Celtic history and archeology recently in the news

Padlock among finds made at Lair of Glenshee Pictish homestead

An early Medieval padlock was among the finds made by archaeologists at a Pictish settlement in Perthshire.

More Irish family records become available online for free

The Irish government made more Irish birth, death, and marriage certificates available online for free this week, bringing the number of records available online to over 15.5 million.

Archaeological artifacts found at site of a proposed hotel in Mississauga

The site of a proposed hotel development in Mississauga is home to some 19th-century artifacts. 

Iron Age Feasts in Ireland Drew Guests from Afar

Cardiff University announced that pig bones unearthed at Navan Fort, the legendary capital of the Irish province of Ulster, shows that from the fourth to first centuries B.C. the site’s rulers hosted feasts that drew guests from distant parts of Ireland.

Digital Reconstructions Show a 16th-Century Scottish Woman Scarred by Leprosy

Leprosy mutilated her body more than 500 years ago, but this Scottish woman’s likeness isn’t lost to history; a new digital reconstruction of her face reveals what she looked like before her death at about age 40.

Plans to transform Scotland’s first bilingual archaeological trail in the Highlands

The Sand River Archaeology Trail, in Gairloch, became the first of its kind to be signposted in Gaelic and English when it was established by the Ross and Cromarty Community Archaeology Project. In an effort to place the depleted area back on the map, plans have now been lodged to the Highland Council to redevelop and extend the site.

Knock Iveagh wind turbine challenge ‘fatally undermined’

A government department responsible for heritage sites failed to court over a controversial planning decision at the site of an ancient monument.

RIC commemoration: 100-year-old war wound that came back to bite

Dublin Castle, once the headquarters of British rule in Ireland, was supposed to host a state commemoration for pre-partition police forces on Friday. But the Irish government shelved its centenary event for the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) following days of controversy.

Northern Ireland place names’ mixed linguistic heritage

Since 1987 the Northern Ireland Place Name Project at Queen’s University in Belfast has been gathering and analyzing historical forms of place names to try to establish what they originally meant.

Petition launched to make St. Brigid’s Day an Irish national holiday

Herstory launches campaign to make St. Brigid’s Day a national holiday, ahead of Feb 1, marking the beginning of spring and the Celtic festival of Imbolc.

Documentary highlights how Irish Famine tragedy created a Canadian legacy

In “Lost Children of the Carricks,” one Irish family’s journey from Co Sligo to Quebec during The Great Famine illustrates how Irish tragedy bore a legacy that has survived generations in Canada.