Story Archaeology

Meet Louise Shine, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Ruth as they discuss, the importance of creativity in art and education, explore art and technology as well as the way in which women from Irish mythology can still speak powerfully to current issues. This is one of a series of shorter ‘Stories in the Landscape’ conversations to celebrate...

Bóand by Lee Fenlon Meet Lee Fenlon, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. Now, join Chris and Lee as they discuss, what can be acheived in leaded glass and ceramic mosaic work , how Sinann has been treated in Athlone as well as stories of Boand and the Boyne. This is one of a series of shorter 'Stories in the Landscape' conversations to celebrate the 2023 ÉIRÍ Ev...

Ruth Egan Meet Ruth Egan, one of the seven adult winners of the ÉIRÍ art competition and project. So, join Chris and Ruth as they discuss, art, mthology and the importance of listening to the stories told by your grandmothers. This is one of a series of shorter 'Stories in the Landscape' conversations to celebrate the 2023 ÉIRÍ Evoking Irelands Resilient Female Icons competition and continuing pro...

So how old are the Irish stories? Come to think of it what exactly is meant by old, or medieval or any of the other terms so frequently used to describe mythological stories, and... does it matter? Join Chris as she follows a familiar route and sets up a few indicative, and hopefully useful, signposts along the way. Links for this episode These rambles are not intended as fully footnoted articles....

Nicola and Rosemary are both gifted artists from the Celtic Eye artists group who have all come together to draw on their talents to create some inspiring and innovative landscape and environmental projects. Join Chris, Nicola, and Rosemary as they talk about about the wide scope of some of Celtic Eye's impressive and on-going, still growing, projects as well as getting to discuss 'art in the land...

This ramble, begun in Queensland, Australia and completed in Leitrim, Ireland. begins to explore the ways in which the environment in which the stories were told may change elements creating the tale. And, no, I didn't walk all the way! Loughnashade trumpet This ramble was a long time in the making, begun in late January in Brisbane and picked up again at the start of April. It is a big topic and...

Shona is a talented artist and illustrator who tells stories through images. Join Chris and Shona as they explore some of the wonderful women characters to be found in the world of Irish story, and even try out a path to a most perplexing library. https://youtu.be/KM-v6StvTc4 Watch Shona's animation- The Forest of Cake. Brig Fand The Library of Perplexing Perplexities A Game for Etain. View more o...

SacrumProfanum by Benjamin Dwyer is an exploration of the Sheela-Na-gig through music. Join Chris as she encounters this profound and poetic experience out walking her local landscape accompanied by Sheela-na- gigs. Music for this episode: Lamentum from SacrumProfanum by kind permision of Benjamin Dwyer https://www.farpointrecordings.com/product-page/benjamin-dwyer-sacrumprofanum https://benjamind...

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. Opening music for this episode: Lamentum...

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. Moytura 2000 Links for this ramble. Circling the Táin: seven Story Archaeology podcast episodes. Cath Maige Tuired: six Story Archaeology podcast episodes. Stories in the Landscape Conversations: A conversation with...

The Isle of Harris. Yes, the sea can be this blue! 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 Professor Nunn's recent...

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 discuss, remarkable oral story transmission, illustrated by...

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 Find out about his 'map making'. Find out a bit more about his opinion on Ireland Or just...

Join Chris and Ralph, professor of Statistical Physics and enthusiastic comparative mythologist, as they enjoy discussing the ongoing ÉIRÍ project, 'Evoking Ireland's Resiliant female Icons', and discover how you, too, can add to some exciting and unusual research as well as discovering more about Ralph's upcoming Myths and Maths projects. Links for this episode. Find out how to enter the arts com...

Find out more about these new posts, 'Chris' Rambles'. Join Chris as she sets off, aided by an unusual sixteenth century map, encounters an excentric English polymath with big ambitions, and with the help of a medieval Irish monk, discovers a fresh view of the arrival of the Tuatha Dé Danann. And a good ramble is always best shared so please feel free to join in. Supporting links for this episode....

by Éamonn O'Doherty. Ardagh hill, in County Longford, Ireland is a very special 'Stories in the Landscape' location. This is the legendary Bri Leith, where much of the Tocmarc Étaíne is set. The Ardagh Heritage and Creative Centre, managed by story teller and educator, Ann and her colleague Annette, nestles at the foot of this beautiful hill. Join Chris and Ann,as they explore the centre, and how...

The Irish Dindshenchas The Lore of Prominent Places are a collection of origin stories which celebrate stories in the landscape. Yet, could they also inspire creative approaches to town planning? Join Chris and Jamie, a storyteller, genealogist and town planner, originally from Boston and now living in Seattle, as, together, they explore the broad and exciting scope of dindshenchas style stories....

Clare Millege Join Chris and Clare, an artist from Sydney Australia, and an eloquant exponant of the art of landscape stories, as they discuss, art, ecology, the Australian landscape and, especially, Clare's recent installation Imbás: a well at the bottom of the sea at the Sydney Biennale 22. Take the opportunity to explore the installation as Clare leads us on a very special artist's personal wal...

Lee Fenlon The second of a new Series of Story Archaeology podcast conversations on mythology and its 'Stories in the Landscape'. Join Chris and Ralph, professor of Statistical Physics and enthusiastic comaparative mythologist, as they discuss the remakable possibilities of applying socio-physics to epic myth cycles;take an appreciative retrospective look at the International 'Arts for Sinann' com...

The first of a new Series of Story Archaeology podcast conversations on mythology and its 'Stories in the Landscape'. Join Chris and Daniel, archaeologist and manager of the Rathcroghan Visitor Centre as they discuss Cruachan Aí,the royal home of of Medb, Ailill and the Finnbhennach, the white bull of Connacht. Yet,this famous setting forms only one level in the rich archaeological 'Stories in the...

Join the Story archaeologists as they attempt to catch up and answer some of the questions that you have been asking. This Q&A session covers the topic of fír flathemon , 'The truth of the king' and delves into the complexities of the text, Lebor Gabála Érenn, the 'Book of the Taking of Ireland'. We also return to the strange phenomenon of the Morrigan's Mono-horse.

This audio story is one of the many stories that circle around the great Táin Bó Cúailnge , The cattle raid of Cooley. It is not a well known story but it is important as it is really the 'origin' story for the whole cycle. It is also a great tale and explains a lot! The story has been included because it emphasises the importance of the storyteller-poets and can be enjoyed in conjunction with the...

Bricriu's Feast his story has everything It has a king who gets someone else to solve his own problems. It has warriors who are determined to have adventures and show off to the MAX, It has giants, water monsters, fearsome cats from an Otherworld cave and more. There is also a VERY BIG AXE! The story comes from a very old story called Fled Bricrenn.  I haven’t told it all  but I have included all...

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 in a society largely dominated by strong men. She fought hard to maintain the high status...

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 am going to be devoting a  section of my upcoming Patreon site 'Sinann's Well' to thi...