In Search of Ancient Ireland

Released: 2002-06-12

Runtime: None minutes

Episode Overview

The opening hour examines whether there are kernels of truth in the legends of mighty warriors like Cu Chullain and immortal rulers like Queen Maeve. Are the Irish even Celtic? Archeologists have found little evidence. The program also delves into the vast burial mounds that dot Ireland's verdant landscape, the climatic Bronze Age disaster that changed Ireland forever, the ensuing era of prosperity that transformed Ireland into Europe's richest nation, the role of Rome in Ireland, and the founding of a new kingdom in Scotland by Irish warlords who would ultimately take over the entire country.

Series Overview

An exploration of Ancient Ireland, from 2000 B.C., when Stone Age farmers built some of Europe's largest and most spectacular Neolithic monuments, to 1167 A.D., when invading Normans seized Ireland for England's king.