Mythical Ireland, a new book from Anthony Murphy, author of the acclaimed Island of the Setting Sun and Newgrange: Monument to Immortality, embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from megalithic monuments and their associated mythology and cosmogony. Mythical Ireland provides a fascinating and compelling journey through time, landscape and spirit. Looking equally at archaeology, mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, Murphy explores the authentic wisdom from ancient times for a modern Irish society desperately searching for meaning. Along the way, the book delves into the many enthralling aspects of this story. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland's Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? What connects Fourknocks, a tiny passage-tomb, with the stones of Newgrange? What were the indigenous Irish myths about the Milky Way? Did someone try to steal the Tara Brooch? Why are there myths in Ireland about flooded towns and cities?
Lavishly illustrated with exquisite photographs of the Irish landscape and ancient monuments, Mythical Ireland represents a personal and yet universal journey, a quest for real wisdom in an age when information is everywhere. What is the true message of Ireland's myths and monuments?
