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.

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.

Extraordinary alignments: Newgrange lines up with ancient sites

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

A "master storyteller" lures readers into mysterious past

A new review of 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality' has been published by Tinteán, an Irish heritage magazine in Australia. The review is hugely positive. Here are some extracts (you can read the whole review by following this link):

Far removed from the usual dry language of archaeology, this book shows Anthony Murphy as a master storyteller who is adept at luring the reader with him into the mysterious past.

Modern astronomers argue that, without pens, paper and calculators, ancient peoples could not have followed other complex star or moon cycles, but Murphy makes a good case that they probably could have done and would have found them useful.  

Other issues such as a possible use of the powerful tunnel/light motif in shamanistic ceremonials concerned with death and rebirth are explored by Murphy, but probably the strangest tale about Newgrange that he tells concerns George William Russell’s ‘Dream of Angus Oge’.

Finally Murphy explains the importance of Newgrange in his own spiritual journey after the destruction of the 9/11 terrorist attacks shook his faith in humanity. He has visited the site many times, ultimately winning a place among the select few who now witness the winter solstice within the monument today.

For anyone who has visited the site, or is interested in the ancient history of Ireland, this would be a valuable book with its many illustrations and accessible, but highly scholarly, explanations.

Murphy draws many lessons from the building of Newgrange that are important to the difficulties faced by modern societies, particularly Ireland.

I have extended my thanks to the magazine editor and the review author. See the whole review on the website of Tinteán magazine.

Archaeology Ireland magazine gives book a positive review

Archaeology Ireland magazine has published a very positive review of 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality'. The publication features regular book reviews, which in general are carried out by the magazine's editor, archaeologist Tom Condit. The following is the text of the review, which was carried in their summer 2013 issue:

Newgrange at sunset by Anthony Murphy

Newgrange – Monument to Immortality (The Liffey Press, pb, €24.95) is the title of a new book by journalist, writer, photographer and amateur astronomer Anthony Murphy. Inspired by the scale and symbolism of Newgrange, Murphy expresses his Newgrange story in an engaging text throughout the boo. He states, ‘As long as we have questions about Newgrange, we will continue to explore it, and we will carry on trying to quench our thirst for knowledge’.

Readable and interesting, this publication on Newgrange takes us beyond archaeology into some of the more interesting characteristics of the mound that provoke a whole range of reactions from those who get caught in its web of mystique.

Murphy examines the background to the construction of the great mound and passage tomb, with particular emphasis on the community effort and technical skills that would have been required in its construction.

The importance of the celestial movements and the annual cycle of the sun are of particular significance, and several chapters are devoted to this aspect of the tomb’s construction. In subsequent chapters the author explores the ‘womb or tomb?’ theme, drawing attention to the questions concerning the function of such tombs that go beyond burial and disposal of the dead.

Newgrange is still a meaningful place for modern people, who are attracted to its sense of spirituality. Murphy develops this theme further in discussing the accounts of people who have described their own ‘near death experiences’, where lights at the end of tunnels are commonly reported (the metaphor for death is a strong one when seen in this context!).

Subsequent chapters on cave myths and the author’s own experience in the tomb at solstice provide an intriguing juxtaposition of ancient accounts from the past and the modern-day reality of visiting the interior of Newgrange. The book itself is beautifully produced and illustrated throughout with high-quality colour images.

Newgrange is 1/10th of the earth's circumference from Giza pyramids

I am drawing no conclusions from this at the moment, but it is fascinating nonetheless. Newgrange is located precisely one tenth of the earth's circumference from the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. This was apparently first noticed by James Q. Jacobs in 1991 using spherical trigonometry, and can now be easily demonstrated using Google Earth. Archaeologists don't believe there is any connection between Newgrange and the pyramids, but there are lots of people who do. This is just one of a number of correlations that have been discovered by other researchers and authors. I will leave it for you to decide whether you think this is just a bizarre coincidence or something else: http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/newgrange/newgrange-pyramids/newgrange-and-the-pyramids.html

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.

Moon and stars over Newgrange

With winter closing in this photo, taken at Newgrange a couple of nights ago, certainly has that cold feeling about it. The temperature had dropped quite considerably and there was a severe wind chill. This was taken around 5.45pm, after sunset but with the afterglow still evident. The crescent moon hung low in the southwest and the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle, soared above it. The small amount of cloud, lit up by the lights of Dublin, helped add some sense of warmth to the scene.

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 . . .

Newgrange book described as "the work of a spiritual warrior"

Dolores Whelan, author of 'Ever Ancient, Ever New' and an expert on Celtic spirituality, said the following at the launch of Newgrange: Monument to Immortality at The Barbican Centre, Drogheda, on Friday, 9th November 2012.

Anthony's new book on Newgrange offers the reader many different pathways back into the great ancient spiritual heritage of his country.

