Newgrange (Sí an Bhrú)

Last weekend, I went to Newgrange in County Meath with Judith, Sam, and David (who I met in 

David, Me, Judith, Sam behind the entrance stone.

Paris a few weeks back). It is a megalithic passage tomb which is part of the Brú na Bóinne complex (includes 2 other mounds: Knowth and Dowth) and built around the year 3000 BC by native sedentary agricultural peoples over an estimated 30 years.

A study of its architectural layout, led by archaeologist M.J. O'Kelly, discovered     that     a     number     of

Reconstruction of Native camp

intricacies exist in the construction method, which included things such as 'air-ducts'. None of the giant stones used to create the monument were quarried and thus, most of the them are believed to have been carried many kilometers to reach the location they are in now, which is quite a feat considering this monument has been deemed to be 500 years older than the Great Pyramids, and up to 1000 years older than Stonehenge! The stones have all been lain to create an inner passageway in the shape of a cross, which stretches 20 meters, and rises up by a total of 2 meters, from the entrance stone.

Sketch of the inner passage

Triskele motif

We were told that the roof of the large central chamber is called a corbelled vault, which means that each overlying row of stones is slightly offset to project further in towards the center until the remaining space is small enough to cap with a flat stone. In this monument, there is no mortar and smaller stones were used to wedge the larger ones into place. Another special element included in the clever design is the fact that the stones forming the roof were placed at a bit of an angle (higher end in towards the center of the chamber) such that all moisture percolating through the soil overlaying them would be drawn out towards the edges of the mound, leaving the inside of the monument nice and dry... at least from an Irish climactic standpoint. Overall, the true purpose of the monument, and the intricate carvings that have been found around and within it, are anyone's guess, but one element is certain, and people are said to come from all around the world to  witness this phenomenon.

The entrance to the inner passage is placed at the south-eastern side of the monument and contains what is called a roof box, or hole just above the door. As a result of the gently upwards slope of the inner passage and the precise positioning of the door, a few days a year, around the Winter Solstice, the rising sun shines directly into the central chamber and illuminates the floor for about 17 minutes! Professor O'Kelly was the first person in modern times to witness the event back in 1967, and concluded that this phenomena was certainly not a coincidence. Nowadays, people come from all over the world to attempt to see this event first hand, but the guide said it is more of a gamble than anything else as, most days, the sun is not even visible, which comes as no surprise given that we are in Ireland! Suffice to say, we are nowhere near the Winter Solstice and so we did not get to witness it, but the tour guide did turn off the lights and skillfully simulate what the rising sun looks like when it shines onto the inner chamber floor with a flashlight! It was no rising sun, but it was still fairly magical!

Newgrange  is  quite  an  interesting  monument  to  visit  and  certainly  gave  us  a  striking  view of the Irish countryside. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the passage chamber, so if you want to experience the  'rising sun'  entering  Newgrange, you'll simply have to make your way  over  to  Ireland  and I  certainly recommend it!

Taking a stroll around the mound