Welcome to the fourteenth entry of our blog series 'Lost in the Stacks' - with recommendations by Dublin City Libraries staff. This one was submitted by Jessica from Cabra Library.
Bog bodies suffered violent and grisly deaths. Of these bodies, the most famous, Cashel Man was discovered near Portlaoise in 2011, and at over 4000 years old, is said to be the oldest European bog body ever found with skin intact; then there is Old Croghan Man from Co. Offaly, and Clonycavan Man from Co. Meath. At 6’6", Old Croghan Man, who was killed between 362 BC and 175 BC, was a giant of a man. He bore the appearance of a nobleman from his well-manicured soft hands to his diet, rich in meat. Clonycavan Man was little more than 5 ft and used pine resin to keep his hair in place, probably sourced from Spain (a precursor to hair gel!) and demonstrates that he was a person of some wealth and standing in the community.Photo on the left shows the bog body found in Cashel Bog. Old Croghan man had holes cut through his upper arms through which ropes were inserted to restrain him, after which he was repeatedly stabbed, had his nipples sliced off, and was then cut in half. Clonycavan man was disemboweled and suffered three blows to the head with an axe, once across his body, and then had his nipples removed too. Ned Kelly, former keeper of antiquities at the National Museum of Ireland told the Irish Examiner that a clear pattern has emerged in each case. "We do not think of these bog bodies in the same way as we do axes or implements that are found," he said."You have to remember that these are individuals and it is absolutely essential to deal with their remains in a dignified manner. There would be no justification for taking these bodies unless we do so with respect and with the serious intent to tell their stories on their behalf.""Human sacrifice was apparently a normal part of the Celtic rituals, especially of kings in hard times. The killings tend to be excessive in that more is done to the bodies than would be required to bring about their deaths. Bog bodies may have their throats cut, been stabbed in the heart and have other cut marks. However, it is absolutely not torture, but a form of ritual sacrifice.""The king had great power but also great responsibility to ensure the prosperity of his people. Through his marriage on his inauguration to the goddess of the land, he was meant to guarantee her benevolence. He had to ensure the land was productive, so if the weather turned bad, or there was plague, cattle disease or losses in war, he was held personally responsible."Cutting the nipples was more than torture. The aim was to dethrone the king. "Sucking a king’s nipples was a gesture of submission in ancient Ireland," says Kelly. "Cutting them would have made him incapable of kingship in this world or the next.""By using a range of methods to kill the victim, the ancient Irish sacrificed to the goddess in all her forms. This manner of death is peculiar to the ritual killing of kings. It means that a king was being decommissioned."
Now that you have seen almost every movie and TV show ever made you have probably realised that it is no coincidence that great books, in the right hands, often make great movies and television.From Normal People, and Game of Thrones, to The Lord of the Rings and The Godfather, now is a great time to read the original book versions.
In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Michelle Read reads the first three stories featured in The Long Gaze Back. Michelle Read, is an actor and voice artist and an advocate of reading aloud for adults. She reads ‘The Purple Jar’ by Maria Edgeworth; ‘Frank's Resolve’ by Charlotte Riddell; ‘Poisson d'Avril’ by Somerville and Ross.
In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Nuala O’Connor and Lia Mills read from their short stories ‘Shut your mouth Hélène’ and ‘The Crossing’ before discussing flash fiction, the historical short story, the tyranny of plot, and how editing styles differ on each side of the Atlantic.
In this episode of the DCLA podcast, The Long Gaze Back authors Bernie McGill, Lia Mills and Éilís Ní Dhuibhne read from their work and talk with Sinéad Gleeson about the anthology, their work, and being a female author in Ireland today.Recorded at Blanchardstown Library on 12 April 2018, with thanks to Fingal Libraries.
In this episode of the DCLA podcast, Looking Forward, Gazing Back, writers June Caldwell and Sinéad Gleeson and theatre maker and campaigner Lian Bell of #WakingTheFeminists movement discuss the practices, processes and contexts of Irish women’s writing today.
