Newgrange



Newgrange side view



We awoke to another spectacular day in Dublin. Today we were off to Brù na Bóinne to visit Newgrange. Newgrange is one of several neolithic passage tombs. In the distance they look like perferctly rounded hills. The facade of Newgrange (the only one whose exterior has been restored) is made up of white quartz stone that is illuminated when the sun rises. The rest of the mound is grassed over - except for the bottom, which is ringed with 97 greywacky stones (a type of sandstone), each at least 2m long and 1.5m high.
The entrance, which also faces the rising sun has before it an impressive entrance stone that is over 3 metres long and 1.5 meters high. It is covered in carved swirls. Above the entrance is the roof box - it looks almost as big as the entrance, but there is no access to it.

We had to stoop to go through the passage and it was noticeably cooler inside. After walking in only short way, 19m, we arrived at the central burial chamber which had a very high ceiling and 3 alcoves: two on either side of the passage and one directly in front of the passageway. The chamber was rather small and only 15 people were  allowed in at a time.

The last time that humans had used this site for it's intended purpose was over 5000 years ago, it pre-dates the pyramids and Stonehenge. The walls had geometric carvings and tri-swirls which the archeologist figure symbolises Birth, Death, and Re-birth or the afterlife.

Then the guide turned out the lights. It was pitch black. She explained that during the winter solstice, the shortest days and longest nights, the rising sun did more than just illuminate the front of the facade.

Slowly, on the floor in front of us, appeared a sliver of light. It grew until it became a single bright beam that shone straight into the central alcove. This is the purpose of the roof box. The guide explained to us that they only had paltry electric light to simulate the experience, but the true sunlight that shone on those few mornings was a spectacular golden light that penetrated the darkness and managed to light up the entire chamber.

This is truly a remarkable place, built by the first inhabitants of Ireland. How they managed to build sites such as this is mind boggling. Stats to consider: The quartz that is used in the facade came from the Wicklow mountains some 50km south of the site and the greywacky came some 40km north of the site. The life expectancy of these people was about 50 and they calculate that it would have taken them up to 60 years to build - generations.