Ancient Hills, Ancient Memories
Ireland’s Ancient East is full of myths and legends; you just have to know where to look.
For as far back as the stories stretch in Ireland, the Hill of Uisneach (pronounced "ish-knock") in between Dublin and Galway has been a rallying point for the country’s ancient gods, kings and saints. Marty Mulligan, the site’s long-serving head guide, has spent decades sharing the Hill’s tales—but he’s just the latest steward in a chain stretching back into the Iron Age.
As he tells it, the old stories are the most precious reminder the Irish have of this ancient history. In fact, Mulligan has just finished locking himself away to write a book getting that mythology down on paper. “We didn't have any written language until the 7th century CE,” he says, explaining the spirit of his mission in writing his book. “The ancient stories of all the gods and goddesses of our mythology have been carried down for thousands of years. Being able to bring those stories alive in the actual place where those stories took place, that's the magic of it.”