Blood of the Irish Crossing the Line Films 5 & 12 January 2009, RTÉ 1 by John Gibney Blood of the Irish was RTÉ’s first significant documentary of 2009. The promotional material claimed that here was a programme that would seek ‘the truth about the Irish’ by asking the interlinked questions ‘who are the Irish … Read more
John Koch suggests that Tartessian is ‘more than a little bit Celtic’ and adds a new twist to the assertion, long since dismissed as invention, that the Gaels (Milesians) originated in the Iberian Peninsula. The myth and mystery of Tartessos For Greek and Roman writers, Tartessos was a place of fabulous natural wealth in silver … Read more
Irish archaeologists are currently engaged in major new investigations into the remains of ancient Ireland and its connections with the Roman world (NUI Galway, ‘Ireland and the Roman World’; Discovery Programme, ‘Late Iron Age and Roman Ireland’; University College Dublin, ‘Iron Age Ireland: Finding an Invisible People’). These projects will provide a new framework for … Read more
Blood of the Isles: exploring the genetic roots of our tribal history Bryan Sykes (Bantam Press, £10.79) ISBN 0593056523From a historian’s point of view, this is initially a difficult book to get into. Sykes is a geneticist, not a historian; he writes in a personalised, conversational style and, in the opening chapters, talks a lot … Read more
Project Kells—Tara: Ireland’s royal board game Tailten Games E30 murray@tailtengames.com by David Anderson The initial impression given by this game is very good. The box’s graphics and layout are well designed. There is no doubt as to what kind of game it is, i.e. a historical-type as opposed to a fantasy board game. Once opened, … Read more