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Established
16/3/2000 |
 The Boyne Valley Revision |
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HISTORIC CONFERENCE CONCLUDES AT THE NEWGRANGE LODGE |
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110 hear pioneer author's keynote address in the Boyne Valley |
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Martin Brennan was warmly received on his return to Ireland for the Boyne Valley Revision conference which was held in his honour at the Newgrange Lodge. Brennan was the keynote speaker at a wonderful event which also featured Dr. EC Krupp of Griffith Observatory.
In his address, Martin Brennan revealed fascinating insights into his next book, 'Days of Power', due to be published in 2010. Brennan currently lives in Mexico, where he is studying 10,000 rock engravings. A very enthusiastic audience heard him compare some of the rock carvings with those at Knowth in the Boyne Valley. Brennan also poured scorn on the 2012 doomsday scenario, saying there was nothing in the Maya glyphs about the end of the world. Instead, he saw December 21st 2012, the day the Mayan long count calendar ends, as a positive time for mankind. Toby Hall, a member of Brennan's original research team, called for an end to the use of the phrase "passage-tomb" to describe Newgrange and its sister sites. Jack Roberts, another research colleague, gave a fascinating talk on the astronomical landscape of West Cork. The conference also heard a very entertaining lecture from Sig Lonegren on earth energies.
Chris Bruno revealed for the first time a computer-generated animation of the so-called Calendar Stone at Knowth, so named by Martin Brennan. This animation revealed how the stone may have been used to calculate the 19-year Metonic Cycle of the Moon. There was some commentary on this proposed function of the stone by Dr. EC Krupp, Director of Griffith Observatory in California. Mr. Bruno also included in his presentation a humorous demolition of the passage-tomb theory. See YouTube video on right. The highlight of the day was Martin Brennan, who presented his fascinating data on the Mexico engravings and his insights into the Mayan calendar. Following the conference, Brennan attended Newgrange for the Winter Solstice sunrise. Although the sun did not shine, there was a good attendance and Brennan drew much interest from the gathered media and public. After visiting Newgrange, Martin was shown the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre for the first time. It did not exist when he was last here in 1982. Centre manager, Clare Tuffy, asked Martin to sign her first edition hardback copy of the Boyne Valley Vision, which he was happy to do. While visiting the centre, Brennan also met Professor George Eogan, the archaeologist who excavated Knowth. Afterwards, Brennan described his meeting with Prof. Eogan as "warm and genuine". It was a very historic weekend, and although Martin has left the Boyne Valley, he will be staying in Ireland for a further week before returning to Mexico to complete his next book. He has promised to return to Ireland in 2010. |
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PIONEERING AUTHOR MARTIN BRENNAN BACK IN IRELAND AFTER 25 YEARS |
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Author of "The Boyne Valley Vision" and "The Stones of Time" to speak about his forthcoming book |
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A pioneering Irish-American American author who radically changed how we look at the sophistication of Ireland’s Stone Age monuments is to return to Ireland after a quarter of a century. A generation ago, Martin Brennan challenged conventional opinion about the function of Newgrange and the passage-mounds of Ireland and presented overwhelming evidence showing that many of these 5,000-year-old monuments were used as complicated astronomical observatories. His books, The Boyne Valley Vision and The Stones of Time, both published in the early 1980s, continue to hold a fascination with the public and are considered essential reading in relation to the Neolithic monuments. His revelations made headlines all across the world at the time. Brennan will headline a conference, to be held in the heart of the Boyne Valley at Winter Solstice, to talk about his continuing research into ancient astronomical alignments and how his work in Ireland has resonance in other countries around the world, including Mexico, where he currently resides. He will be joined by fellow speakers Jack Roberts and Toby Hall, both of whom helped Brennan make his spectacular discoveries in the 1980s, including the Winter Solstice alignment of the southern chamber at Dowth, and the equinox sunrise alignment at Cairn T, Loughcrew, Co. Meath. Huge controversy was evoked when Brennan’s work was published, and there was a significant rift between the astronomical alignment protagonists and the archaeological establishment, who believed the great monuments of the Boyne Valley to be huge tombs. The debate continues to rage today. Anthony Murphy, co-author of Island of the Setting Sun – In Search of Ireland’s Ancient Astronomers – is another speaker at the event, and will discuss how Brennan’s work continues to inspire research in the Boyne Valley and beyond to this day. Completing the line-up of speakers is Sig Lonegren, expert on geomancy and earth energies, who has known Martin since 1980. Martin Brennan is a controversial and sometimes elusive character. Currently ensconced in the Mexican jungle, he lives a modest existence in a hut, from where he explores the ancient monuments of that country. He left Ireland 25 years ago and has not returned here since, despite the enormous popularity of his books and the recognition of his huge contribution to our understanding of Neolithic astronomy and achievement. He is currently working on a new book, studying the alignments in Mexico and the Mayan calendar, to be published in 2010. He will be the headline speaker at a conference entitled “The Boyne Valley Revision” which will be held at The Newgrange Lodge on Sunday, December 20th. Tickets for the conference are 65 euro and are available by contacting The Newgrange Lodge on 041-9882478 or by emailing sara@ebc.ie |
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