Newgrange

Visiting Ireland warrants a trip to Newgrange. The day we landed in Dublin, as soon as we secured our rental car, we made a bee line for Newgrange. 27 miles north we arrived at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.

Newgrange is a passage tomb, much like what we saw in Jersey. It has been dated back to the Neolithic Period, being built around 3200 BC. That means it predates Stonehenge and the Pyramids in Egypt.

There are a couple of other mounds in the area called Knowth and Dowth, but they weren’t part of the tour and haven’t been restored to the same level as Newgrange.

Under the mound is a chamber ringed by stones that were moved from many miles away. Above the entrance is an opening called a roofbox, which is positioned so that it allows sunlight at four minutes after dawn on Winter Solstice to light up the chamber for about 17 minutes. 5000 years ago it entered at first light. I will be forever amazed that ancient people were capable of designing something like that.

When our tour time arrived we boarded a bus and crossed the River Boyne for our tour.

Crossing the River Boyne on the tour bus

Walking up to the mound it’s obvious the site has been restored to some degree. It had been entered from time to time based on artifacts that have been found by archaeologists, but it wasn’t until 1882 that it had come under the protection of the UK.

Somehow the Neolithic builders transported all the massive stones up the hill from the river.

We were escorted into the chamber while the guide turned off the lights and showed us a fake solstice experience. She described the lottery that 20 lucky couples win each year to experience it for real. Sounds like it would be fun.

~ Freddy