10 incredible mysteries of ancient Ireland that attract scientists and tourists to this country

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Separated from Europe by the waters of the Atlantic, Ireland has long been considered something of a "fly in amber" - sometimes it seems that this island is literally frozen in time. Not only can one find a lot of knowledge about the pre-Roman past of Europe in Ireland, this island has witnessed a wave of immigration from all over the ancient world, and few people know about the cultural ties of the Irish with many civilizations, even as remote as the Indian one.

1. Indian music

In 2016, a researcher studying Iron Age Irish music was shocked to find that these traditions are still alive in southern India (and they were previously thought to be long extinct). This is how ancient Irish music and its modern Indian counterparts clearly proved the connection between these cultures.

In 2000, Billy O'Foglu of the Australian National University found that modern Indian music horns in Kerala were almost identical to prehistoric European horns. However, unlike their predecessors, Indian horns are used as a rhythm-setting instrument rather than for playing a melody.

2. Irish alphabet-tree

Ogamic script is an ancient Irish alphabet in the form of a dever. Strokes extend from the central "stem" to the sides, which denote various letters. There are a total of 20 letters in ogama, most of which are named after trees. To date, 400 Ogham inscriptions have been found, of which 360 are in Ireland. The earliest such inscriptions date from the fourth century.

However, linguists believe that Ogamic writing was also used in the first century, it was simply carved into short-lived material such as wood. Most of the Ogamic inscriptions were probably used on the pillars that marked the boundaries of the property. But why such an unusual alphabet appeared is a mystery.

3. Cave of disembodiment

In 2014, archaeologists discovered traces of ancient "places of disembodiment" in the cave of Mount Noknari. During this practice, dead bodies are left to decompose in one place, and then they are buried in another place. Dr. Marion Dowd's team found 13 small bones and skeletal fragments in an inaccessible cave. They belonged to a man who died about 5,500 years ago and a child who died about 300 years later.

Dowd argues that the large number of small bone fragments prove that bodies were left in this place to decompose to a skeletal state before being buried elsewhere. Where the bodies themselves were buried is unknown.

4. The offspring of Niall

Reigning between 379 and 405, Niall of the Nine Hostages was a mythical Irish king who, according to legend, was one of the most prolific men in history. A recent DNA test has shown that this may be true. Professor Dan Bradley of Trinity College discovered that three million people were descended from one Irishman, possibly from Niall. One in twelve Irish males has an R1b1c7 Y chromosome.

In the northwest of Ireland, ruled by the Niall dynasty, this number rises to one-fifth. Also, a large concentration of his descendants is observed in Scotland and New York. Some have suggested that one in 50 New Yorkers with European roots descended from Niall.

5. Paganism and Christianity

In 2014, in County Clare, archaeologists excavated a grave in which a woman and two children were buried. One of the babies was between one and two years old, and the other died shortly after birth. The woman was about 45 years old and suffered from joint diseases. Radiocarbon analysis determined that the burial took place between 535 and 645 - that is, in the so-called "early Christian period." However, the tomb contains many pagan elements. Also, the woman and the children were not buried in the consecrated ground, but they were buried in stone "boxes" under a rocky embankment.

6. Oldest human burial in Ireland

Archaeologists studying the oldest human burial site in Ireland have made startling discoveries about the life of the island's early Mesolithic hunters. Dated 7530 - 7320 BC the burial site was located on the banks of the Shannon River in County Limerick. The tomb is unique because the deceased was cremated before burial. Researchers also found a polished stone ax next to the burned remains.

Microscopic analysis showed that this instrument was hardly used and was deliberately blunt, which may have been a symbolic gesture representing the death of its owner. The ax simply shocked researchers, who previously believed that such tools appeared in Europe only with the advent of agriculture, 3000 years after burial.

7. Curse of the Celts

Hemochromatosis is a genetic disorder that leads to an excessive accumulation of iron in the body. Iron overload is so common in Ireland that it has become known as the Celtic Curse. Genetic analysis shows that this mutation was brought to the island in the Bronze Age by a man whose DNA showed that he was from the Pontic steppes. The researchers compared the genetics of a Neolithic Irish farmer (who died 5,200 years ago) and a Bronze Age male who died 1,200 years later.

The dark-eyed brown-haired woman's ancestors were clearly hunter-gatherers of predominantly Middle Eastern origin. Bronze Age people already had genes for blue eyes (the most common Y chromosome in modern Ireland), were less susceptible to lactose, and had a mutated C282Y gene leading to the "Celtic curse." The strong difference in genetics suggests that Ireland is facing a period of strong migration.

8. Offering to Manannan

In February 1896, Thomas Nicholl and James Morrow, while plowing a field in Limavadi, Northern Ireland, unearthed a real treasure. They brought the treasure home, having no idea that they were holding gold from the first century BC. Half of the treasure was sold to a local antiquarian, and the other half to a jeweler.

The most famous part of the treasure was a golden boat measuring 19 x 7.5 cm, in which even two rows of nine oars, oarlocks, steering wheel and benches were made. Initially, the boat did not generate much interest, but today archaeologists believe that it is actually the key to understanding the treasure. Some believe that the gold was an offering to Manannan, the god of the sea.

9. Hidden Tombs of the Hellfire Club

In October 2016, archaeologists discovered an ancient passage leading to the tomb under the Hellfire Club in Dublin. Jonathan Swift once wrote of the Hellfire Club as a "hotbed of monsters, blasphemers and libertines." Designed for debauchery and debauchery, the hunting lodge in which this club was opened was built in 1725 for the politician William Connolly.

The archaeological team suspects that, in fact, the lower levels of the tomb have not yet been found. So far, 5,000-year-old tools and many burnt remains have been unearthed.

10. Mysterious Milesians

The mystery of the Milesians will probably never be solved. According to the medieval Christian text The Book of the Conquest of Ireland, these Spanish Celts from Galicia who conquered Ireland got their name from the legendary Spanish Mile. The History of the Britons, dating from the 9th century, also mentions the Milesians, claiming that Miles of Spain was the father of the Irish Gauls. Despite the lack of archaeological evidence of a Spanish invasion of Ireland, the legend continues to this day.

More than 84 percent of Irish men carry the R1b haplogroup marker in their genes. The first farmers carrying the "G" marker arrived in Ireland around 4350 BC. However, about 2,500 years ago, this lineage was virtually eliminated and only 1 percent of Irish males began to see it. And "R1b" is very common in northern Spain and southwestern France.

Those who are interested in this amazing country should see and 21 photos of the magnificent landscapes of Ireland - the "Emerald Isle" where you can escape from the hustle and bustle.