I'm delighted to announce that my new book, Return to Segais, is ready for publication. If you would like to support its publication, you can get rewards for doing so.
This is an extraordinary and magical book that was hand-written on creamy pages in a beautiful notebook. It is the story of human experience and the exploration of unconscious depths through mythology, exemplified by the life cycle of the salmon, a singularly remarkable creature which is able to survive in fresh water as well as salt water.
Return to Segais attempts to serve as a means of allowing the invigorating, revivifying and life-affirming waters of the sacred well to pour into the human experience.
A prolonged meditation upon the wonderfully rich and diverse mythic images presented in the Irish storytelling tradition yields glimpses into that deep unknown, unknowable depth of human consciousness and unconsciousness.
In Return to Segais, I summon Bradán Feasa, the Salmon of Knowledge, and Amergin, and Bóinn, and Dagda, and Manannán, and Oengus, and Ériu, and a plethora of others, to take us to those depths, and perhaps beyond.
The book will be published in hardback (my first hardback book) with gold foil debossed salmon emblem on blue wibalin, with a dust jacket. It will run to about 208 pages and will be printed on cream bookwove paper. Expected publication date is 20th March, spring equinox!
The cost of printing Return to Segais, and the cover artwork, runs to €3,600. None of the costs of typesetting, editing, layout and proofreading are included in this figure. I absorbed all those costs myself. I would like your help in getting this magical book printed.
Visit the GoFundMe page and help support the publication of Return to Segais:
Anyone who pledges €10 or more will receive a free 20x15cm (8x6in) photographic print of one of my images from the Boyne Valley.
Anyone who pledges €50 or more before 1st March 2021 will receive a free signed copy of Return to Segais and their name will be included in a list of supporters to be included in the early pages of the book.
Enter the ‘Ancient Sites’ section of this blog for a fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of the megalithic and sacred sites of Ireland. Find out all about the Stone Age and prehistoric ruins and learn more about the possible functions and alignments of these sites. Visit the great temples of Brú na Bóinne, the Hill of Tara, the ancient cairns of Loughcrew among many others.
Explore the ancient myths, legends and folklore of Ireland and their meaning. Read the epic Táin Bó Cuailnge, or the place-name myths in the Dindshenchas. Learn about how the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians came to Ireland and how the early texts describe various invasions of prehistoric Éire. Hear about Fionn and the Fianna, and discover how some myths might contain information about astronomy and the stars.
There is no doubt that the ancient megalith builders had a substantial knowledge of the movements of the sun, moon, planets and stars through the heavens. Learn more about just how complex and impressive this knowledge was. There is evidence that the people of the Neolithic knew about the 19-year Metonic cycle of the moon, as well as being able to predict eclipses.
Videos featuring Anthony Murphy/Mythical Ireland or relating to the many diverse topics explored on the website.
Information and posts about Anthony Murphy's books. These include Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers, Newgrange: Monument to Immortality, Land of the Ever-Living Ones, The Cry of the Sebac and Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past.