Corvus Celticus

04/11/2026

Belfast: Art Beyond the Politics 🎨

In a place where political and paramilitary murals have long dominated the landscape, I find it refreshing to focus on a different side of Belfast's walls.

Scattered throughout the city centre are incredible examples of street art, graffiti and murals that showcase genuine creativity, imagination and artistic talent.

From striking depictions of nature and wildlife to imaginative scenes of fantasy and folklore, these artworks bring colour, character and a little magic to the streets of Belfast.

Sometimes it's worth looking beyond the politics and simply appreciating the skill and creativity on display.

A few examples I captured whilst wandering through Belfast city centre today. 📸

Which one is your favourite? Let me know!

Corvus Celticus 🐦‍⬛

02/11/2026

I've been blessed to share the 14 years (and hopefully a few more!) with my beautiful tuxedo greyhound, and I couldn't ask for a more loving, loyal and faithful companion (pictures in the comments of her and her own adoptive Brindle baby/sister)

She's is an absolute joy and has given me more than I could ever put into words.🐾

Adopt, don't shop.

Give a dog a second chance, and they'll give you a lifetime of love ❤️

Please adopt, don't shop !

25/10/2026

Got a wee mention from Sunday Life 😋

An amateur historian has told how an old church near a Co Londonderry village was used to hang people sentenced to death.

Kilcronagh Old Church, outside Tobermore, was featured in a recent video by TikToker Corvus Celticus, who explores the darkest corners of Northern Ireland’s history.

In the clip, he says: “Those condemned to die were brought here, not to a prison yard, not to a purpose-built gallows, not even to some distant place, but to the front door of a church.

“Over that church door, there was once a stone that projected out from the wall, a hanging stone.

“It even had a groove cut into it so the rope would not slip during an ex*****on.”

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2cpmnhnf

25/10/2026

Life Among the Headstones 🐦‍⬛🌿

I've been a little quiet since my last video, although the work continues behind the scenes. I never claimed to have the most consistent page on Facebook! 😂

With the wild weather we've had, I've spent part of this morning looking back through photographs I've taken over the years, and they've reminded me of two things I've always had a tremendous love for: exploring old graveyards and spending time among animals and the natural world.

At first glance, they might seem like two very different interests, but I've found that they complement each other rather wonderfully.

Whenever I visit an old churchyard, I'm naturally drawn to its history. The weathered headstones, the stories of those buried there, the architecture and the sense of time having passed. But I'm equally fascinated by the wildlife that calls these places home.

A curious robin watching from a gravestone can hold my attention just as easily as an inscription that's survived for centuries. I've spent countless moments watching squirrels dart between the trees, rabbits appearing among the graves, and crows surveying their surroundings from the ruins of an old church.

Even the surrounding countryside has its own charm. There's something particularly lovely about standing in an ancient burial ground, surrounded by centuries of history, while cattle graze peacefully in the neighbouring fields, completely unconcerned by the significance of the place beside them.

And sometimes it's the smallest encounters that stay with me. I remember discovering ladybirds tucked against the iron railings of a 19th-century grave, finding shelter and a place to hibernate amid the frost and snow. It's a photograph I've always been particularly fond of.

Looking through these pictures, I realised just how often I've gone somewhere intending to photograph an old graveyard and returned home with as many photographs of animals as of headstones!

I've chosen a few of those photographs to share here. They're perhaps a little different from the darker history I usually explore, but they're just as representative of the things I love.

For me, old graveyards are much more than places associated with death. They're places of history, remembrance, tranquillity and, perhaps surprisingly to some, an incredible amount of life.

I suppose that's what I've always loved about them. You can go looking for the stories of those who are gone and find yourself equally captivated by the life carrying on all around them. 🐦‍⬛🌿

10/10/2026

Ever heard the old warning about not picking blackberries after October 10th? 🍂

Today is Old Michaelmas Day, and according to an old Irish folk belief, it's the day Satan fell from Heaven and landed in a blackberry bush after being cast out by Saint Michael.

Apparently, he wasn't too pleased with where he landed, and cursed the blackberries in his anger!

And when you think about it, by this time of year the blackberries are usually past their best anyway. Maybe our ancestors just found a much more interesting way of telling us to leave them alone! 😈

Did your family warn you never to pick blackberries after this date, or is this an old superstition you've never heard of? 👀

13/09/2026

Hidden History Around Maghera | County Derry | Dolmens, Sweathouses, Saints & Executions

Almost 6,000 years of history - all within a relatively small corner of South Derry.

In this episode of Ulster’s Grave Secrets (my first propper YouTube video), I’m exploring four remarkable historic sites around Maghera, from prehistoric burial and traditional folk healing to early Christianity, rebellion and stories of ex*****on.

We begin at Tirnony Dolmen, a Neolithic portal tomb dating back thousands of years, before travelling to the hidden Tirkane Sweathouse - a traditional Irish heat bath associated with old folk treatments and healing practices.

From there, we head into Maghera to explore St Lurach’s Old Church, an ancient Christian site with connections to Viking raids, medieval bishops and centuries of religious history.

St Lurach’s also carries some fascinating later stories, including the traditions surrounding the saint himself, the tale of a silver crucifix reportedly discovered in his grave and later stolen, and Maghera’s connections with the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

Among those stories are Watty Graham, a local figure associated with the United Irishmen, and William Cudy (also recorded as Cuddy) whose extraordinary story remains one of the most intriguing local stories connected with the rebellion and its aftermath.

Our final stop is Kilcronaghan Old Church, where nineteenth-century accounts preserved a much darker story - that condemned prisoners were once brought to the church to be executed.

📍 LOCATIONS FEATURED

Tirnony Dolmen
Tirkane Sweathouse
St Lurach’s Old Church, Maghera
Kilcronaghan Old Church

Four places. Thousands of years of history. And all of them hiding in plain sight around County Derry.

If you enjoy Irish history, old graveyards, ancient churches, folklore and the lesser-known stories of Northern Ireland, follow Corvus Celticus for more episodes of Ulster’s Grave Secrets.