Newgrange Kerbstone K96

It is one of the 97 kerbstones numbered in Professor Michael J. O'Kelly's record of the monument. Walking counter-clockwise from the entrance stone (K1), K96 is two stones away from the entrance. This stone stands on the entrance-side kerb immediately east of the passage mouth, near the entrance stone (K1) and Kerbstone K95.

Newgrange Kerbstone K96

Plan of Newgrange Mound adapted from Newgrange - Archaeology, Art and Legend

Newgrange – Archaeology, Art and Legend

Newgrange – Archaeology, Art and Legend by Professor Michael J. O'Kelly and Claire O'Kelly is the definitive archaeological study of Newgrange and one of the most important books ever published on an Irish prehistoric monument.

Based on Professor Michael J. O'Kelly's excavations between 1962 and 1975, the book explains the construction, chronology, megalithic art and winter solstice alignment of Newgrange. O'Kelly also describes the excavation, interpretation and restoration of the great passage tomb using detailed archaeological records and architectural analysis.

Richly illustrated throughout, the volume includes the important contribution of Claire O'Kelly, who collaborated closely in the excavation and recording of the site from its earliest seasons.

First published in 1982, with a paperback edition in 1988, the book remains an essential reference for anyone interested in the archaeology, megalithic art and wider significance of Newgrange and the Boyne Valley.

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Newgrange | Brú na Bóinne

Newgrange is one of Europe's most important prehistoric monuments. Located in the heart of the Boyne Valley, it forms part of the Brú na Bóinne archaeological landscape, one of the finest surviving Neolithic complexes in the world. Built around 3200 BC, it is a great circular passage tomb with a cruciform chamber beneath a mound over 80 metres in diameter.

The monument is internationally renowned for its winter solstice alignment. On mornings around the shortest days of the year, the rising sun enters through the roof-box above the entrance and sends a beam of light along the 19-metre passage into the inner chamber, demonstrating the astronomical knowledge of its Neolithic builders.

Brú na Bóinne includes Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, together with dozens of smaller monuments. The area was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 in recognition of its outstanding concentration of prehistoric architecture.

Encircling the base of Newgrange is a ring of 97 massive kerbstones of greywacke, quarried near Clogher Head and dragged to the site more than 5,000 years ago. Many bear megalithic art; together with the decorated kerb at nearby Knowth, they form one of the richest collections of prehistoric stone carving in Atlantic Europe.