Ancient bones from 2000 BC discovered in Antrim pub challenge everything we thought we knew about Ir

[Judi Lynn]

Ancient bones from 2000 BC discovered in Antrim pub challenge everything we thought we knew about Ireland and the Celts

 March 18, 2016 .
By Irish Post



THE DISCOVERY of human bones behind a pub in Northern Ireland ten years ago could rewrite Irish history.

Pub owner Bertie Currie, of McCuaig’s Pub in Co. Antrim, unintentionally uncovered an ancient burial ground, finding the remains of three men, as he was digging land to make a driveway.

Following a recent DNA study, the Washington Post reported that the discovery challenges the long-held understanding of Irish people’s origins.

Experts, including geneticists from Trinity College Dublin and archaeologists form Queens University Belfast, have undertaken a detailed analysis of the remains.

The Irish were thought to be descendants of the Celts – a tribe of people who originated in central and northern Europe, arriving in Ireland around 500 BC.

“The DNA evidence based on those bones completely upends the traditional view,” Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Oxford, told the Washington Post.

The research suggests that the three skeletons are the ancestors of the modern Irish. It is believed they existed prior to the Celt arrival, by about 1,000 years or more.

More:
http://irishpost.co.uk/ancient-bones-2000-bc-discovered-antrim-pub-challenge-everything-thought-knew-ireland-celts/

[NBachers]

1. Very interesting, but I wish it went into more detail.

The picture showed bones in a stone crypt-looking structure. Is that how they were found, or were they buried in dirt?

It looks like there are other things besides bones in the picture. What are they, and how do they fit in with the people who were buried there?

So what genetic makeup was discovered, and what new theories were put forth? What new things do we know now, that we didn't know before?

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. Irish Mythology on the people who came before the Kelts.

The mythical island of Hy Brasil off the coast of Ireland



http://media.irishcentral.com/images/MI+Hy+Brasil+Ireland+vanishing.jpg


There are many myths and legends surrounding Hy-Brasil. In some of them, the island is the home of the gods of Irish lore. In others, it is inhabited by priests or monks rumored to hold ancient knowledge which allowed them to create an advanced civilization. Some think that St. Brendan's famous voyage to find the “Promised Land” may have been Hy-Brasil.


The legend could be a story that was passed down through generations from the end of the last Ice Age when sea levels were lower. For example, the so-called Porcupine Bank, discovered in 1862, appears to have been an island at some point in time. Located about 193 km (120 miles) west of Ireland, it is a shoal exposed at extreme low tide and where an 1830 chart had ‘Brazil Rock’ located. The bank’s highest point is around 200 meters (656 feet) below sea level and was sunk either due to a catastrophe or rising sea levels.

The people who came before the Celts according to Irish mythology


The Tuatha Dé Danann were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. They came from four cities to the north of Ireland–Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias–where they acquired their magical skills and attributes. According to Lebor Gabála Érenn, they came to Ireland "in dark clouds" and "landed on the mountains of [the] Conmaicne Rein in Connachta; and they brought a darkness over the sun for three days and three nights". According to a later version of the story, they arrived in ships on the coast of the Conmaicne Mara's territory (modern Connemara). They immediately burnt the ships "so that they should not think of retreating to them; and the smoke and the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighboring land and air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist".

The Fomorians (Old Irish: Fomoire, Modern Irish: Fomhóraigh) are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. They are often portrayed as hostile and monstrous beings who come from the sea or underground. Later, they were portrayed as giants and sea raiders. They are enemies of Ireland's first settlers and opponents of the Tuatha Dé Danann,[1] the other supernatural race in Irish mythology. However, their relationship with the Tuath Dé is complex and some of their members intermarry and have children. The Fomorians have thus been likened to the jötnar of Norse mythology.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomorians

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemed

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatha_D%C3%A9_Danann

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_mythology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasil_(mythical_island)