Search - In Search of Ancient Ireland (Includes Over Ireland) on DVD

Great, a few quibbles....

SereneNight | California, USA | 03/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Great visuals and great history

bob30724 | USA | 05/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Visually splendid

George T. Williams III | West Roxbury, MA USA | 06/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Fantastic visuals

dbc565 | NY, USA | 05/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."