html

Coming soon - 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones'

A draft cover of my new novel.

I am glad to report significant progress on getting my next (third) book to print. It is my first foray into the world of fiction, and is a novella called 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones'. I am planning to release LOTELO (as I like to call it) as an eBook on Amazon Kindle, as well as a printed version, in November 2013.

Here is a synopsis of the book: Land of the Ever Living Ones is an extraordinary dialogue between an old man and a young boy that reaches into cosmic and spiritual realms. In one fireside conversation, they sweep the universe with discussion about many different things, including natural phenomena, the mysteries of life and the question of what happens to us when we die. The old man (sean-draoi) has gained much knowledge and wisdom during his life, and readily imparts it to the eager young boy, who is full of questions.

Tír na mBeo (Land of the Ever-Living Ones) was an ancient Irish name for the otherworld, the place to which the soul was believed to have gone after death. In this wide-ranging conversation, the man takes the boy on a journey into his own ancestral past, and through lesson, metaphor, story and dream, creates for him a stunning insight into his spiritual existence and his quest for eternity. The journey is a magical and powerful one, evoking both ecstasy and melancholy, for lost ancestors, for the frailties of mankind, and for the sometimes harsh lessons of worldly life. However, it is an optimistic tale, one that stirs up great hope for the eventual destiny of the boy, and for all his kin.

I will keep you posted about when the book is available to purchase.

New film about remembering our ancient ancestors

This is a short film about communing with ancient ancestors at the 5,000-year-old sacred site of Dowth, a cairn built, according to legend, on the command of the king of Ireland, Bresail. The film is set to the beautiful and haunting music of Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin, from her album 'Songs of the Scribe'. I hope you enjoy it.

Fascinating and precise alignment of Ireland's sacred sites including Newgrange, Hill of Tara and Slane

NEWGRANGE ALIGNMENT

There are some extraordinary alignments of ancient sites in Ireland. Two of these are now documented in new videos on Mythical Ireland.

The first involves Newgrange, perhaps the most famous of Irish monuments, with other sites which sit precisely along the winter solstice axis. You can read about the alignment and watch the video here:

http://www.mythicalireland.com/videos/Fourknocks-Newgrange-alignment-Google-Earth.html

BRIGID'S WAY ALIGNMENT

The recently launched Brigid's Way Celtic Pilgrimage, which followed a route from Faughart in Louth to County Kildare was tracing out the route of a precise alignment of ancient sites discovered by Richard Moore and I during research for our book 'Island of the Setting Sun'. Read more about how this alignment was discovered, and watch a ten-minute video about the discovery at this link:

http://www.mythicalireland.com/Brigids-Way/Brigids-Way-Celtic-Pilgrimage-alignment.html



I have added some pictures from the first day of the pilgrimage here:

http://www.mythicalireland.com/Brigids-Way/Brigids-Way-Celtic-pilgrimage-pictures.html

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It is good work," cried all the De Danaans, "we will stay and do it, but Brigit must go to Moy Mel and Tir-na-Moe and Tir-nan-Oge and Tir-fo-Tonn, and all the other worlds, for she is the Flame of Delight in every one of them."

"Yes, I must go," said Brigit.

"O Brigit!" said Ogma, "before you go, tie a knot of remembrance in the fringe of your mantle so that you may always remember this place--and tell us, too, by what name we shall call this place."

"Ye shall call it the White Island," said Brigit, "and its other name shall be the Island of Destiny; and its other name shall be Ireland."

From Celtic Wonder Tales, by Ella Young (1910), illustrated by Maud Gonne.

Best wishes from Ireland,
Anthony Murphy,
www.mythicalireland.com
www.newgrangeireland.com

Two forthcoming talks on Newgrange and astronomy

With Imbolc only around the corner, I am delighted to announce that the talks tour for 2013 is about to kick off. I will give my first talk since 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality' was published next Saturday, February 2nd, in Rostrevor, for the St. Bronagh's School of Celtic Studies. For information on the talk, and for directions to the venue, see the following website: http://celtic-spirituality.net/2013/01/st-bronagh-school-of-celtic-studies-2-february-2013/

On the following Monday, February 4th, I will be giving a talk to the Northern Ireland Amateur Astronomy Society in Ballyclare, Co. Antrim, at 8pm. See information about the venue etc at the NIAAS website here: http://www.eaas.co.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140%3Afebruary-2013-meeting&catid=3%3Aclub-news-a-events&Itemid=12

The topic will be Newgrange and Ireland's Ancient Astronomers, covering material from both of my books. I will have copies of both Island of the Setting Sun and Newgrange: Monument to Immortality on sale at both of these talks.

