Newgrange is an ancient gravesite one hour north of Dublin. The complex of Newgrange was originally built about 3200BC, making it over 5,000 years old. According to the information at the visitor center, carbon-14 dates it at about five hundred years older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. It is a large flat mound covered with grass and surrounded by multiple-ton flat boulders shaped like almonds.
The huge stones are decorated with carved swirling patterns, some clockwise, some counterclockwise.
One theory of the significance is that the solstice divides the rising and lowering of the sun as the length of daytime changes direction. Prehistoric people constructed this tomb so that an opening on the side is precisely positioned to allow light to enter during the winter solstice. The tomb is open to visitors only via guided tour. Newgrange is in an area along the Bóinne River called Brú na Bóinne. Upon arriving at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Center, you can buy a ticket for a tour at an assigned time. The tour starts with a bus ride along the river bank and up to the tomb area. While waiting your turn to enter the tomb, the guide points out that the multiton rocks are made of stone far from the region, probably having been floated on wooden barges down the river and moved up the hill by log rollers to the tomb site.
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| Bru na Boinne River |
Guides lead you through the narrow dark passageway into the center of the tomb, where the ceiling opens up to a height of 36 feet or so. The guide uses flashlights to simulate the sun's rays so that tourists can experience the crescendo of golden light as it goes from total darkness to a wash of warm yellow glow. About 25 people at a time can fit in the tomb enclosure, spending about 10 minutes inside, hearing an explanation of sophisticated engineering of the waterproof stone mound and the ancient peoples' advanced understanding of the sun. The National Trust that manages Newgrange sponsors a lottery for 50 people to win the right to be in the tomb at sunrise on the solstice. 30,000 people tried for a spot in 2012. Entry blanks are provided at the end of the tour.
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| Entrance to the tomb; Guide holding umbrella, reminding a visitor to mind his head |