Story Archaeology
Story Archaeology combines the knowledge and skills of the storyteller with academic exploration of ancient texts. The main focus is the Irish tradition but at https://storyarchaeology.com, you will find an archive of podcast articles, stories and translations as well as new podcast conversations with people from around the world who have ‘Stories in the Landscape’ to share.
- Update frequency
- every 25 days
- Average duration
- 60 minutes
- Episodes
- 141
- Years Active
- 2012 - 2025
Stories and Activities with Children 4: The Two Poet Pig-keepers
This audio story is one of the many stories that circle around the great Táin Bó Cúailnge , The cattle raid of Cooley. It is not a well known story but it is important as it is really the 'origin' s…
00:13:17 |
Sat 18 Apr 2020
Stories and Activities for Children 1: Bricriu’s Feast
Bricriu's Feast
his story has everything It has a king who gets someone else to solve his own problems. It has warriors who are determined to have adventures and show off to the MAX,
It has…
00:54:39 |
Tue 14 Apr 2020
Medb: Conquests and Consequences
Medb, Queen of Connacht, is rightly renowned in Irish legend and mythology, as a strong and influential woman leader. Her centre of power, Cruachan Ai, is still recognised as one of the most importan…
00:45:55 |
Sun 10 Mar 2019
Telling Stories : Continuing the Oral Tradition
Join Chris Thompson as she takes a story-teller's view of the old Irish stories. Who told them and why were they so memorable. In this audio article, Chris celebrates the old stories and explores t…
00:36:09 |
Thu 28 Feb 2019
The Dagda’s Cauldron ~ A Seasonal Special!
The Dagda with his cauldron of abundance, from which none leave unsatisfied, epitomises the deep and ancient yearning we feel for mid-winter indulgence and good company. It may be that the cauldro…
00:33:54 |
Thu 20 Dec 2018
Some questions answered by The Story Archaeologists
We regularly receive questions from listeners and readers. We try to answer them as soon as we can but many are well worth exploring in more detail. Here we discuss just three. Firstly there is the p…
01:00:00 |
Sun 25 Nov 2018
The Mysteries of Midir: a Samhain Special
Isolde_recording
What did happen to Midir? Why does he appear in so few stories? It is a mystery. A murder mystery? Could be. Certainly Midir's reputation was usurped and he, himself, seems to ha…
00:32:04 |
Sun 04 Nov 2018
The Otherworld and How to Get There!
William Robinson: Tallanbanna with cloud front. 1988
So many of the old Irish stories tell of an Otherworld that lies so close to our own. If you want to discover what the stories have to say abo…
00:55:36 |
Mon 17 Sep 2018
Circling the Tain: 07 – The Pig and The Hound
The briugu, Mac Dá Thó, is the proud owner of the marvelous hound, Ailbe. He also possesses a notorious pig. Now he finds himself faced with contending regional kings and their retinues of elite warr…
01:20:32 |
Mon 30 Oct 2017
Circling the Táin 06: Women Warriors ~ The Training of Cú Chulainn
The magnificent warrior women Scathach and Aife both play a major role in Cú Chulainn's future life and exploits but they are not the only women who actively engage with out young hero..
Join the …
01:24:29 |
Fri 01 Sep 2017
Circling the Táin 05: The Wooing of Emer ~ Cú Chulainn meets his match
Cú Chulainn meets his match
In this episode we get to meet the marvelous Emer, the woman who bests the young Cú Chulainn, at least, in terms of her sharp witted and far-sighted eloquence.
Join…
01:05:07 |
Thu 27 Jul 2017
Circling the Táin 04: Harder, Faster, Stronger, Better – The Boyhood Deeds of Cú Chulainn
Harder, Faster, Stronger, Better!
In this episode, we get to examine some remarkable exploits of one of the central figures in the Tain tradition: Cú Chulainn. We explore stories told by some of the…
01:29:35 |
Mon 05 Jun 2017
Circling the Táin 03: The Birth Pangs of Ulster
In this episode, we continue our exploration of the troublesome conceptions and births that stand behind much of the material of the Táin tradition. This time, we examine the births of the doomed Dei…
01:07:28 |
Thu 04 May 2017
Circling The Tain 02: Portents and Prophecies
The richly interwoven stories that make up the Táin tradition contain a wide diversity of characters. There is much to explore. Even their back stories have back stories!
In this episode, we explo…
00:54:43 |
Mon 13 Mar 2017
Winter Special 2016: Aisling MacConglinne – A Satirical Tale of Extreme Gastronomy
The Midwinter festival has been a time of over indulgence and conspicuous consumption for millenia! This year, we dig in to the Middle Irish story, Aisling MacConglinne, "The Vision of MacConglinne",…
00:57:04 |
Wed 21 Dec 2016
Circling the Tain 01: The Quarrel of the Two Swineherds (or “Where It All Began”)
Welcome to Series 6, "Circling the Tain". In this series, we will delve into the fascinating web of stories making up the Tain tradition, with the Tain Bó Cúailnge, "The Cattle Raid of Cooley", at it…
00:48:21 |
Fri 25 Nov 2016
Series 5,episode 6: Encountering The Mórrígan
Úa na gCait
The Morrigan, is a multi textured mythological figure, She may take the role of war correspondent, and diplomat and record keeper. She can be sensual, uncompromising and occasionally…
01:26:52 |
Wed 15 Jun 2016
Revisiting Mythical Women 05: The Search for Brigid
Sculpture by Annette McCormack
Brigid is the much-loved irish saint of kildare as well a pre-Christian Celtic mythical figure. But what connection is there between the two? Just who is Brigid…
01:20:15 |
Tue 12 Apr 2016
Revisiting Mythical Women. 4: Revisiting Airmed.
ceramic on glass by Chris Thompson
Airmed is the daughter of the great Dé Danann physician, Dían Cécht, part of a family of healers. Together, they create the healing well of Sláine, which restor…
01:00:31 |
Thu 18 Feb 2016
Midwinter Special 2015 – Fair’s Fair
This time of year is a frenzy of shopping, family gatherings and exchange of gifts. But is this simply a modern phenomenon?
For this year's MidWinter Special, the Story Archaeologists dig as deep …
01:09:48 |
Thu 24 Dec 2015
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