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 […]
Author: Groomporter
Blogger for The Celtic Croft and owner of MacGregor Historic Games http://historicgames.com
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 […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: Irish Mermaids
Originally published August 2013 Irish Mermaids Mermaids have been in the news a little as a result of a couple recent programs on the Discovery Channel which have been blasted by scientists as misleading. (The NOAA actually felt the need to issue a statement that “No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found” after […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: Boyerstown Ring Brooch
First some current news… New archeological dig uncovering Glencoe’s dark secrets. Originally published July 2013 The Boyerstown Ring Brooch Just a little look at an artifact and the possible symbolism. The Boyerstown Ring Brooch was found during an excavation of a 12th to 14th century site that was discovered […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past : Saint Adomnán
Originally published March 2012 Saint Adomnán Since it is March was looking into writing something about Irish saints this month, but wanted to cover someone other than St Patrick. In the intertubes I ran across Saint Adomnán of Iona (627/8 – 704). In his time he became one of the most powerful clerics in Ireland […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter: Secret language of Irish Masons and Tinkers.
Secret language of Irish Stonemasons and Tinkers Not long ago I ran across a paper from 1909 that appeared in Vol. XXII of the Journal of American Folklore that discusses a semi-secret language, or dialect used by Irish stonemasons. The author says it “is a secret language spoken only by stone-masons, they all claim.” I […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: Scottish Blue Bonnets
14-Year-Old Boy Finds ‘Lost’ Medieval Gravestones in Scotland “In the 19th century, 46 ornate medieval gravestones were discovered at a churchyard in the Scottish district of Govan, which is now part of Glasgow. Thirty-one of the “Govan Stones” were moved into the church for safekeeping, and the rest were displayed against a churchyard wall. But […]
Newsletter Blast from the Past: Irish Kilts?
Originally Published May 2012 Irish Kilts? In the U.S. when you are out and about in public while wearing a kilt it’s not at all uncommon to be asked if you are Irish, as opposed to Scottish, since the kilt has become stereotyped as a part of traditional dress Ireland as well as in Scotland. […]
Celtic Hist. Newsletter Blast from the Past: Scottish & Irish Pirates
Scottish & Irish Pirates Originally Published June 2012 Although when thinking about pirates most people think of Johnny Depp, tricorn hats and Captain Hook, pirates probably appeared on the scene shortly after people started transporting valued goods via boat. I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of the colorful figures […]
Celtic History Newsletter: Irish Holidays: The Lenten Season
With Easter coming up, I thought I would take another look into James Mooney’s 1889 paper “The Holiday Customs of Ireland”. With his theme that Catholic holiday traditions were often with ancient traditions and mythology he suggested that Shrove Tuesday may be a descendant of the Bacchanalia and Lupercalia. He also says that it may […]