Listen to the Land Speak: A Journey into the wisdom of what lies beneath us

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The best parts of this book are Magan's brief encounters with the fascinating and understudied fields of geomythology and archaeomythology - the study of myths as possible records of real geological and historical events, such as comet impacts, the end of the Ice Age, or the disappearance of landmasses and even civilisations (perhaps the most famous example of which is Atlantis). For example, he establishes that the archaeological evidence pointing to the date of Lough Neagh's flooding closely matches the date given in the lake's mythological origin story down through the oral tradition. Unfortunately, he makes only cursory references to these ideas and explores none of them in any detail. He explicitly chooses to ignore the discovery of a 33,000-year-old carved reindeer bone in Ireland, which demolishes the accepted theory that the island has only been inhabited for 6,000 years, because he does not know what to make of it. He also makes no reference whatsoever to the extraordinary fact, mentioned in his previous book, that the people who built Newgrange have been found to be genetically discontinuous with the modern Irish population, strongly suggesting that not only is the structure much older than previously thought but that there may have been waves of settlers as yet unaccounted for in the historical record. The potential implications of these and other findings are enormous and there was a much more interesting book which could have (and still should be) written about these things, offering us a new understanding of our past and a new significance to our present.

Listen to the Land Speak: A Journey into the Wisdom of What

Our servers are getting hit pretty hard right now. To continue shopping, enter the characters as they are shown Pléann leabhar Mhanchán le aibhneacha, bailte, logainmeacha agus an cheangail atá idir béaloideas agus miotaseolaíocht na tíre seo. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. In Listen to the Land Speak, he offers a fractal version of Ireland, where myth overlaps with history, the fantastical with the practical, the superstitious with the scientific. “Just as a fractal can be limited to a finite area and yet is infinitely magnifiable,” he writes, “so too is Ireland host to an infinity of wisdom and wonder.”Get directions and find venue information for the James Stewart Film Theater at 185 Nassau Street. COVID-19 Guidance + Updates If there were more people like Magan around Ireland, and for that matter the world would be a better place. Much of Manchán Magan’s work is concerned with loss and the retention of precious remnants. In his Tamagotchi projects, Magan sought to preserve Irish words slipping from the lexicon. In 32 Words for Field (2020), which began as a cult hit, becoming one of the most talked-about Irish books in recent times, the focus was on the wealth of beauty within the Irish language and how it connects us to place, spirituality, nature and each other. Only criticism is that it can be a bit much at times, and without some basic prior knowledge of certain mythological aspects/places it can make you lost. Magan is a magician with words and has a way of presenting even the most seemingly mundane information in a captivating way. I found his chapters on Ireland’s bogs, trees and roads particularly fascinating and frequently had to pause reading to do a deep dive online into some of the landmarks and stories he mentions, which is exactly the kind of curiosity that Magan set out to evoke in his readers.

Listen to the Land Speak” with Manchán Magan “Listen to the Land Speak” with Manchán Magan

Besides containing a wealth of history and mythology – inextricably linked of course, this is Ireland after all – Magan has composed an antidote to the paralysing nihilism of the overwhelming climate crisis discourse. Throughout it all is an implicit call to action that could well be transformative. Una Mullally Speaking about the last few years, Manchán said he enjoyed being in one place for a period of time and getting to know his environment in a more intimate way. Tá cónaí ar Mhanchán i gcontae na hIarmhí ar phaiste talún, áit a bhfuil crainn agus plandaí curtha aige le breis agus scór bliain. Manchán Magan is a writer and documentary-maker. He has written books in Irish and English on his travels in Africa, India and South America. His most recent books are Thirty-Two Words for Field, which explores the insights the Irish language offers into the landscape, psyche and heritage of Ireland; and Tree Dogs, Banshee Fingers and Other Irish Words for Nature, an illustrated book that delves into Irish words for nature. He writes occasionally for the Irish Times and presents The Almanac of Ireland podcast about the heritage and culture of Ireland for RTÉ Radio 1. He has presented scores of television documentaries on history and culture.

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Our ancestors developed a uniquely nature-focused society, centred on esteemed poets, seers, monks, healers and wise women who were immersed in the land. They used this deep connection to the cycles of the natural world – from which we are increasingly dissociated – as an animating force in their lives. Magan gives the land beneath our feet a voice and a meaning, helping to understand its power and influence. It's a very good book with some upsetting topics ranging from ancient celtic mythology about rape and slaughter, Christian conversion and abuse of pagan beliefs, destructions of bog lands and the environment, to oppression by the English, to famine and the killing of unbaptised children. Manchán Magan has become a credit to the documentation of Irish life, history and literature over the years. Taking on the mantle of author, travel writer and documentary producer, he has left his mark as an Irishman in the wide world. Returning to issues of home, his works explore the complexity of Irish to English etymology in Thirty-Two Words for Field while his most recent success, Listen to the Land Speak: A Journey into the Wisdom of What Lies Lies Beneath Us opens up the chasm of largely forgotten Irish mythology and history to the masses. His work in this field has garnered him acclaim for feeding the inferno that burns behind the Irish person’s want for connection to their past. As one of the most highly anticipated titles from Gill Publishers in 2022, Listen to the Land Speak was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2022 for Non-Fiction and won the Waterstones Irish Book of the Year 2022, garnering much acclaim across the board. Our ancestors developed a uniquely nature-focused society, centred on esteemed poets, seers, monks, healers and wise women who were deeply connected to the land. They used this connection to the cycles of the natural world - from which we are increasingly dissociated - as an animating force in their lives.