Ireland Archive

Feature Articles –   The centre and divisions of sacred Ireland Ireland has maintained its sacred division of the land into the 21st century, though the site of Uisneach, from which the land was divided, is not the best known feature or most widely visited site of the island. But together with the other sacred sites, it continues to reveal insights into the pagan organisation of …

Feature Articles –   St Patrick’s Purgatory: oracle of the dead The Irish sanctuary of St Patrick’s Purgatory is a unique religious pilgrimage destination. World-famous in medieval times, the site still attracts thousands of pilgrims each year. But what is experienced today, is vastly different from what the site originally did: it offered a metaphysical experience on par with the ancient mysteries of ancient Greece. by …

Feature Articles –   Newgrange: empowering the salmon of wisdom Newgrange is considered to be the most complex megalithic site in Ireland – and Europe. But despite the enormous focus on its solar display, little else is known about the framework in which the site was developed. by Philip Coppens It is said that one of the most spectacular phenomena to witness is the midwinter sunrise …

Feature Articles –   The Irish stellar giants In the west of Ireland, the area of Knocknarea and Carrowmore forms an enigmatic but incredibly old sacred landscape, which archaeology has only recently begun to understand. by Philip Coppens Knocknarea is the magical cairn decked mountain just West of Sligo town, at the end of the Coolrea Peninsula. The mountain is a 320 metres high limestone hum …

Feature Articles –   Croagh Patrick: Transforming the Green Serpent Nothing seems to be more Irish than St Patrick. Nothing seems to be more Christian than the life of this saint. But at the same time, it are his legends that provide an inroad into the way Ireland was before and at the time of Christianity’s arrival. by Philip Coppens Croagh Patrick is a veritable mountain, …