@itsjohncrotty.bsky.social
Published author & historian | Books ‘The Irish Tricolour’ & ‘Spike Island’ out now | Leading authority on Irish symbols | Love to share interesting history, travel & writing | http://johncrottyauthor.com
Did you know new research has shown a forgotten female patriot 1st fused Irelands colours?
Dubliner Emilia Hamilton crafted an Irish Tricolour cockade in 1830, 18 years before previously thought
She gave it it’s meaning - ‘let Orange & Green no longer be seen, bestained by the blood of our island’
Did you know Ireland was an island alone off Europe’s western edge for over 3000 years?
By 10000BC rising seas cut Ireland off from Europe. Its first inhabitants to arrive & stay had to sail there, shaping an island identity
Britain separated around 6200BC, creating the modern island archipelago
Huge thanks Irish Independent for kind words on my research:
“this latest work of history has done a tremendous amount of research, including ferreting out original, sometimes unstudied documents from the past. Each symbol of Irishness has so much history behind it, detailed here so exhaustively”
Fascinating, the principles never really change. You need line of sight when defending that the old square castle shape just didn’t afford.
Only for the advent of air power making the effort redundant, who knows how much more refinement we would have seen?
One of the oldest Amorials in history
For Ireland, the most important
Armorial Wijnbergen was made in northern France by heraldrists between 1260-1285
It captured many firsts, including the harp for Ireland
With much earlier origins, it has remained in association with Eire for nearly 800 years
Not one but 2 articles to write this weekend
Wildly differing topics:
‘The diminishment of Gaelic Ireland’
‘The truth of Ireland’s Tricolour’
Prepare the coffee…
Congrats Catherine, I adore his work.
There are a few pieces in my local gallery (Cork)
I think he will become a sensation in time
Colour image from my upcoming book ‘The Irish Tricolour’
The Hill of Tara
When we think of Irish identity, nowhere better represents this. It expresses an all island spiritual, legal & political identity that long predates modern nationalism
A place of Gods & Kings
Pic: Noel Meehan - Copter View
Considered by many the most beautiful book ever made
The Book of Kells was crafted in 800AD by Irish monks, a highpoint in Irish craft
Lavish pigments from across Europe fused to make a masterpiece
From upcoming book ‘The Irish Tricolour’
©️Board of Trinity College Dublin, zoom in for a treat!
Huge thanks @thebookshopie.bsky.social
In 4 weeks ‘The Irish Tricolour’ will completely re-write our understanding of Irish history
The who, what and where of Ireland’s symbols are blown open
Hold on to your historical hats - it’s going to be wild!
Pre-order now - tinyurl.com/4sbn7c9z
I hope you enjoyed this Irish history
Please like, share and follow
Happy #saintpatricksday
#stpatricksday #stpatricksday2025
These are just some of the symbols of Ireland
A nation deeply in touch with its past
Irelands Neolithic tomb builders left an indelible mark, being absorbed by the bronze age & early Celts
Modern Irish see themselves in the craft, community & culture of the ancient Irish (12)
The Irish wolfhound:
Remarkably, the earliest description of large Irish dogs is a 391ad Roman reference
A gift of hounds were termed a 'wonder of Rome'
Their current impressive size is partly breeding with Great Danes
They became a symbol of Ireland in the 1800's (11)
The sunburst:
Associated with the ancient ‘Fianna’, an Irish mythological band of warriors
The 1st image of it dates to 1731
It was adopted by Fenians around 1858
Similar devices appear in Japan & China (10)
Round Tower:
The late 19th century saw Ireland rediscover its heritage
Alongside High Crosses the round tower was revered
Built from 7th century, they were bell houses, stored valuables or held Scriptorium on monastic sites
They demonstrated power & prestige (9)
Irish stone High Cross:
They became popular in Christian Ireland from the 8th century
They combine the Cross with a circle to represent the sun, God or eternal life - a unique feature
They became a symbol of Ireland in the late 19th century (8)
The Celtic Tree of Life:
6000 years ago Ireland had as much as 80% forest cover
Druids believed all things are connected - all are one
The tree symbolises the connection between heaven and earth
Oak trees were revered as sacred (7)
The Irish tricolour is a modern symbol
The 1st tricolour was the Netherlands in the 1500’s
Many nations adopted them following the French Revolution
Irelands emerged in the 1830’s & was adopted after 1916
Its colours stand for hoped for peace between Ireland's faiths (6)
The Harp:
Early references date to Egypt & Mesopotamia 5000 years ago
Harpists were revered in Gaelic Ireland, the Annals listing harpers in 630AD
They appear on High Crosses in the 8th century
It was used to denote Ireland by French heraldrists in the late 13th century (5)
The Celtic Trinity:
Almost certainly derived from the Megalithic Tri-spiral
The Celts used the symbol extensively from 2500 years ago
It appears in Irelands most priceless book - the Book of Kells
Most recently it forms the Irish - Choctaw sculpture ‘Eternal Hearts’ (4)
The Tri-spiral / Triskele
The symbol appears at 5000 year old Irish tomb Newgrange
The site is older than the pyramids & all modern religions
The device has no beginning or end, using 1 continuous line
It is perhaps Ireland’s oldest symbol (3)
The shamrock was linked to St Patrick
It was 1st recorded in Irish association in the 1500’s
A recent link to the 1196 Topographia Hibernica implies much earlier use (pic 2)
The Irish wore them on St Patrick’s Day no later than the 1600’s
The symbolism has older Celtic roots (2)
Ireland has millennia of symbology
Some of our oldest symbols are over 5000 years old
On #StPatricksDay what is the history & pedigree of Ireland's oldest symbols (1)
I’d like to report a crime…
#reading #writingcommunity
We didn’t get a white one in Ireland this year
Here’s a throwback of a snowfall at the beautiful port town of Cobh, Cork
- Last departure point of Titanic
- Emigration place to America for millions
- Service town for Spike Island prison
- Irelands 3rd largest cathedral
#ireland #Cork
If anyone needs a book recommendation for a history lover for Christmas, you won’t go wrong with this
Brilliant read by Bettany Hughes - full of scope and insight delivered in a digestible fashion
#history #christmas
If anyone is wondering how many times you see your book on a bookshop shelf before it gets old
Never
It never gets old
Keep writing - it’ll come
(Eason’s #Dublin #Spikeisland)
‘Let’s buy this tub of chocolates now and we won’t eat it until Christmas Day’
I said to my wife
Oh how we laughed 🎄
Is that all Glenn? In a country of 68 million?
How is there not a movie yet on this incredible woman! Such a character