Comment by Rowena Cherry on December 15, 2012 at 5:06pm

Well.... if you missed this show, you missed a gamut of horrors, humour, and real down and dirty, nitty gritty history. The good news is that you can hear it again for the next 90 days, in the archives or on demand.

We began with bog bodies and treasure over 2,000 years old which is being found as the peat bogs are harvested for fuel. Kemberlee Shortland described how biceps would be pierced and sewn together to prevent the living sacrifices from swimming when they were thrown into the bog pools to drown.

Comment by Kemberlee on December 15, 2012 at 5:09pm

I enjoyed our chat very much. I can't believe how quickly it went. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Comment by Rowena Cherry on December 15, 2012 at 5:09pm

Kimberlee talked of the early castles in Ireland being timber, until Norman towers of stone gradually replaced them, and of watch towers which radiated out in a distant circle around the main castle, so the guards could warn (with fire and smoke signals) of the approach of enemies.

I encouraged Kemberlee to discuss the sanitation arrangements in Irish castles and learned that there was one castle where the prisoners were put in a sort of oubliette into which the castle privies (or perhaps there was only one privy) dropped the do.

Comment by Rowena Cherry on December 15, 2012 at 5:12pm

Kemberlee enlightened me about Brian Boru whose father was a Kennedy (pronounced and spelled differently, but recognizable), who was a High King of Ireland, and the progenitor of all the O'Briens around the world. He had a family banshee who warned him of his impending death at or after the Battle of Clontarff.  For correct spellings, visit www.all-ireland.com/attractions/

Comment by Rowena Cherry on December 15, 2012 at 5:15pm

Kemberlee told the most amazing romantic story of the Norman knight Richard de Clare who was known as Strong Bow, and who made a condition of helping a beleaguered Irish ... king, I think... that he should be given the royal daughter in marriage. Luckily, the lady fell in love with Strong Bow.

Comment by Rowena Cherry on December 15, 2012 at 5:17pm

Kemberlee has 5 books for sale at half price through the holidays. Find out more at www.tirgearrpublishing.com and all profits from sales of Just Desserts on Kindle will be donated to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Thank you, Kemberlee!

Comment by Kemberlee on December 15, 2012 at 6:04pm

Hi Rowena - You had asked me if I did an article for Aghnanure Castle and I have. Here's the link, including photos and a graphic of that secret room --

http://www.all-ireland.com/attractions/connaught/galway/aughnanurec...

You also asked about the period of history when Richard deClare came to Ireland. He was the first Norman in Ireland and that time period can be marked as the beginning of the Norman Invasion of Ireland. Here's a bit on that --

http://www.all-ireland.com/attractions/leinster/wexford/ferns.htm#n...

There's a very famous, and very massive, painting by Daniel Maclise (d.1845) hanging in the National Gallery of Ireland that depicts the the married of deClare and Aoife, called The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife. The characters in the painting are lifesize and really must be seen to be believed. (I believe the painting has been removed for restoration this winter but should be up again by the summer 2013)

Regarding Brian Boru -- His full name was Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig. His father was Cennétig . . . or Kennedy in today's English. Mac means son of, so Brian was 'of Cennétig'.

Finally, the first chapter is up on my website for The Diary . . . the time travel I talked about with my heroine being a descendent of Brian Boru who goes back in time as the family banshee --

http://www.kemberlee.com/mybooks/thediary.htm

Comment by Rowena Cherry on December 15, 2012 at 6:38pm

I am always looking for memnemonics and I guess Aghnanure Castle is ripe for a riff on Agh and manure.

Comment by Rowena Cherry on December 15, 2012 at 6:41pm

Thank you, Kemberlee. I hope that lots of listeners worldwide enjoy your highly entertaining and informative show. I certainly did!

Comment by Kemberlee on December 16, 2012 at 6:40am

Aghnanure is a unique property in Ireland. It's like the ultimate place. Not only does it have the secret room under the privy in the lord's chamber, it's also the only keep in Ireland with double bawn walls, and it has a boat dock. What makes the boat dock unique is that the keep is inland! Boats sailing from Europe had to sail to the west, travel up the Shannon River to Lough Corrib to a channel that was dug out from the river to the keep! Where there's a will there's a way, eh?

Aghnanure is pronounce Aw-na-nure. Sort of lime manure ;-)

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