5 Comments on Braigetóir: An Unusual Medieval Jester
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Braigetóir: An Unusual Medieval Jester

In medieval Ireland there was a jester known as Braigetóir[i]. How did his entertain his lord? By passing wind, the…

20 Comments on Thor’s Wood, a sacred grove near Viking Age Dublin?
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Thor’s Wood, a sacred grove near Viking Age Dublin?

In late December 999 AD Brian Bóruma, king of Munster, decisively defeated the Vikings of Dublin[i] at the battle of…

2 Comments on Treasure into ashes: A 19th century cist burial discovery
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Treasure into ashes: A 19th century cist burial discovery

I recently came across an interesting 19th century account describing the discovery of a Bronze Age cist burial at Mullaun,…

5 Comments on Old photos of Ireland, Series 2
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Old photos of Ireland, Series 2

This is the second in our series of old photos of Ireland taken from the Library of Congress Collections.  The images,…

Market cross, High Street 7 Comments on Dublin’s Medieval High Cross
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Dublin’s Medieval High Cross

This image shows Dublin city’s lost medieval ‘High Cross’ as drawn by John Simons in 1784. The panels on the shaft contain…

65 Comments on Photos of Ireland in the 1930s: The past is a foreign country
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Photos of Ireland in the 1930s: The past is a foreign country

This amazing collection of colourised photographs was taken by an American photographer Branson DeCou (1892-1941) between 1932 and 1935.  DeCou spent…

17 Comments on The death of an elephant, Dublin, 1681
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The death of an elephant, Dublin, 1681

I stumbled across a curious 17th century account of an elephant in Dublin city recently. Yes, you read right, an…

Glendalough 19 Comments on Early photos of Ireland’s iconic heritage sites
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Early photos of Ireland’s iconic heritage sites

This fantastic collection of old photographs documents some of Ireland’s most iconic archaeological and heritage sites. The photographs date from…

hurling picture 20 Comments on Hurling, its ancient history
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Hurling, its ancient history

A history of hurling. On the weekend of the All-Ireland hurling final it seems only fitting that the history of…

16 Comments on Bones of the Vikings: when raiding goes wrong
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Bones of the Vikings: when raiding goes wrong

The ninth and tenth centuries saw the arrival of a new force on the Irish political scene, the Vikings. These…