Corr Scéal: Crane Notions, Lorcán Ó Tuathail
Lorcan Ó Tuathail's Corr Scéal: Crane Notions is a total rollercoaster ride of ideas, intuitions and far-fetched imaginings. Lorcan, who is the General Manager and Project Manager of the Golden Eagle Trust in Ireland (established to reintroduce and conserve native bird species) knows things about birds in Ireland long ago. In this book he embarks on an imaginative journey, proposing the existence of an ancient, pacifist, animist Atlantic civilization that was eventually overshadowed by subsequent humanist developments.
The narrative intertwines the symbolism of the crane—a bird deeply rooted in Irish culture—to explore themes of spirituality, mythology, and the profound connection between humans and nature. Now, if you want your cultural history deeply grounded in fact and the scientific method, this isn’t for you, but it will spark the imaginations of us dreamers.
To get a sense of Lorcan and his thinking on this topic check out my interview I recorded in a Monaghan forest with Lorcan for my RTÉ podcast The Almanac of Ireland. https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/22489053-crane-notions/ ~ Manchán Magan
Cranes had an elevated cultural importance in ancient China, India, Egypt and Greece, where references to Cranes described them variously as ‘Birds of Heaven,’ ‘Immortal Bird’ and ‘The Magic of the Cranes.’ Enormous flocks of Cranes were a conspicuous feature of the inhabited world after the last ice age as well as throughout the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods and Bronze and Iron Ages. So, has the Crane left cultural footprints in our Atlantic Islands? And where should we look for these possible or hidden societal influences? After eight years of delving into the cultural remnants of a once-totemic Crane, author Lorcán Ó Tuathail presents twelve speculative storylines that shine light on a cornerstone of a forgotten and ancient Atlantic civilisation. Reaching into archaeology, language, animist beliefs and the dawning of knowledge, Ó Tuathail reframes the Crane story and calls for academic inquiry into its significance.
As doubts are cast on some histories from the humanist and classical empires, Ó Tuathail believes it is time to look past the text of the victors and embrace the views of the vanquished, the pacifists and their forgotten, often belittled cultures and histories.
Corr Scéal – Crane Notions takes a thought-provoking look at twelve enigmatic aspects of the Crane in our cultural history.
This book explores our animist past and beliefs and queries the classical interpretation of Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures. It points to an ancient meeting of minds between pacifist cultures before population growth led to competition and resource wars.
Experts recognise the explosion of knowledge and reflection that occurred from around 6,000 BC onwards, but too often they fail to challenge the received opinion of Classicists whose histories speak of‘civilised’ invaders conquering ‘barbaric’ societies. This book imagines an earlier pacifist, animist Atlantic civilisation that was drowned out by humanist waves and scribal ink.
Lorcan Ó Tuathail's Corr Scéal: Crane Notions is a total rollercoaster ride of ideas, intuitions and far-fetched imaginings. Lorcan, who is the General Manager and Project Manager of the Golden Eagle Trust in Ireland (established to reintroduce and conserve native bird species) knows things about birds in Ireland long ago. In this book he embarks on an imaginative journey, proposing the existence of an ancient, pacifist, animist Atlantic civilization that was eventually overshadowed by subsequent humanist developments.
The narrative intertwines the symbolism of the crane—a bird deeply rooted in Irish culture—to explore themes of spirituality, mythology, and the profound connection between humans and nature. Now, if you want your cultural history deeply grounded in fact and the scientific method, this isn’t for you, but it will spark the imaginations of us dreamers.
To get a sense of Lorcan and his thinking on this topic check out my interview I recorded in a Monaghan forest with Lorcan for my RTÉ podcast The Almanac of Ireland. https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/22489053-crane-notions/ ~ Manchán Magan
Cranes had an elevated cultural importance in ancient China, India, Egypt and Greece, where references to Cranes described them variously as ‘Birds of Heaven,’ ‘Immortal Bird’ and ‘The Magic of the Cranes.’ Enormous flocks of Cranes were a conspicuous feature of the inhabited world after the last ice age as well as throughout the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods and Bronze and Iron Ages. So, has the Crane left cultural footprints in our Atlantic Islands? And where should we look for these possible or hidden societal influences? After eight years of delving into the cultural remnants of a once-totemic Crane, author Lorcán Ó Tuathail presents twelve speculative storylines that shine light on a cornerstone of a forgotten and ancient Atlantic civilisation. Reaching into archaeology, language, animist beliefs and the dawning of knowledge, Ó Tuathail reframes the Crane story and calls for academic inquiry into its significance.
