Tales of a Technogypsie

Poulnabrone Portal Tomb * Poulnabrone dolmen * the Burren, County Clare, Ireland * In the heart of the Burren, sits the infamous Irish “hole of sorrows”. It is a portal tomb that dates back to the Neolithic, approximately between 4,200 and 2,900 B.C.E. dolmen consists of a 12′ tall, thin, slab-like tabular capstone supported by [...]

Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden* http://www.kylemoreabbey.com/ * Kylemore, Ireland “Mainistir na Coille Móire” is one of Connemara’s famous attractions, the Kylemore Abbey with its Victorian Walled Garden is a highlight of history in the area. Nestled in an area of old oakwoods which terrace the mountainside, within the mountainous valley of Kylemore Pass with [...]

“Knocknashee”, legendary ” Hill of the Faeries” County Sligo, Ireland Knocknashee is known as the legendary “Hill of the Faeries” and is one of Ireland’s seven most sacred hills. The name comes from the Irish “knock” (cnoc) meaning “hill” and “shee” meaning “fairy”. Its older name is Mullinabreena or “Fairy Palace”. The hill fort is [...]

Mussenden Temple (Bishops Gate) Castlerock, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland A scenic view from the beachside near Castlerock shows a contrasting look of a small temple high atop (120 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean and its rocky cliffs. Mussenden Temple, a circular building designed as a temple, was built in 1785 as part of Frederick Augustus [...]

Dunluce Castle* A2 Coast Road Portrush * BT57 8SX * County Antrim, Northern Ireland * Tel: 44-28-7082-3333 * Dunluce a.k.a. Dun Lios, means “Strong Fort” in Irish. One of Ireland’s infamous settings for fantasy tales, movies, or depictions – Dunluce ruins contrast with awe-inspiring grandeur with the precipitous basaltic rock it stands upon over the [...]

Dunseverick Castle* Along the Giant’s Causeway / Coastal Causeway Route, Northern Ireland * Near the Giant’s Causeway, on an isolated rock surrounded by the sea in a small bay, is the crumbling remains of “Dunseverick Castle”. A maritime fortress of Dalriada, built by Sovaric, son of Eberic mythically in the year of the world 3668 [...]

Newgrange: Brú na Bóinne, IrelandOne of Ireland’s most infamous monuments and archaeological sites, Newgrange is amongst the Bru na Boinne World Heritage sites next to Knowth and Dowth. It is popular like Stonehenge with its Solstice astronomical line-ups and viewing of the sun as it appears through its portal. The monument is a large mound [...]

Knowth/Newgrange Knowth, Ireland:http://www.knowth.com/knowth.htm One of Irelands most famous Neolithic passage graves, Knowth is in the valley of the Boyne River, at the ancient monument of Brú na Bóinne nearby famous Newgrange. This monument was built after Newgrange, roughly 5,000 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era). It is believed to have been built before Dowth. It is [...]

Brú na Bóinne* aka “Palace of the Boyne” or “Bend of the Boyne” * Knowth/Newgrange, Donore, Co. Meath, Ireland * UNESCO World Heritage Site *“Bru na Boinne” is the name of a Boyne River Valley section that is home to the World Heritage sites consisting of the Tumulus Sidhe known as “Knowth”, “Dowth”, and “Newgrange”. [...]

Dublin Castle * 2 Palace St * DUBLIN 2, Ireland * 01 6777129 The Dublin Castle is located off Dame Street in Dublin. The Castle was origimally a defensive fortification for the Norman city of Dublin and took on a long history by various successions of Dublin through time. It was founded by King John [...]

Dublina Viking & Medieval History Museum * http://www.dublinia.ie/ * St Michaels Hill * Christchurch, Dublin 8, Co. Dublin, Ireland * 01 679 4611 *Located within and connected to the infamous Christ Church Cathedral of Dublin (a.k.a. “The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity”) is now one of Dublin’s most spectacular and interactive museums/tourist attractions. Christ Church [...]

Black Church * aka: St. Mary’s Chapel of Ease * The Black Church, St. Marys Place, Dublin, Co. Dublin, Ireland‎ – 01 860 0007‎ * St. Mary’s Chapel of Ease was a Gothic Revival Cathedral that was part of the Church of Ireland and located on St. Mary’s Place, in Dublin, Ireland. A chapel of [...]

Saveok Purification Pools: Saveok Mill, Greenbottom, Cornwall, England Located on the small local farm of Saveok Mill called “Saveok Water Archaeological Site”, resident Jacqui Wood discovered very curious archaeological features in her backyard when clearing the ground for a metal-work furnace on her land as one of her experimental archaeology projects. One of the phases [...]

Offering Pits at Saveok Water Archaeology Site: Saveok Mill, Greenbottom, Cornwall, England Within the last 10 years, one of the world’s best archaeological examples of Ritual Witchcraft has been exposed in Cornwall, England. This site, Saveok Water Archaeology, has several site features suggesting ritual offerings, purification pools, and spellcraft dating as early as the mesolithic [...]