New Boyne Valley interactive map launched

A screen shot of the new Boyne Valley interactive map. © Anthony Murphy

A brand new fully interactive map of the Bend of the Boyne (Brú na Bóinne) monument complex has been launched over at Mythical Ireland. The map features many newly discovered monuments and landscape features and other possible ancient structures which heretofore haven't been included on maps of the area.

The map is Flash based and hovering over each site gives information about what type of monument it is and in some cases a bit of the mythology of the site as well. The new Mythical Ireland interactive Boyne Valley map includes exciting features only recently revealed by archaeological imaging techniques such as LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and gradiometry.

Included are the Dowth causeway, a suspected raised routeway running from Dowth passage-tomb towards the giant Dowth Henge. Also featured is the Rossnaree enclosure, which was discovered during archaeological digging in 2010. The map can be found on Mythical Ireland.

Video captures incredible mystical vibe of Newgrange

This is a short video I made to try to capture some of the essence that is 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality', featuring the extraordinary and visionary words of George William (AE) Russell, written in 1897, from 'A Dream of Angus Oge'. Russell wrote this at a time when the Newgrange aperture was apparently blocked up, and therefore the solstice illumination of the chamber was not possible. Russell claimed to have been psychic. Perhaps he was!! He appears to capture quite magnificently the magic and mysticism of Newgrange and the Tuatha Dé Danann.

In my new book I suggest that we need to reconnect with the magic of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who perhaps represent some aspect of our spirit and psyche that is now dormant. The video is an attempt to engender that spirit within us . . .

Pictures from Newgrange book launch

Chris McClintock, author of The Craft and the Cross, with myself at the launch.

This is me signing some books at the launch of Newgrange: Monument to Immortality

See more photographs from the launch of Newgrange: Monument to Immortality on Mythical Ireland.

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality now in the bookshops

My new book, 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality', has just been published by The Liffey Press and will be available in bookshops this week. I am thrilled to say that the book looks fantastic, and contains no less than 127 colour photographs, which include many shots from inside Newgrange on the winter solstice and some spectacular 'fisheye' images from the interior of the passage and chamber.

The book appeared on the home page
of IrishCentral.com

The book is already attracting some major publicity, and was featured on the home page of the Irish Central website. The book will be launched this Friday, November 9th, at The Barbican in Drogheda, at 7pm. All welcome.


Newgrange: Monument to Immortality goes deep into the mind and soul of our neolithic ancestors to better understand what led them to build this remarkable monument. In a deeply moving, poetic and philosophical exploration, I look beyond the archaeology and the astronomy to reveal a much more profound and sacred vision of a sophisticated people who were driven to create this marvelous testament to their time.

The cover of my new book, Newgrange:
Monument to Immortality

But more than this, Newgrange: Monument to Immortality has a message for our troubled times of economic crisis and spiritual upheaval  Irish mythology speaks of many invasions which happened over the course of history and prehistory. The original gods of Ireland, the Tuatha Dé Danann, are said to have handed over the running of the country to the invading Milesians, and in doing so they retreated into the mounds and raths of Ireland where they await re-emergence in times of crisis. Has the time come for Irish people to enter the stone mounds and retrieve that dormant aspect of their spirit which finds itself suppressed by political, economic and religious forces in a turbulent world?

The message of Newgrange is an eternal one, and survives across more than five millennia, to speak to us of our long forgotten ancestors of yesteryear. That message is as relevant today as it has ever been, throughout the long centuries of oppression and imperialism. The magic of the Tuatha Dé Danann, representing the uplifting aspects of the Irish spirit and the Irish psyche, is alive today, but perhaps hidden in the dark chamber of Newgrange, awaiting the coming of the light.

With the Winter Solstice only weeks away, this is the perfect time to reflect upon the true meaning of Newgrange and the forces that drove its creators to construct such a remarkable memorial to their time. Newgrange is a monument to immortality, the eternal quest of the human spirit.

The book is available on Amazon.co.uk and from The Liffey Press website.

