Crossing the Circle at the Holy Wells of Ireland

Crossing the Circle at the Holy Wells of Ireland PDF Author: Walter L. Brenneman
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
ISBN: 9780813915487
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 141

Book Description
Even before the time of the Celts, Ireland was believed to be a land of power that "welled up" from the earth in the form of bubbling springs and healing waters. The myths and rituals surrounding these holy wells have been modified through the centuries as pre-Celtic and Celtic rituals blended with Christian traditions to form the combination of rites performed at these sites today. Drawing on fifteen years of fieldwork and archival research, conversations with local informants, and scrutiny of dozens of maps ancient and modern, the Brennemans have written the first study of these wells that offers an in-depth interpretation of their symbolism and their mythological and ritual origins. More than two dozen photographs and a map of the wells cited in the text portray the authors' journey throughout Ireland to recover the archaic patterns that link past and present, pagan and Christian. Some of the wells photographed in the early years of their research have become inactive, and some Celtic practices have disappeared, leaving these photographs, in some instances, the only remaining record. Enhancing the photographs and research are numerous tales about trees at the wells that when cut will not burn, stones associated with the wells that when removed always return, and trout living in the wells that when caught cannot be cooked. Drawing largely on the work of historian of religions Mircea Eliade in interpreting these phenomena, the Brennemans have developed an original concept, the "loric", that is used to identify a particular form of power tied to and arising from a specific locality. They then contrast the loric with the "sacred", a universalizing and world-creating power. Complementingthis theoretical treatment are insights into the influence of St. Patrick and the Christian symbolism at the wells.

Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin

Ancient and Holy Wells of Dublin PDF Author: Gary Branigan
Publisher: Thp Ireland
ISBN: 9781845887537
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Holy Wells began life as sacred pagan sites, and were gradually assimilated into the early Celtic Christian in an effort to convert the native masses. Many have seen the rise and fall of Catholicism and some now see pagan visitations once again. There are approximately 100 surviving Ancient & Holy Wells in County Dublin, including natural springs, elaborate stone monuments, sea caves, and hidden sites in tunnels under the Dublin streets. This book will document the remaining Wells in the landscape, with many beautiful photographs of each and its surroundings, detail brief history and legends attached, and give precise locations and directions, allowing people to start visiting these ancient places of both religious and archaeological interest again.

Irish Pilgrimage

Irish Pilgrimage PDF Author: Michael P. Carroll
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801861901
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
Little Kiwi is out at night with his dad - going into a part of the bush he has never been to before. While Dad is busy collecting worms and grubs, Little Kiwi meets a terrifying monster - or does he?!Soon the bush is in an uproar and Little Kiwi must face up to his fears.

Sacred Waters

Sacred Waters PDF Author: Janet Bord
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Folklore
Languages : en
Pages : 294

Book Description

Mythical Ireland

Mythical Ireland PDF Author: Anthony Murphy
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781838359331
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Book Description
Mythical Ireland embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, and is an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from 5,000-year-old megalithic monuments and their associated myths. The book represents a fascinating and engaging journey through time, landscape and the human spirit. Dealing with archaeology, interpretive mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, the book attempts to grapple with a core meaning, something beyond the functional interpretations of academia. In this revised and expanded edition, Anthony Murphy delves further into the many enthralling aspects of this journey. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the ancient hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland's Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? Who were the first kings of Tara? 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 to reimagine the shrines as empowering and transformative sacred places. Murphy invokes the druids and poets of the Boyne and thus the sídhe of the ancient texts are reawakened for a modern and turbulent world.

Healing Waters

Healing Waters PDF Author: Dr Ronan Foley
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 1409488624
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Book Description
Bringing together a range of different place-studies, including holy wells, spa towns, Turkish baths and sweat-houses, sea-bathing and the modern spa, this book investigates associations between water, health, place and culture in Ireland. It is informed by a humanistic approach, showing how health and place are socially and culturally constructed and how health is embodied, experienced and enacted in place. In addition, the work argues that an understanding of health and place must also consider the historical, societal and cultural orthodoxies that shape and produce those places.

How the Irish Saved Civilization

How the Irish Saved Civilization PDF Author: Thomas Cahill
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0307755134
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A book in the best tradition of popular history—the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe. • The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift! Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars"—and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians. In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost—they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task. As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated. In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How The Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization.

The Origins of Ireland’s Holy Wells

The Origins of Ireland’s Holy Wells PDF Author: Celeste Ray
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1784910457
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174

Book Description
This book re-assesses archaeological research into holy well sites in Ireland and the evidence for votive deposition at watery sites throughout northwest European prehistory.

THAT'S JUST HOW IT WAS

THAT'S JUST HOW IT WAS PDF Author: Mary Thorpe
Publisher: Author House
ISBN: 1491889853
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 283

Book Description
This work is a labor of love by writer Mary Thorpe as a tribute to her much loved Granny O'Rourke (nee Nolan) in an attempt to place the stories she heard and was told into a true and historical context. As a social worker who came across many cases of social deprivation in modern times, Mary had the dawning realization regarding what her own grandmother had been through in even harder times in the late part of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth century in Ireland. Mary felt the driving need to record her much-loved grandmother's story as recognition of Bridget's harsh life and also as a tribute to her and the millions of others like her who made the best of things while still retaining a sense of pride, of the worth of education as a ticket out of poverty, and of the importance of retaining one's dignity and commitment to family through good and bad times.
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