Saveok Mill Lithics: Saveok Water Archaeological Site, Greenbottom, Cornwall, England During my June 2010 visit to Saveok Water Archaeological Site in Cornwall, England – I had the pleasure to peruse the lithic collection from the site. Excavation owner and director, Jacqui Wood has begun to do some intriguing investigations into the habitation patterns of this [...]

Animal Tracks along the River @ Saveok Water Archaeological SiteSaveok Mill, Greenbottom, Truro, Cornwall, England During my June 2010 visit to the Saveok Water Archaeological Site in the Area B3 were discovered very well-preserved (petrified?) hoof prints along where the river bank used to run on the site hundred to thousands of years ago. In [...]

Saveok Mill Archaeological Site Saveok Mill Site Greenbottom, Cornwall, England * http://www.archaeologyonline.org/index.html * A small local farm in Greenbottom, Saveok Mill has placed itself on the archaeological map when resident Jacqui Wood discovered very curious archaeological features in her backyard when clearing the ground for a metal-work furnace on her land as one of her [...]

Me and Jacqui Wood excavating at Saveok, 6/17/2010 Jacqui Wood A stunning woman with a depth of prehistoric and historic knowledge, Jacqui Wood is a scholar ahead of her time – or should we say ‘before’ her time. I memorably remember seeing the article about Jacqui’s archaeological project at her home Saveok Mill and the [...]

Merry Maiden Stone Circle Cornwall, England An infamous late neolithic stone circle on the coast of Cornwall, 2 miles south of the village of St. Buryan. It is also called the “Dawn’s Men” stone circle. It is thought to have been a 19 granite megalith stone circle back in the day that was 24 meters [...]

Chûn Castle Near Pendeen, Cornwall, England The Chûn Castle is an Iron Age hillfort on the summit of Chûn Downs holding a stronghold with secure views of the north and northwest, onwards to the Atlantic Coast and south towards Mounts Bay. it is roughly 84 meters in diameter with stone walls up to 2.7 meters [...]

Men Scryfa Standing Stone: Near Madron, Cornwall, England The Men Scryfa Standing Stone is a standing engrave stone sitting in the middle of a field not far from the infamous Men-an-Tol holey stone monument and the Nine Maidens stone circle. Its early origins is unknown just like with all the other standing stones. “Men Scryfa” [...]

Nine Maidens Stone Circle: Near Lanyon Farm and Madron, Cornwall, England Not far from the Ding Dong Mine and Men-at-tol lies two stone circles next to one another. The one on a small hill-rise I could not determine the name of, but the one elevated a bit from the boggy areas around the shafts of [...]

Ding Dong Mine and the Bogs Near Madron, Cornwall, England As I was searching for the Nine Maidens Stone Circle i soon found myself in a bog and a mine field. Not exactly the mine field one would think when one states such a thing, but rather fields of pit mines that were no longer [...]

Men-At-Tol Near Madron and Lanyon Farm, Penwith, Cornwall, England The infamous holey-stone known as “Men-an-tol” is located in tip of Cornwall near Madron and Lanyon Farm. This is one of England’s most highly photographed megalithic sites. The name “Men-An-Tol” means “holed stone”. Its purpose is unknown, but theorized to be a Druid ritual site, A [...]

Lanyon Quoitnear Lanyon Farm and Madron, Cornwall, England Real close to Lanyon Farm lies a single megalith called “Lanyon Quoit”. Barely noticeable from the road as the stone property walls block the direct view from the roadway, is a little walk-through with a National Trust sign signifying the monument. As you walk up to the [...]

Madron Well, Wishing Tree, and Baptistry Madron, Cornwall, England This is one of Cornwall’s most actively sacred sites and blessing wells. It is throughout Cornish history known as a Cornish sacred site that was dedicated to Madron or Mabon, the Earth Goddess, as a site for the granting of wishes, answering of prayers, and its [...]

Lesigney Round Farmer’s Field near Castle Hornbeck, Penzance, Cornwall, EnglandMap Ref: SW454304 Landranger Map Number: 203; Latitude: 50.118951N Longitude: 5.56298W From the distance this appears as a round of trees in the middle of a field on the top of a hill roughly a mile west of the town of Penzance. Once entering this ’round’ [...]

Castle Horneck * Alverton * Penzance * Cornwall, England * TR20 8TF * 0845 371 9653 * Fax no: (+44) 1736 362663 * penzance@yha.org.uk * http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/south-west-england/hostels/Penzance/index.aspx * It was a definitely an enchanting treat to make my way up to the remote location of this castle on the outskirts of Penzance. The remote-factor gave it [...]

Me at the crash siteRoswell, New Mexicophotos ©2006 technogypsie.com It was 1947, on July 4th, when William Woody saw a brilliant object plunge to the ground from the sky. They tried to explore where they thought it came down, and was sent away by a military barricade. a NM rancher named WW “Mack” Brazel was [...]

“Can I fit in that hole?”Hwy 285 Silo, Roswell, New Mexicophotos ©2006 technogypsie.com Many memories of Roswell, New Mexico’s abandoned missle silos swarmed through my head as I recently explored them on a recent visit to Roswell. In the 80′s we used to throw big high school parties in them, partying in what we thought [...]