New exhibition to feature photos of Newgrange and Boyne Valley monuments

The major historical landmarks of the Boyne Valley - along with a few lesser known ones - will feature in an evocative new exhibition by accomplished local photographer Pat Burns opening next week in Drogheda.

Swans on the Boyne in front of Newgrange, by Pat Burns.

The exhibition of highly atmospheric black and white prints is the result of five years of meticulous observation and many pre-dawn forays to catch the magical early morning light.

The exhibition, at the Abbey Gallery in Dominic Street, will feature rich moody images of Newgrange, the Hill of Slane, Monasterboice, Mellifont, Dunmoe Castle, Bective Abbey, Tara, Trim Castle, the cairns at Loughcrew and the standing stones at Baltray.

“For over 5,000 years, builders have left their mark in wonderful inscribed stone buildings and monuments across this ancient and historical countryside. It is a rich and royal landscape, home to high kings and druids, Christian saints, monks and monasteries,” says Pat, who hails from Laytown.

“The connecting thread in the landscape is the River Boyne from which the Valley takes its name.”

“The exhibition is an attempt to capture in black and white photographic images not only the beauty of the landscape of the Boyne Valley, but also the power, sense of mystery and atmosphere that still inhabits the place.”

“There's something palpable that still seems to cling to and live on in the castle ruins, in the high crosses and monasteries, the trees, standing stones, ancient mounds and along the river Boyne itself.”

Adds Pat: “The exhibition is not meant to be an in depth pictorial record of the Boyne Valley. Rather it is a personal visual homage to this place of myth, mystery and beauty.”

Pat is a self-taught photographer with a particular interest in documentary and landscape work. He has recorded many aspects of life and community in Laytown where he has lived for almost thirty years.

The exhibition will be opened by Anthony Murphy, co-author of Island Of The Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers, on Thursday July 26 at 7.30pm.

See more pictures at Mythical Ireland.

New book on Newgrange by Anthony Murphy

I am currently working on a new book about Ireland's most famous monument. The book, called 'Newgrange - Monument to Immortality', will be published by The Liffey Press in the autumn.

This new work explores Newgrange and its mysteries from many aspects and disciplines, including archaeology, astronomy and spirituality, and encompasses a broad-sweeping and philosophical examination of the big questions about Ireland's most famous monument. The book will contain lots of new colour photographs - none of which have been published before in any other book or on any website. These include photos from inside the passage and chamber on the winter solstice, when the sun shines into the heart of the monument.

A new blog site has been set up about the Newgrange book which can be found here.

New Knowth book by Professor George Eogan launched

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan, TD, today (Wednesday 20 June, 2012), commemorated 50 years of excavations by Professor George Eogan at the great passage tomb at Knowth, Co Meath, dating back to 3,000 BC. The occasion was marked by the launch of the fifth in a series of Knowth publications by Professor Eogan - ‘The Archaeology of Knowth in the First and Second Millennium AD’.

The Knowth passage tombs, along with those at Newgrange and Dowth, form part of the Brú na Bóinne archaeological complex inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.  The Brú na Bóinne tombs, in particular Knowth, contain the largest collection of megalithic art in Western Europe. The archaeological excavations on the site have contributed significantly to the knowledge of Ireland’s earliest farmers, including burial places, rituals, ceremonies and the sophistication of their society and economies.

“It is humbling to think” the Minister said “that some 5,000 years ago, when these tombs were built of the enormity of the effort which skilled craftsmen put into creating these tombs and passage ways.  These tombs are older than Stonehenge in England and they are also older than the Pyramids in Egypt.”

Describing the world heritage site at Brú na Bóinne as the ‘jewel in the crown of our cultural heritage’, Minister Deenihan went onto say, “the wonderful carved stones, together with those at Newgrange and Dowth, constitute the largest collection of megalithic art in the world. I cannot over emphasise how important I believe it is for people to come and visit the Brú na Bóinne site and witness first-hand the magnitude of the feat which was achieved in building these mounds. It is by learning and honouring our past that we can appreciate the present”  added Minister Deenihan.

Minister Deenihan then presented Professor Eogan with a replica of the basin stone found in the tomb as a memento of his lifetime work at the site. The Minister remarked that Professor Eogan, who first discovered the passage tomb in 1968, ‘was probably the first person to see the chamber and the decorated stone basin since the 10^th Century.’

