🇮🇪 My Kilkenny grandparents were Mickey & Minnie Jordan! Both my grandfather & uncle were Michael Jordan, yet I was terrible at basketball. Grandad's love of local history helped spark my interest in archaeology. www.facebook.com/share/p/1JDG... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Kilkenny

🇮🇪 Kildare's history runs from Fionn mac Cumhaill to the United Irishmen to St. Brigit. At Gibbet Rath in 1798, British troops killed hundreds of rebels who were negotiating surrender. Under today's laws, killing surrendering fighters can be a war crime. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

🇮🇪 One of my favourite Kerry memories is crossing the Shannon by ferry w/ my mum on one of her last visits to Ireland. We explored the Ring of Kerry, Ross Castle, the Gap of Dunloe & Dingle. This inspired The Brandon House. www.facebook.com/share/p/1DxN... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

🇮🇪 Galway won me over with its music, people & wild Atlantic scenery. From Salthill & the Spanish Arch to Connemara & the ancient forts of the Aran Islands, it's a place I keep returning to. The islands inspire the book #2. www.facebook.com/share/p/1Qaa... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

Ireland's 32 Counties, Part 11: Fermanagh. I've visited Enniskillen, but researching the Maguire dynasty, Devenish monastery and Boa Island's mysterious stone figures has given me plenty of reasons to return. www.facebook.com/share/p/19nR... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Fermanagh

Dublin has been part of my life since infancy. I remember my aunt's home near Phoenix Park, but my first visit to Kilmainham Gaol remains one of my most moving experiences in Ireland. Part 10 of my 32 Counties journey. www.facebook.com/share/p/19dw... #BookSky #Dublin #Ireland #Writing

County Down: memories of a royal wedding nobody watched in Newcastle, prehistoric sites explored with a friend, & seeing Newry change since the Good Friday Agreement. Part 9 of my journey through Ireland. www.facebook.com/share/p/1DmY... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #CountyDown

An appeal to Americans. Please read the article in this link. Hold your nose if you have to but for goodness sake - VOTE! #USMidterms2026 #VOTE #TheWorldIsWatching #TrumpIsLyingToYou www.facebook.com/share/p/18sA...

Ireland's 32 Counties, Part 8: Donegal. A pint at the Celtic Marine in Bundoran introduced me to people who helped shape The Donegal Cipher. The O'Donnells, Flight of the Earls & Tory Island supplied the history. www.facebook.com/share/p/1HDi... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Donegal

Ireland's 32 Counties, Part 7: Derry. I've visited many times. Mountsandel's ancient settlement to Free Derry, the Bogside murals & Bloody Sunday, its history is extraordinary. And its humour? londonDERRY: the first six letters are silent. www.facebook.com/share/p/19tQ... #BookSky #Derry #Writing

Ireland's 32 Counties, Part 6: Cork. I've enjoyed a few pints of Murphy's there. Today we're exploring its 1856 brewery, 37 senior All-Ireland titles, Drombeg Stone Circle, Kinsale and the Burning of Cork. www.facebook.com/share/p/19nK... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #CountyCork

Ireland's 32 Counties, Part 5: Clare. A family trip introduced me to Lahinch. I returned to research The Atlantis Enigma and found more than locations: Kenny's Bar, Doolin's people and a coast full of history. Brian Boru, the Burren and more. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #CountyClare

Ireland's 32 Counties, Part 4: Cavan. I've never visited, but its prehistoric rock art reminds me of Ontario's petroglyphs. I'm also discovering the O'Reilly dynasty, the Plantation & Owen Roe O'Neill. I will visit next trip. Plenty left to learn. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Cavan

Ireland's 32 Counties, Part 3: Carlow. I visited my uncle and aunt's dairy farm near Crettyard many times, but knew little about Brownshill Dolmen or Carlow's role in the 1798 Rebellion. Researching familiar places keeps revealing new history. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Ireland

Eire's 32 Counties, Part 2: Armagh. My father came from Forkhill, & Slieve Gullion remains one of my favourite places in Ireland. Ancient tombs, mythology & a remarkable landscape. There's much more to South Armagh than its recent history. www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dt5... #BookSky #Writing #Ireland