As doubts are cast on some histories from the humanist and classical empires, Ó Tuathail believes it is time to look past the text of the victors and embrace the views of the vanquished, the pacifists and their forgotten, often belittled cultures and histories.
Corr Scéal – Crane Notions takes a thought-provoking look at twelve enigmatic aspects of the Crane in our cultural history.
This book explores our animist past and beliefs and queries the classical interpretation of Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures. It points to an ancient meeting of minds between pacifist cultures before population growth led to competition and resource wars.
Experts recognise the explosion of knowledge and reflection that occurred from around 6,000 BC onwards, but too often they fail to challenge the received opinion of Classicists whose histories speak of‘civilised’ invaders conquering ‘barbaric’ societies. This book imagines an earlier pacifist, animist Atlantic civilisation that was drowned out by humanist waves and scribal ink.
Lorcan Ó Tuathail's Corr Scéal: Crane Notions is a total rollercoaster ride of ideas, intuitions and far-fetched imaginings. Lorcan, who is the General Manager and Project Manager of the Golden Eagle Trust in Ireland (established to reintroduce and conserve native bird species) knows things about birds in Ireland long ago. In this book he embarks on an imaginative journey, proposing the existence of an ancient, pacifist, animist Atlantic civilization that was eventually overshadowed by subsequent humanist developments.
The narrative intertwines the symbolism of the crane—a bird deeply rooted in Irish culture—to explore themes of spirituality, mythology, and the profound connection between humans and nature. Now, if you want your cultural history deeply grounded in fact and the scientific method, this isn’t for you, but it will spark the imaginations of us dreamers.
To get a sense of Lorcan and his thinking on this topic check out my interview I recorded in a Monaghan forest with Lorcan for my RTÉ podcast The Almanac of Ireland. https://www.rte.ie/radio/podcasts/22489053-crane-notions/ ~ Manchán Magan
Cranes had an elevated cultural importance in ancient China, India, Egypt and Greece, where references to Cranes described them variously as ‘Birds of Heaven,’ ‘Immortal Bird’ and ‘The Magic of the Cranes.’ Enormous flocks of Cranes were a conspicuous feature of the inhabited world after the last ice age as well as throughout the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods and Bronze and Iron Ages. So, has the Crane left cultural footprints in our Atlantic Islands? And where should we look for these possible or hidden societal influences? After eight years of delving into the cultural remnants of a once-totemic Crane, author Lorcán Ó Tuathail presents twelve speculative storylines that shine light on a cornerstone of a forgotten and ancient Atlantic civilisation. Reaching into archaeology, language, animist beliefs and the dawning of knowledge, Ó Tuathail reframes the Crane story and calls for academic inquiry into its significance.
As doubts are cast on some histories from the humanist and classical empires, Ó Tuathail believes it is time to look past the text of the victors and embrace the views of the vanquished, the pacifists and their forgotten, often belittled cultures and histories.
Corr Scéal – Crane Notions takes a thought-provoking look at twelve enigmatic aspects of the Crane in our cultural history.
This book explores our animist past and beliefs and queries the classical interpretation of Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures. It points to an ancient meeting of minds between pacifist cultures before population growth led to competition and resource wars.
Experts recognise the explosion of knowledge and reflection that occurred from around 6,000 BC onwards, but too often they fail to challenge the received opinion of Classicists whose histories speak of‘civilised’ invaders conquering ‘barbaric’ societies. This book imagines an earlier pacifist, animist Atlantic civilisation that was drowned out by humanist waves and scribal ink.