Horse Skulls in Irish Houses In 1938 the Irish Folklore Commission sent out the following inquiry to contacts throughout Ireland. “Do any traditions exist locally (or are tales told in which the idea occurs) about the burying of the heads of animals or other objects in certain places (castles, houses, bridges, etc.) ? If so, […]
Author: Groomporter
Blogger for The Celtic Croft and owner of MacGregor Historic Games http://historicgames.com
Celtic History Newsletter: In the News
A new collection of links to interesting recent news items in Celtic history or archeology this week. Isle of Man Round Mounds: ‘Spectacular’ 4,000-year-old jet necklace found A 4,000-year-old necklace has been uncovered during an archaeological dig on the Isle of Man. The Most Irish Town in America Was Built on Seaweed After discovering ‘Irish […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: Our Daily Bread
Originally published February 2014 Our Daily Bread A friend recently posted a link on his Facebook page to an interesting article on a historical reenactors’ page about Roman military bread and the portable hand mills the army traveled with to grind grain into flour. Each legionary would carry a ration of wheat grain rather than […]
Celtic History Newsletter Blast from the Past: Trees & Kings
Originally Published January 2014 Trees & Kings Sacred trees, or groves of trees, seem to have been an important part of Norse and Gaelic pagan customs. Yggdrasill, of course, is the “World Tree” or tree of life in Norse mythology whose branches extend over the nine worlds of that cosmology. Sacred trees or groves also seem […]
Celtic History Newsletter: Brasil, the Atlantis of Ireland
Brasil, the Atlantis of Ireland Welcome to the mysterious island of Brasil, said to be named for Breasal, the High King of the World, in Celtic lore. Claimed to be the home of a wealthy and advanced civilization, those who are alleged to have visited it described it’s healthy cattle, wealthy people and gold roofed […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: Of Swords & Stones
Originally published December 2013 Of Swords & Stones I recently ran across a paper with an interesting theory. There are a number of stone monuments in Ireland which have grooves cut into them that have often been passed off as things like vandalism damage from farming implements like plows. Occasionally they are referred to as […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: Pangur Bán
Pangur Bán Pangur Bán is said to be the most famous poem in Old Irish. Written around the nineth century AD, the author compares the activities of his cat “Pangur Bán” to his own scholarly activities. Pangur hunts for mice, while he hunts for words and knowledge. It was also the name and inspiration for […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: John Norton
First, an interesting article about the Gundestrup Cauldron. The Gundestrup Cauldron: Its Tale From the Balkans to Denmark Originally published October 2013 John Norton John Norton was born in Scotland in 1765 to a Cherokee father and a Scottish mother. He joined the British army and was shipped with his regiment to North America in […]
Celtic History Newsletter: In the News
I thought it might be worth catching up on some of the interesting news in Celtic history/archeology this week. “Find of the century: Incredibly preserved 2,400-year-old Celtic warrior’s shield made from tree bark is dug up in Leicestershire” An incredibly well-preserved shield made from tree bark may be the find of the century and revolutionize […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter: Summer Traditions in Ireland
Summer Traditions in Ireland Another look into the Irish traditions mentioned in James Mooney’s 1889 paper “The Holiday Customs of Ireland”. Whitsunday was a moveable festival usually celebrated near the end of May, or the beginning of June. Mooney says it was considered an unlucky season and “should a man born on any one of […]