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.

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.