Aran Islands
Blarney Stone
Cliffs of Moher
Dingle Peninsula
Newgrange
Ring of Kerry
Rock of
Cashel
Skellig Michael
Trinity College Library
Ireland wonder map
Ireland guide - Home page
Honorable mentions
Irish castles photo gallery
Lyrics to famous Irish songs
Irish cuisine
Site map
About me and my credentials
About my website
Reader testimonials
Email me your opinion
Newgrange is a major Neolithic site built around 3200 BC and was designed to document the winter solstice. This large, grass-covered circular mound predates the Great Pyramids of Egypt by a half millennium.
Entrance requirementThe site attracts 200,000 visitors per year. Access is by group tour only. After you buy your ticket at the nearby visitors center, your assigned group is bussed to the site.
Winter solsticeOnce a year, on December 21st (shortest day of the year), the inner passage is lined up perfectly with the rising sun.
At
dawn, for 17 minutes, a sunbeam passes through the inner passage and illuminates
the central chamber's floor.About
100 people (out of nearly 30,000 applicants) are selected each year by lottery
to witness the solar-alignment event.It
is reenacted throughout the year by artificial light for all group tours.MeasurementsNewgrange is
approximately 80 meters (250 feet) wide and 12 meters (40 feet) high.The
arched roof of the central chamber is 6 meters (20 feet) high and the narrow
inner passage leading to it is 18 meters (60 feet) long.Megalithic
artworkAn intriguing triple-spiral design is etched into a stone in the chamber as well as on the large stone at the outdoor entrance. No one knows for sure the symbol's meaning.
Stonehenge comparisonAlthough most archaeologists believe that Stonehenge in England is a more significant Neolithic site than Newgrange, some disagree.
TidbitsNewgrange
lay forgotten by man for thousands of years. It wasn't discovered until 1699 -
and serious excavation and restoration did not begin until 1962.A
white stone foundation wall covers part of the site's surface. Some
archaeologists believe that the 20th-century restorers should not have put on that
wall because - they argue - the stones may have been used for a different purpose.
sponsored ad
Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides
Click links for tips & insights
NATION / REGION |
| CRUISE GUIDES | SPECIAL TOPICS | OTHER TIPS & INSIGHTS |
| ||||
| MORE | ||||
|
| |||
|
|
| ||
|
|
|
|
©2010 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications
