The quartz front
A wall of white cobbles at the entrance.
Allie_Caulfield — CC BY 2.0 · Allie_Caulfield — CC BY 2.0 · Jean Housen — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allie_Caulfield — CC BY 2.0 · Allie_Caulfield — CC BY 2.0 · Allie_Caulfield — CC BY 2.0
Newgrange is a huge Neolithic passage tomb on a rise above the River Boyne in County Meath. Built around 3100 BC, it is older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, and it is the main monument of the Brú na Bóinne complex, a World Heritage Site that also includes the tombs of Knowth and Dowth. Its first use lasted around 1,000 years, after which it slowly fell into ruin. Irish mythology describes it as a dwelling of ancient deities, which belongs to folklore and not to recorded history. Antiquarians began studying it in the seventeenth century, and the archaeologist Michael O'Kelly led the largest excavations from 1962 to 1975. He also rebuilt the front, a reconstruction that specialists still argue about. The round mound is 85 metres wide and 12 metres high, made of about 200,000 tonnes of material. It faces you with a wall of white quartz cobbles, ringed by large stones carved with spirals. Inside, a stone passage leads to a cross-shaped chamber. On the winter solstice the rising sun shines through an opening above the entrance and floods the chamber with light. The site is 6.7 km in a straight line west of Drogheda and 40.2 km north of Dublin. You cannot walk straight in: visits start at the visitor centre, then a shuttle bus and guided tour. Pre-booking is essential and tickets are very limited, so book only on the official site. The passage is narrow and low, so take care if you dislike tight spaces.
A wall of white cobbles at the entrance.
Spirals around the mound.
A stone passage to a cross-shaped room.
Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, Donore, near Drogheda, County Meath
Entry that day is very limited, while ordinary tours explain the event inside the chamber.
No, the visit starts at the visitor centre, then by shuttle bus with a guide.