The Discovery Series: The Bog Bodies
In this podcast series, we set out on an immersive exploration of some of Ireland’s most enduring mysteries – unfolding the clues by journeying to the places around the country that hold the answers.
Each season, we will focus on a single mystery - exploring what’s hidden in plain sight, waiting to be found by those curious enough to look. Through in-depth investigation, local storytelling and expert insight, we uncover the truth behind these mysteries, one location at a time.
But these aren’t just stories to be heard – they're destinations to be explored. Every episode invites you to step into the landscape yourself and see where mystery, history and the contemporary world still meet.
The Discovery Series: The Bog Bodies
Episode 4: The Voice from the Bog
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In the final episode of The Discovery Series: The Bog Bodies, it’s time to bring everything together.
Travel writer Fionn Davenport is joined by Anthony Murphy of Mythical Ireland to sift through the evidence and explore the three leading theories behind the deaths of Old Croghan Man and Clonycavan Man. Drawing on archaeology, belief systems and landscape, they weigh what we know - and what remains unknowable.
As the journey comes to a close, there’s space for reflection. Fionn revisits the sculpture by artist Ciaran Byrne atop Croghan Hill, first encountered in episode one, and reflects on why it has stayed with him as a powerful expression of the mystery at the heart of this story.
The episode ends where it feels most fitting – with a quiet visit to the Kingship & Sacrifice exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland, sitting once more with Old Croghan Man and Clonycavan Man, and considering what their lives and deaths may still be telling us.
Explore more of Ireland’s ancient past, from the Neolithic to the early Christian era, at https://www.discoverireland.ie/the-discovery-series