'The Cry of the Sebac', new novel by Irish writer Anthony Murphy, has just been published on Amazon Kindle

It gives me great pleasure to announce that my new novel, 'The Cry of the Sebac', has just been published on Amazon Kindle.

I am the Sebac Gaoth,
the Hawk on the Wind,
one who has lived beyond memory.
I have listened to the tune of the earth
since before time began
but the music of the world grows sad.

A 12-year-old boy called Fintan meets a mysterious talking bird who claims to have lived forever. The bird, who describes himself as the Sebac Gaoth (the Hawk on the Wind), wants to warn the boy about the danger facing mankind, and to bring him to a fantastic revelation about his own origins and destiny.

The Sebac is a manifestation of ancient wisdom. In the Irish mythic tradition, the hawk appears as a shamanic presence, a voice from the ancient world. The boy represents innocence, but Fintan is about to come of age, and his experiences with the Sebac mark an initiation of sorts, a transition from ordinary mortal to the heroic figure of salvation that mankind desperately needs.

But what can one boy do in the face of such tremendous adversity?

As he journeys through mind and spirit and cosmos, the boy meets several of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Prophecy says they will help man in one final battle against darkness. But the Dananns have their own ideas about who the Samildánach (the Many-Gifted) is, and they want to reveal the one who will shine light into the darkest places and battle to prevent the fall of mankind.

You can purchase the novel on Amazon.com here:
http://www.amazon.com/Cry-Sebac-Anthony-Murphy-ebook/dp/B01DE75Z50/

And on Amazon.co.uk here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cry-Sebac-Anthony-Murphy-ebook/dp/B01DE75Z50/

You might also want to check out my author page on Amazon, and indeed my other books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B001JOY804

The book has its own website which you can view here:
http://thecryofthesebac.blogspot.com

Modern technology versus Stone Age technology

Above is a short video with some thoughts and reflections upon modern technology and a comparison with the technology of the Stone Age world of Newgrange. Recorded while driving home from Newgrange in the Boyne Valley.

My new book, Land of the Ever-Living Ones

I am making my first foray into the world of fiction, with my new novella, 'Land of the Ever-Living Ones', which is being published in November 2013.

The cover of my new book, Land of the
Ever-Living Ones, a work of fiction.

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 hope 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.

The book will be published in printed form and also as an eBook on the Amazon Kindle platform. Because I am publishing this book myself, there are obviously considerable costs attached to that. If you would like to make a donation to help me bring this work to the public it would be appreciated greatly.

Time lapse video of Newgrange

This is a short time lapse video showing clouds moving over Newgrange, Ireland. It was shot on a Nikon DSLR camera by 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality' author Anthony Murphy.

Sean Moncrieff Newstalk interview about new Newgrange book

Above is a link to my interview with Sean Moncrieff on Newstalk radio last Friday, December 21st, the day of the winter solstice. Although it had been cloudy for the solstice at Newgrange, the largest crowd ever to gather at the monument (at least in modern times) came together to enjoy the event. Sean Moncrieff was interviewing me about my new book, 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality', and asked some very interesting questions about this remarkable monument. Below is a photo of my copy of the book which I had read from at Newgrange that morning, and which Sean kindly autographed for me!

My copy of the Newgrange book autographed
by Newstalk presenter Sean Moncrieff

Reading from the book at Newgrange, winter solstice 2012

This is a short video clip of me reading from 'Newgange: Monument to Immortality' at Newgrange on Friday, December 21st, 2012, the winter solstice. The day was cloudy, so there was no sunshine in the chamber, but the hundreds of people who gathered at the monument enjoyed themselves nonetheless. There was a particularly big turnout this year, the biggest I've ever seen in thirteen years of going there, driven in part no doubt by the fascination with the supposed Mayan end of the world predictions. The reading above is from George William Russell's 'A Dream of Angus Oge' in which he appears to describe in a spectacular and poetic way the illumination of the Newgrange chamber - 70 years before Prof. Michael O'Kelly restored the roofbox allowing it to function again. Extraordinary stuff.

Sean Boylan launches Newgrange book in Navan

Legendary GAA manager and Meath man Sean Boylan launched 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality' in the aptly named Newgrange Hotel in Navan last night, Wednesday November 14th.

Sean Boylan with Anthony Murphy at the Meath
launch of Newgrange: Monument to Immortality

Mr. Boylan gave a very beautiful endorsement of the book, which he had read from cover to cover and found very interesting and rewarding. He said he hoped to see the book in every school and in every library in Ireland. He seemed really touched by it.

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality has a message for our time. I reiterated my belief that its message is an eternal one, that no matter what the circumstances the country finds itself in, the monument and the mythology have a current relevance.

Tea, coffee, drinks and sandwiches were laid on for those who turned up on the night. The launch was organised by my father, Paul Murphy, who has always been a devoted supporter of my endeavours, and to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude.

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality is available in all good bookshops now and can be ordered direct from the publisher at http://www.theliffeypress.com/newgrange-monument-to-immortality.html

Capturing the mystical nostalgia of Newgrange

This is a video I have put together 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 these hauntingly beautiful and extraordinary words 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 . . .

Video: Newgrange Monument to Immortality read by the author

A much longer, 55-minute version of this video is available at this page on Mythical Ireland.

Newgrange book should be available in the bookshops this week

I am glad to report that my new book, Newgrange: Monument to Immortality, has arrived in Ireland and should be available in the bookshops this week.
The books arrived from the printer the other day and will now filter out to all the shops from the distributor. If you are unable to locate a copy in your local bookshop, please let me know by email at mythicalireland@gmail.com. Alternatively, the book can be ordered directly from the publisher, The Liffey Press, from their website or by phone at 00353 (0)1 8511458.

The book will retail at €24.95 and contains 127 colour images, the majority of which were taken by me. If you enjoyed Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers, you will definitely enjoy Newgrange. However, my latest book is a more personal, philosophical and reflective look at our ancient heritage, and in particular what message it might have for us today, in these difficult and unprecedented times.

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality - publication date October 25th

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 often a sense of melancholy for the community of people who created it from stone and earth in the remote past, a people now lost to time.

For the past three centuries, archaeologists, antiquarians, 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. In this fascinating book, Anthony Murphy shows that Newgrange is not only a uniquely special place, but 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.

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, Murphy looks 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 marvellous testament to their time.

The book has gone to the printer and, all going well, should be available to purchase in late October. To pre-order your copy, visit The Liffey Press website.