013 Mythical Ireland-Boyne Valley Discussion

Thin Places Travel Podcast

Welcome to Episode 13 of the Thin Places Travel Podcast. In this episode I interviewed Anthony Murphy, a historian and journalist and a remarkable photographer who lives in Drogheda, one of Ireland most ancient towns. Most of Drogheda is in County Louth, but a portion of it runs into County Meath – the ancient royal capital of Ireland where you find the Hill of Tara and the massive collection of ancient monuments in the Boyne Valley.

Anthony is an author, a husband and father of five children. By day he works as a journalist, but he has a passions include photography, astronomy and Irish mythology especially as they pertain to the ancient monuments found in the Boyne Valley near where he live and throughout Ireland. Anthony is the author of Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland’s Ancient Astronomers as well as several other books. His most recent work Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past features many of the same concepts and subjects that Anthony talks about on his YouTube Channel and in this interview.

This guy is full of information and ideas about the ancients. We use Anthony as a local guide for some of our Ireland tours.

I recorded this interview in May of 2018, and Anthony spoke about Newgrange and the Boyne Valley and the ancient people who once lived in the area. He talks extensively about the monuments and how they tie into Irish mythology. We closed that interview and I saved it for production in the summer of 2018.

But early one weekend morning in July of 2018, while doing some Arial photography of the Boyne Valley using drones with a friend, Anthony located a yet undiscovered ancient monument- actually several. The monuments were only visible because of the recent drought in Ireland. By the next day, Anthony’s photos and videos were featured on RTE television, and by the following day Anthony’s discovery was on NPR, The Washington Post, the New York Times and Time Magazine.

I couldn’t publish this general interview with Anthony without mentioning or including his new amazing discovery. So, we did a second interview, and it is featured in the next episode – Episode 14.

So, sit back and relax. Prepare to hear from one of the most brilliant, fresh minds focused on ancient Ireland. This interview with Anthony Murphy will give you a wealth of information on the ancient monuments of Ireland and the mystery that surrounds them.

Anthony Murphy on the boyne valley

Anthony Murphy discusses the Boyne Valley – Newgrange, Knowth, Dowth and Irish Mythology related to this World Heritage Site.

Mythical Ireland - Anthony Murphy – website

Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past New book by Anthony Murphy (amazon ink) For autographed copy, purchase from Anthony’s website https://www.mythicalireland.com/

The New Henge of Newgrange: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Discovery – blog post by Anthony Murphy on the new henge he and a friend discovered in July 2018

Anthony Murphy YouTube Channel – Mythical ireland

Anthony Murphy Amazon Author Page

Mythical Ireland Facebook Page

Newgrange and Bru na Boinne – World Heritage Site

Mindie - Conclusion

We thank Anthony Murphy for being so generous with his time and offering such wisdom to you, our listeners. Please tune in to the next episode to hear about Anthony’s recent discovery of more ancient monuments in the Boyne – how the discovery was made and what the monuments tell us about the people of that time.