A journey through Ireland's 32 counties begins with Antrim. I've visited the Giant's Causeway, Bushmills & Carrick-a-Rede. Seeing Scotland across the water brought home centuries of shared Gaelic history. Tomorrow: Armagh. www.facebook.com/share/p/1AVb... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

The latest Behind the Adventure podcast can be found here: cathalflynnpost.substack.com/p/the-stones... #Booksky #Orkney #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #TheOrkneyReliquary

The Stones That Remember: Orkney Before the Journey

Hear about the plans I had before I went to Orkney in May 2026. A future episode will revisit this episode to highlight what I found when I did visit.

cathalflynnpost.substack.com

@ Orkney's Ring of Brodgar, I wondered why generations left those enormous stones undisturbed. By the time Vikings arrived, the monuments were already thousands of years old. Their encounters with that ancient landscape now influence The Orkney Reliquary. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

My latest substack Behind the Adventure article. Discover the story behind my second novel the Atlantis Enigma. Discover the people and places I encountered on my research trip to Ireland's west coast. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #writing cathalflynnpost.substack.com/p/from-the-a...

Inside Orkney's 5,000-year-old Maeshowe tomb, I learned that medieval Norse visitors carved names, boasts and jokes into its walls. Some sounded like schoolboys leaving graffiti! That unexpected connection between two eras influences The Orkney Reliquary. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

Standing at Skara Brae, I imagined Norse sailors arriving in Orkney and eventually travelling to Ireland. Earl Sigurd of Orkney died at Clontarf in 1014, a battle involving Irish and Norse alliances on opposing sides. History for The Orkney Reliquary. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

Researching The Orkney Reliquary led me to Orkney's Pictish past. At Brough of Birsay, archaeologists found evidence of both Pictish & Norse settlement. What happened when the two cultures met remains debated. Fascinating history behind the landscape. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

Researching Viking Dublin led me to Wood Quay, where archaeologists uncovered remarkable evidence of medieval life. In 1978, some 20,000 people marched to save the site, yet much was eventually lost to development. A fascinating, frustrating chapter of Irish archaeology. #BookSky #Ireland #Vikings

I've explored Dublin's Christchurch, castle & walls, but its Viking history deserves a closer look. From a fortified base in 841 to a Norse-Irish trading town, Dublin's story combines conquest, commerce & cultural exchange. Dublin deserves another trip. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

The first recorded Viking raids on Ireland date to 795, but even the location of one attack is debated: was “Rechru” Rathlin Island or Lambay? It's the sort of historical uncertainty that keeps drawing me into archaeology. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Vikings #AuthorsLife

The 3rd installment of my Behind the Adventure podcast is now live. cathalflynnpost.substack.com/p/atlantis-t... #Podcast #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Atlantis #IrishMythology

Atlantis: The Drowned Memory of the Past

From Plato's lost civilization to Ireland's sunken kingdoms, exploring the myths, archaeology and Atlantic landscapes behind The Atlantis Enigma.

cathalflynnpost.substack.com

Researching the Viking raid on Lindisfarne in 793, I discovered the monastery was founded by an Irish monk from Iona. Another fascinating connection between Irish, Scottish and Viking history, and more inspiration for my George Ryan novels. #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers #Vikings

Read more about my recent trip to visit the Terry Fox Monument in Thunder Bay. substack.com/@cathalflynn... #TerryFox #Booksky #ThunderBay

The Long Road to Thunder Bay: A Journey of Friendship and Remembrance

Two friends, an 80-year-old’s bucket-list wish, a goldendoodle on her first great road trip, and a journey along Lake Superior to honour one of Canada’s greatest heroes.

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⚔️ Vikings keep appearing in my research. Ireland, Orkney, Canada. Who were they before the raids? Farmers, traders, craftspeople & extraordinary sailors. Today begins my journey through Viking history beyond TV mythology. www.facebook.com/share/p/1DNT... #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers

We lasted 1 night camping at 3°C on Lake Superior before finding a motel! 😂 Indigenous peoples lived, travelled & traded here for thousands of years. Their waterways were highways long before ours existed. An Ontario George Ryan thriller is taking shape. 🍁 #BookSky #GeorgeRyanArchaeologicalThrillers