68 Items Tagged

Celtic

A gnarly yes tree

Defynnog, Wales

Defynnog Yew

Estimated to be more than 5,000 years old, this yew may be Britain’s oldest.

Rabbits Are Creatures of the Underworld According to Ancient Fears

From Ancient Egypt to 'Donnie Darko', beware the bunny.

Charis McGowan May 1, 2024

Dunsfold, England

St Mary's and All Saints Church & Holy Well

An ancient yew tree and holy well nestle beside a remarkable 13th-century church.

Farnham, England

Mother Ludlam's Cave

This place is the subject of local legends about a good witch and a Celtic God.

Imbolc, Groundhog Day, and Brigantia All Celebrate the Coming Spring

Whatever you call it, early February's cross-quarter day reconnects us with ancient astronomical timekeeping traditions.

Rebecca Boyle January 30, 2024

Cliffony, Ireland

Creevykeel Court Tomb

One of Ireland's best-preserved chambered cairns can be found next to a wishing tree.

Every May, an ancient Celtic festival, known as Beltane, is held atop Calton Hill in Edinburgh, where participants eat a mysterious Beltane bannock cake.

Why 18th-Century Scots Performed Mock Human Sacrifices Over Cake

This May Day, make Beltane bannock, a simple snack with a long history of superstition and divination.

Sam O'Brien May 1, 2023

Bonfires and revelry dominate modern Beltane celebrations, but the origins of the event are more mundane.

Beltane Is About More Than Fire and Fertility

The ancient “Celtic” start of summer is rooted in animal husbandry—and it’s not on May 1.

Gemma Tarlach April 28, 2023

Lindisfarne, the Holy Island

Holy Island of Lindisfarne, England

Lindisfarne, the Holy Island

This tidal island, a sacred site in early English Christianity, was the target of a notable Viking invasion.

Layd Church Ruins 1

Cushendall, Northern Ireland

Layd Church Ruins

The father of Belfast medicine is buried in the graveyard of this 13th-century church, which now lies in ruins.

Glasgow, Scotland

Lady Well

This ancient holy well is older than much of the city that surrounds it.

Teampall Bheanáin

Killeany, Ireland

Teampall Bheanáin

A diminutive, thousand-year-old church believed to be the smallest in Ireland.

Croft Moraig Stone Circle entry stones

Aberfeldy, Scotland

Croft Moraig Stone Circle

This Neolithic stone circle is the most complete of its kind in Scotland.

Ardchattan Priory

Ardchattan, Scotland

Ardchattan Priory

A private home envelops the ruins of this 13th-century priory.

Ballymeanoch Standing Stones set out in two parallel rows

Kilmartin, Scotland

Ballymeanoch Prehistoric Monuments

This Neolithic-era complex boasts standing stones, a cairn, and the only henge in Western Scotland.

The walls of the amphitheater

Saelices, Spain

Segóbriga Archaeological Park

One of the most important Celtic-Roman archaeological sites in Spain.

The monument in front of the National Bank building.

Bratislava, Slovakia

Biatec Monument

A massive sculpture of an obscure Celtic coin that has become a symbol in Slovakia.

Solsbury Hill

Bath and North East Somerset, England

Solsbury Hill

An Iron Age hillfort rooted in Arthurian legend was made famous by musician Peter Gabriel.