Ullapool, Ross-shire, Highlands, Scotland

Carrbridge, Badenoch and Strathspey, Scotland

This weekend in 1872, Arthur Griffith, Irish nationalist founder of Sinn Féin and co-signatory of Anglo-Irish treaty, is born in Dublin.

Griffith, on setting up Sinn Féin, declared it a 'King, Lords & Commons Party'- one aim being the restoration of Gaelic monarchy in Ireland.

A United Ireland could best be achieved via the adoption of monarchy as the ruling political principle, according to Arthur Griffith:

Griffith at his moment of victory, Mansion House 1921. "We declare that Ireland has never yielded, but has ever fought against foreign rule"

Arthur Griffith long advocated a 'two-kingdom solution' for Ireland: a dual, Anglo-Irish monarchy similar to that of Austria-Hungary.

For Griffith, democratic politics leads to ideological extremism & control of the state by anti-national forces. The king is a safeguard.

Prince Joachim (Prussia), youngest son of the German Kaiser, prime candidate for both Padraig Pearse & Joseph Plunkett to take the throne of Ireland post-1916 & help re-establish a Gaelicised monarchy

Tolkien tells us how 'nazg' - the word for 'ring' in the Black Speech, is most probably derived from the Irish word 'nasc'.

Tolkien's 126th birthday anniversary this year.

Flaming eyes are widely found in Celtic artwork - hidden faces with staring eyes that magically guard & watch, or that envelop enemies in fire.

Did Celtic flaming-eye artwork inspire Tolkien's Middle Earth?

There are striking similarities in literature and imagery:

Poll na gollum ('Hole of Gollum') in the Burren, Ireland.

The cave may well be the source of inspiration for Tolkien's character.

J.R.R. Tolkien's first visit to Ireland was in 1949 as an Examiner at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Though very fond of the West of Ireland, he wrote: "I find both Gaelic and the air of Ireland wholly alien – though the latter (not the language) is attractive."