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102 of 110 found the following review helpful:
 Great, a few quibbles....Mar 27, 2003
By Serene
I really enjoyed "In Search of Ancient Ireland" especially, the first segment. This DVD is divided into 3 parts, (which were obviously intended to be shown as three different hourly shows), "Pre-Christian Ireland" I.E. Stone Age, Bronze age etc., "Missionary Era Ireland," and "Ireland Under the Vikings" which covers Ireland under the control of Vikings, through Brian Boru.My favorite part of the DVD, was the first part: Pre-Christian Ireland. (In my opinion, this the only segment that should truly be called "Ancient"). Herein, the narrator discusses what life in Ancient Ireland was like. They delve into Ancient Irish religion, culture, and take you to numerous ancient sites, and even demonstrate how ancient Irish musical instruments were played. This was the most exciting and gripping part. The remaining two segments were less interesting for me. (Perhaps, because this era of Irish history is frequently documented, and hence more widely known). The only Caveat's I had with this DVD, were: In segment one, they did not discuss bards or druids hardly at all. There were no reconstructional illustrations which might show us how ancient clothing was worn, or how ancient sites might've once looked. No discussion of women's roles at all. Section 2: There was recycled footage from section one, (such as scenes with a street faire etc.), and devoting an entire hour to the discussion of monasteries was a bit dry (even if the scenery was breathtaking). This has been covered before in better documentaries. Section 3: Also, recycled footage, and more discussion of monasteries as vikings raided them. Lots of footage of modern military speculating about how warfare must've been like back then, and in the same vein, speculation by modern ship captains on Viking raiding technique. Again, interesting, but less fascinating than the first part. Overall, I enjoyed this DVD a great deal, but I would've preferred more ANCIENT history, (I.E.) Stone age, Bronze Age, etc. And less focus on Early Medieval history.
42 of 44 found the following review helpful:
Great visuals and great historyMay 06, 2003
I really enjoyed this TV series when it aired on PBS and the DVD is spectacular. It is Ireland at its best. Seeing the ancient places where the history of Ireland started is very striking. I particularly enjoyed seeing the places that the Irish first used in ancient times as burial and religious sites. The archeological argument about the Celtic 'invasion' is well presented. The second part is wonderful - it's about the old monasteries and the important role they played in Irish society. The producers really did an excellent job at bringing the scholars to the sites and not just giving us talking heads.
I also own the book to the series [I had read this first] and it is a valuable companion to the visuals because it gives a lot more detail. I have never been to Ireland but I want to go soon and this series brings me closer to my roots.
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Fantastic visualsMay 08, 2003
This is a very unusual series in that it brings to life the Ireland of pre-history and highlights the period up to the invasion of the English in the twelfth century. So much of Irish history starts later that this was a welcome addition. The visuals are really terrific as we get great shots of the ancient monuments and the Stone Age tombs. The visit to the National Museum of Ireland was really amazing - I didn't know that Ireland had so much gold from the Bronze Age. I intent visiting Ireland this summer and now want to see some of these sights and also the ancient monasteries which are now in ruin but once were centers of European learning.
I also bought the book [same title] and I think that they are a great combination because the book gives so much more historical background on each period, and gives details that the TV series did not. I recommend this to anyone interested in Ireland.
23 of 26 found the following review helpful:
Visually splendidJun 17, 2004
By George T. Williams III
"georgetwilliams"
I bought this DVD after renting it from Net-Flix because I had to own it. Not only is it a wonderful companion to the book of the same title, the addition of OVER IRELAND makes this DVD a must have for anyone who is even remotely interested in Ireland.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
"In Ireland the past is ever present"Aug 05, 2008
By J. Guild
This is the most superb and engrossing documentary on the history of ancient Ireland that I have ever come across.It is 170 minutes of expertly crafted explanation of Irelands histoey devided in three parts.
The first hour deals with Ireland before Christianity.It takes us back to over 3,000 years BC and explains the growth of civilization and all the monuments,legends and beliefs prior to the development of Christianity.
Then ,in part two, we are taken through the development of Christianity between the 5th and 9th centuries AD and the development of scholarship,theology and art which helped to bring Europe out of the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Then in part three,it deals with the coming of the Vikings,the dynastic battles of the Irish Kings,the corrupt practices of the Celtic church leading up to the Norman invasion to the time where Ireland became ruled by outsiders.
This is 3 hours of excellently presented history with many of the most knowledable historians making appearances and explaining this history right at the sites where it took place.
The photography is as excellent as the masterial presented.
The history of Ireland is 6,000 years of highly complicated history,not easily condensed into 3 hours;but this documentary has done it magnificently.It is so well done,I will return to it often.
Included with the documentary is a movie "Over Ireland".It is 60 minutes of spellbinding travel around Ireland ,all from the air .
Watching it,one gets the feel that they are viewing all Ireland as if they were on a magic carpet. I have been to Ireland three times and seen many of the sites,monuments,landsccape villages and cities;but it is not quite the same as seeing it all from the height of a few hundred feet.Not only do we see it all from above,but we are given excellent commentary all along the way.
For anyone who has ever been to Ireland,plan to visit,or simply interested in Ireland's history,art,beauty ;you will be mesmerized with this DVD.
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