Newgrange: Monument to Immortality author Anthony Murphy with Dolores Whelan at the book launch in Drogheda

For people like Anthony, newgrange is a very alive, vibrant place and he poses the question, "Can we learn something about why it was built, what its importance was, why it has survived not only as a physical structure but as a dimension of the human psyche. And what, if any, message might it have for us 21st Century humans?

Having established the archaeological foundations he opens up the conversation to a wider space, which includes the cosmological dimensions of Newgrange and the spiritual relevance of this mystical place. If we are to find this knowledge we must spend quiet time there. We must move into an inner space where it would be possible for the Gods and Goddesses who resided in Newgrange come to meet us.

This book explores the archaeology, the astronomy, the spirituality and the mystery of Newgrange. It moves away from the safe options and becomes expansive in the questions it poses.

This book is also a very personal statement, reflecting Anthony's own spiritual journey, his struggles, his questions, his dark night of the soul, and again he does not seek to offer definitive answers but hints at possibilities.

Anthony suggests the defeat of the Tuatha Dé Danann at the hands of the Milesians is at the root of the wasteland that is Western culture, a view shared by the late John Moriarty.

This significant book reflects for me a person who has access to large regions of the intelligence of the universe within themselves, a person who has expanded beyond the confines of the rigid left brain and is in contact with heart knowledge, someone who has allowed themselves to become a conduit for the energies of Newgrange to flow out into the wider world in 2012.

This book is big, courageous, magical, challenging and transformative! This book celebrates our ancestors, not as dead people, but as an integral aspect of ourselves that is longing to be reunited in our hearts.

In summary, 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality' is the work of a spiritual warrior, who might have been described in the following Triad from our tradition:

A person who has the Eye to see what is

The Heart to feel what is and the courage that dares to follow

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.

First copy of 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality' received today

I am delighted to report that I have just received the first copy of 'Newgrange: Monument to Immortality' from The Liffey Press. I received a call this morning to say the first two copies had been received at the publisher's office in Raheny, Dublin, from the printer. (The rest will follow next week).

Publisher David Givens presenting me with the first copy of 'Newgrange:
Monument to Immortality' in The Liffey Press offices today.

It is a long-standing tradition, although not widely upheld today apparently, that the author receives the first copy of his or her work. Thankfully, The Liffey Press publisher David Givens still believes in this old mantra! And so, just after midday, myself and my wife Ann were on the M1 motorway heading for Dublin. I have to say that I felt like a child waiting to see what Santa had left . . . I couldn't wait.

The book is beautifully printed and finished, and feels quite weighty in the hand. I am thrilled that so many colour photographs have been used in the book. It is a top quality production - and I wouldn't expect anything less after the tremendous job that was done with 'Island of the Setting Sun'.

The book should be available in the bookshops by the end of the month, and the first official launch will take place in The Barbican, Drogheda, on Friday, November 9th.

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.

Newgrange book can now be pre-ordered from Liffey Press

I am delighted to report that you can now pre-order 'Newgrange - Monument to Immortality' from The Liffey Press. The text of the book was completed a couple of weeks ago and I will shortly deliver the photos. All going well, the book will be published in mid October and will be launched around that time.

At this stage I expect there will be a major launch in Drogheda or the Boyne Valley followed by a number of smaller launches around Ireland. There will probably be a talks tour too, and I have already tentatively agreed a couple of speaking engagements to help promote the book.

This has been in some ways a very personal and philosophical journey for me. This is not a history of Newgrange necessarily. It does cover a lot of the archaeology and the history of exploration of Newgrange, but it is a much broader work in the sense that it looks at spirituality and maybe the reasons why we are so fascinated by ancient sites such as Newgrange. Here is the blurb from the Liffey Press website which sums it up nicely:

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.

New video: Anthony Murphy speaks about forthcoming Newgrange book

This is a short promotional film about my new book, 'Newgrange - Monument to Immortality', which is being published this winter by The Liffey Press.

New exhibition to feature pictures of Newgrange

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 and Newgrange . . . one of the Pat Burns photos
which will feature in the exhibition, being opened by
Anthony Murphy.

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.

The Mound of the Hostages at Tara

Cairn S at Loughcrew

The Hag's Chair at Cairn T, Loughcrew

Work progressing on new book - 'Newgrange - Monument to Immortality'

Hello everyone. Anthony Murphy here, co-author of 'Island of the Setting Sun - In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers'. If you haven't already heard, I am working on a new book about Newgrange, titled, 'Newgrange - Monument to Immortality'. All going well, the book will be published by The Liffey Press in October 2012.

This is me when I featured on the History Channel last year as
an expert on the 5,000-year-old monument of Newgrange.

Currently I am completing the text of this new work, which 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. Here is a blurb about the book:

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 it 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.

What forces compelled these people to express their cosmology and their sense of place in the landscape in such a truly spectacular feat of physical exertion and diligent scientific observation? What were the factors that drove them to fashion such an indelible memorial to their beliefs? Why did they expend monumental energy to gather hundreds of thousands of tonnes of stones and earth to create edifices that would stand intact for millennia?

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.