What's new/recent at Mythical Ireland
A guide to the latest additions and updates to the website 2004
Aurora Borealis display: A moderate display of the Northern Lights occured over Ireland on November 9th. Mythical Ireland took the opportunity to get some nice photographs of the phenomenon in a historical setting. Added: November 10th, 2004.
New on-line shop: You can now buy limited edition Mythical Ireland prints, the High Man poster and other gifts at our on-line shop. Added: November 3rd, 2004.
Newgrange video: Exclusive footage from inside Newgrange, showing the long walk up the passage, some of the megalithic art inside and the huge corbelled ceiling. Video is 1.45 megabytes. Added: October 29th, 2004.
The Arctic Fox: The Shackleton of his day, Leopold McClintock (1819-1907) from County Louth was the best-known Arctic explorer of the Victorian era. He undertook four major voyages, epic sledge journeys and was first to bring definite information on the lost Franklin party. Added: October 14th, 2004.
Newgrange solstice draw: Nearly 24,000 people applied to get into Newgrange to see the Winter Solstice phenomenon this year. However, just 50 names were drawn from a hat at the Brú na Bóinne Visitors' Centre. Added: October 4th, 2004.
Carrowmore & UNESCO?: BBC journalist Malcolm Billings, malking a documentary for the BBC World Service, said in Sligo that the megalithic monuments of Knocknarea and Carrowmore should be brought to the attention of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee. Added: September 30th, 2004.
Fourknocks photographs: A new gallery of photograhps from inside the megalithic passage-tomb of Fourknocks has been posted on Mythical Ireland. Fourknocks, although small, is a very significant site which shares a unique Winter Solstice link with Newgrange. Added: September 2004.
Archaeologists concerned: A letter has been issued by leading archaeologists and historians to express their concerns regarding the National Road Authoritys (NRA) plan to construct a section of the M3 toll-motorway through the Tara-Skreen valley. Added: September 29th, 2004.
Loughcrew discoveries: One of Irelands most noted archaeological landscapes has yielded new secrets to an innovative airborne survey. Using aerial lasers and computer imaging, an Anglo-Irish team has found an even richer concentration of sites than previously known. Added: September 29th, 2004.
Charlize and Tara: TheOscar-winning actress Charlize Theron is supporting a campaign against the construction of the M3 motorway, which skirts the Hill of Tara. Theron is to have a specially commissioned portrait of herself auctioned in order to raise funds for the campaign against the Clonee-Kells motorway through the Tara Skryne valley. Added: September 27th, 2004.
Knowth section overhauled: The Knowth section, which provides a comprehensive overview of this 5,300-year-old megalithic passage tomb, has been revamped, with the new navigation system and colour scheme. Also contains a section with photos of most of the megalithic art at Knowth. Changed: September 26th, 2004.
Milky Way and megaliths: A photo of the Milky Way galaxy taken near Newgrange. The Boyne river gets its name from the Milky Way. In old Irish, the Milky Way was "Bealach na Bó Finne", the "Way of the Bright Cow". The word Boyne is from Irish, Bó Finne, the Bright Cow. Added: September 24th, 2004.
Atlantis map in Knowth? A four-feet granite stone basin in the Eastern passage of Knowth may be engraved with a map of the city of Atlantis, as Plato described it. Added: September 24th, 2004.
Jupiter images: My first effort to take images of Jupiter using a new technique which involves putting a web camera into the eyepiece of a telescope! Added: September 16th, 2004.
Heritage controversy: A cross-border heritage group, the Battle for the Boyne, has hit out at what it calls the Irish Government's "hypocrisy" in holding heritage week at a time when, they say, numerous heritage sites are under threat. Added: September 8th, 2004.
Atlantis debate continues: Dr. Ulf Erlingsson, the Swedish academic who claims Ireland is Atlantis, has reacted to skepticism of his theory, saying no criticism has yet been valid. Added: September 8th, 2004.
Atlantis was NOT in the Atlantic Ocean: this dissertation on Atlantis by two authors explains why Atlantis is not in the Atlantic, as popularly believed. (File type: Microsoft Word | HTML- 2,642 words). Added: September 2nd, 2004.
Was Ireland the lost city of Atlantis? The mythical land of Atlantis, thought to have plunged into the sea and given the Atlantic Ocean its name, may actually have been the island of Ireland, with the Hill of Tara as its capital, according to a new book. Added: August 7th, 2004.
