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Newgrange
Newgrange
was constructed over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.), making it older than
Stonehenge in England and the
Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Newgrange was built during the Neolithic or New
Stone Age by a farming community that prospered on the rich lands of the Boyne Valley.
Knowth and
Dowth are similar mounds that
together with Newgrange have been designated a World Heritage Site by
UNESCO.
Archaeologists classified Newgrange as a passage tomb, however Newgrange is now recognised to be much more than a passage tomb. Ancient Temple is a more fitting classification, a place of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as present day cathedrals are places of prestige and worship where dignitaries may be laid to rest.
Newgrange is a large kidney shaped mound covering an area of over one acre, retained at the base by 97 kerbstones, some of which are richly decorated with megalithic art. The 19 metre long inner passage leads to a cruciform chamber with a corbelled roof. The amount of time and labour invested in construction of Newgrange suggests a well-organized society with specialised groups responsible for different aspects of construction.
Newgrange is part of a complex of monuments built along a bend of the River Boyne known collectively as Brú na Bóinne. The other two principal monuments are Knowth (the largest) and Dowth, but throughout the region there are as many as 35 smaller mounds.
Visitor Information
Visitor access to Newgrange is only by guided tour from the
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre on the
south side of the river Boyne. Newgrange
is on the north side of the river Boyne, visitors cross the river by pedestrian
bridge and take a shuttle bus to Newgrange. There is no direct public access to
Newgrange by road, except for mornings around the
Winter Solstice, so if using Satellite Navigation, your destination is Brú
na Bóinne Visitor Centre.
- Opening Times and Admission charges.
- Directions to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.
- Accommodation in the Boyne Valley and surrounding area.
- Day Tours of Co. Meath including Newgrange and Knowth.
Winter Solstice
Newgrange
is best known for the illumination of its passage and chamber by the
winter solstice sun. Above the entrance to the
passage at Newgrange there is a opening called a roof-box. This baffling orifice
held a great surprise for those who unearthed it. Its purpose is to allow
sunlight to penetrate the chamber on the shortest days of the year, around
December 21, the winter solstice.
At dawn, from December 19th to 23rd, a narrow beam of light penetrates the roof-box and reaches the floor of the chamber, gradually extending to the rear of the chamber. As the sun rises higher, the beam widens within the chamber so that the whole room becomes dramatically illuminated. This event lasts for 17 minutes, beginning around 9am.
Newgrange's accuracy as a time-telling device is remarkable when one considers that it was built 500 years before the Great Pyramids and more than 1,000 years before Stonehenge. The intent of its builders was undoubtedly to mark the beginning of the new year. In addition, it may have served as a powerful symbol of the victory of life over death.
Each year the winter solstice event attracts much attention at Newgrange. Many gather at the ancient tomb to wait for dawn, as people did 5,000 years ago. So great is the demand to be one of the few inside the chamber during the solstice that there is a free annual lottery (application forms are available at the Visitor Centre). Unfortunately, as with many Irish events that depend upon sunshine, if the skies are overcast, there is not much to be seen. Yet all agree that it is an extraordinary feeling to wait in the darkness, as people did so long ago, for the longest night of the year to end.
Lightbox Project
Niall
Martin from the Nationwide RTE TV programme conceived a project to re-create the
Newgrange lightbox, passage and chamber at the Winter Solstice. The Lightbox is
an opening above the entrance to Newgrange, Archaeologists refer to it as a
roofbox. The Lightbox and passage are aligned to direct the light from the
rising sun around the Winter Solstice down the passage and light up the main
chamber.
In consultation with Clare Tuffy the manager at Brú na Bóinne, it was agreed to build the Newgrange replica on December 16th on the actual Newgrange site and leave it there until the morning of December 18th. So there were 2 chances to film the lightbox in action on the mornings of the 17th & 18th of December. More ...
Newgrange Coin Set
The Central Bank of Ireland have issued a Newgrange Coin Set. Newgrange is the theme for the 2008 uncirculated Coin Set, the sixth and final mint set in the 'Heritage of Ireland' series. The set was officially launched on 21st December 2007 following the Winter Solstice at Newgrange. The cost of the Newgrange Coin Set is €24 plus postage. More...Newgrange Resources
- A Passage to the Afterworld - the story of New Grange.
- Description of Newgrange - by Claire O'Kelly who worked on the excavation of Newgrange.
- Newgrange in summary.
- Newgrange Images, Aerial Images and more Aerial Images.
- Prof. Michael J. O'Kelly who excavated and restored Newgrange.
- Newgrange Excavation Report Critique - by Alan Marshall.
- 1837 Map showing Newgrange and Knowth.
- Newgrange Tumulus from Wakeman's handbook of Irish antiquities.