  

The Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre, operated by the Office of Public Works, is open all year round, with access to Knowth available seven days a week from April to October.

The Archaeology of Knowth in the First and Second Millennium AD, is published by the Royal Irish Academy and can be purchased via their website -  www.ria.ie.

Free summer solstice event at Beaghmore stone circles

Astronomers from the Armagh Observatory and the Irish Astronomical Association (IAA), and archaeologists from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), are joining forces on Thursday 21st June, the summer solstice (BST), for a day of fascinating and participative education and learning activities at Beaghmore Stone Circles, County Tyrone. The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, and this year’s event follows the highly successful series of activities provided at this important Bronze-Age site last January as part of the BBC’s “Stargazing LIVE” programme.

Beaghmore Stone Circles. Photo: © Steve Emerson

Everyone is welcome to this event, which will showcase not just the astronomical alignments that are built into the site but also its puzzling archaeology and how these bits of the jigsaw fit into our understanding of the physical and historic landscape surrounding the site’s construction more than 4,000 years ago. In the morning, several schools have been invited to participate in archaeological and astronomical activities between 10:30 and 14:00.

Children and their teachers will hear how the Bronze-age people who built the stone circles and rows might have lived and how they constructed the stone circles. The children will learn how to make a stone circle and have a go at making a clay pot. They will also learn about the stars, planets and Seasons, and why the summer solstice is the longest day of the year. The astronomers participating in this morning session are supporting a new education and public outreach programme called European Universe Awareness (EU-UNAWE). This programme, which involves scientists in five European countries and South Africa, is funded through the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement 263325. It is directed mainly at young and disadvantaged children with the important aim of using the beauty and grandeur of the Universe to encourage them to have an interest in science and technology and a sense of global citizenship from the earliest age.

In the long term, EU-UNAWE will help to produce the next generation of engineers and scientists and raise awareness that we are all part of a much larger global and space-based European community. Universe Awareness (UNAWE) was founded five years ago and is already active in more than 40 countries comprising a network of almost 500 astronomers, teachers and educators worldwide. Later in the day, from 16:00 to 20:00 this free event is open to adults and families. Here, they will have the opportunity to participate in astro-archaeological tours at 17:00 and 19:00, led by NIEA archaeologist Claire Foley and astronomer Mark Bailey, Director of Armagh Observatory. Weather permitting, visitors will also have a chance, courtesy of members of the Irish Astronomical Association, to obtain a safe view of the Sun through special astronomical telescopes and, under the supervision of NIEA archaeologists, to participate in a real research survey into the surrounding peat bog to see if further stones can be identified by “bog probing”.

 The Beaghmore Stone Circle complex, County Tyrone, is located roughly halfway between Cookstown and Omagh, close to An Creagán and approximately an hour’s drive from either Armagh or Belfast. It is one of the most important stone-circle sites on the island of Ireland and discovered less than a hundred years ago during peat cutting in the 1940s and 1950s. There are three pairs of open stone circles and a single in-filled one built of quite low stones, and each circle is associated with a double alignment or “stone row” pointing roughly in the direction of midsummer sunrise or midwinter sunset. The combination of circles and alignments at Beaghmore is matched at other sites in Northern Ireland, and many, but by no means all, appear to have been designed as pointers to parts of the horizon that saw the rising or setting of the Sun or Moon.

Total lunar eclipse no-show at Baltray: video

A total lunar eclipse rising out of the Irish Sea in the same position as Winter Solstice sunrise proved a tempting target for photographers and astronomers on June 15th 2011. However, typical Irish cloudy weather spoiled the show and the event was obscured. This did not deter those present from getting some nice photographs though.

Some scenes from the High Man Documentary

The High Man documentary is a half-hour film which was filmed over three days using borrowed equipment with no budget as a pilot for a possible bigger project. Music was composed by David Swan Montgomery, who was inspired by the story of the High Man, a giant warrior figure made up of roads in Ireland which has significant esoteric links with the ancient myths, monuments and placenames of the area in which it is located. The High Man was discovered by Richard Moore and Anthony Murphy and is documented in their popular book, 'Island of the Setting Sun - In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers'.

The film provides the briefest overview of the High Man and the underlying myths and monuments. It is our hope to make a much bigger film, perhaps for television or for DVD distribution, and we are currently seeking funds to make this happen.

http://www.mythicalireland.com

http://www.thehighman.com