Slieve Gullion: This mountain, which is mentioned many times in myth, has two cairns on its summit, either side of the "Lake of Sorrow". A collection of photographs, and some information, about this mythical mountain. Added: August 2004.
Myths and Movies: A new Forum area where visitors can talk about Irish myths and their influence on the movies, especially Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Added: August 2004.
Tara success: An Evening of Stone at the Hill of Tara to celebrate the Festival of Lughnasa last Friday turned out to be a bigger success than the organisers had anticipated. August 4th, 2004.
Forum updated: Problems caused to the Forum section when Mythical Ireland was hacked in June have been rectified (hopefully!). New posts and members have been added and are now visible on the index page. August 2nd, 2004.
Excavations near Knowth: An enigmatic series of earthworks near the world-famous megalithic site at Knowth may have been the resting place of the ancient Kings of Brega, recent excavations have revealed. Added July 2004.
The High Man lecture: a comprehensive talk explaining some aspects of the fascinating "High Man" theory, which postulates that the ancient people of the Boyne Valley area created a giant warrior figure to mimic the warrior of the sky, Orion. Added July 26th 2004.
Art of Kerem: some beautiful digital fantasy artworks created on a computer by Kerem Gogus, who is inspired by the green fields of Ireland and the heavens, among other things. Added July 2004.
Celtic Astrology: Did the Celts study the influence of the stars and heavenly bodies on their daily lives? We know the ancient people studied the heavens, but was this purely observational astronomy or did it go further. Searles O'Dubhain breaks the ice with this dissertation. Added July 2004.
Skull and Crossbones: This symbol can be found on old gravestones in Ireland. Some are in Tipperary, some in Kildare and also Meath. But what do they mean? And why does the symbol vary so widely from place to place? Added July 2004.
Threat to High Cross: Muiredach's Cross, one of the finest examples of a High Cross in Ireland, dating to the 10th Century, is not adequately protected, according to a local group. Added: May 16th, 2004.
My Gallery: A new collection of images - to be expanded on an ongoing basis - covering every conceivable theme connected with Ireland. Each photograph can be clicked on to bring up an enlargement. Added: April 23rd, 2004.
Alan Shepard: There is a remarkable story behind the up-and-down career of American astronaut Alan Shepard, who died in 1998 and who's autograph I have. He was the first American in space - beaten by Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin by just 21 days - and was the fifth man to walk on the Moon. He very nearly ended up on the doomed Apollo 13 mission, but was forced off the crew list when he developed a bad ear problem. Added: April 12th, 2004.
BRAND NEW WEBSITE: 101 Facts About Newgrange: a website within a website, making good use of php to deliver dynamic content, but written to minimise download times. This section is a veritable feast of information about Ireland's foremost ancient monument. Sections include mythology of Newgrange, megalithic art, kerbstones, astronomy and Fact 101. Added: Late March 2004.
Stonehenge Wallpapers: Three Stonehenge wallpapers, including one exclusive to Mythical Ireland showing sunrise over the ancient stones, were added to the Ballynahattin page. Added: March 2004.
New Free Wallpapers: Two new wallpapers, featuring the Aurora Borealis over the Boyne Cable Bridge and the Muiredach's Cross at Monasterboice, Co. Louth, were added to the already busy wallpaper backgrounds section. Added: March 2004.
The High Man: A completely new section of Mythical Ireland, the first section of the website created with.php to allow for more dynamic content, was added. This section presents a new theory by Anthony Murphy and Richard Moore that a huge warrior figure in the ancient road system of Louth and Meath may have been an ancient representation of the constellation Orion. Added: February 25th, 2004.
New fonts added: Including Star Wars, Star Trek, Jurassic Park and others. Added: March 2004.
The Mythical Ireland Forum: now visitors to Mythical Ireland can interact with each other and discuss matters of interest and relevance to the website. This completely new section is also done with php. Added: Early Feb, 2004.
Ireland's Stonehenge: A huge Irish monument once dubbed Ireland's "Stonehenge", may at one time have been a "school of astronomy", where ancient skywatchers studied the risings of various heavenly bodies during the year. The ancient ceremonial enclosure, at Ballynahattin just north of Dundalk, Co. Louth, was recorded by Thomas Wright in 1758 in his 'Louthiana', a survey of castles, antiquities and ancient remains of County Louth. Added: 24th January 2004.