For me it is frankly inconceivable that tourists to Ireland would pass up the chance to visit Brú na Bóinne, County Meath. Encompassing Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, it clearly reflects the pinnacle of Neolithic and Celtic architectural and cultural development. Tourists choosing South Armagh/Mournes as their destination should take this day trip, a journey of little more than half an hour.

The photograph shows the winter solstice sun penetrating the ‘roof hole’ at Newgrange where the first rays penetrate deep within to the very basin stone that was the last resting place of the great leaders of that ancient society. The great mound covers a single tomb consisting of a long passage and a cross-shaped chamber. At 5,000 years old its construction pre-dates the pyramids of Egypt. 

The Guided Tour brings you also to the nearby Knowth and Dowth. At Knowth for example, within the mound a specially-designed room allows visitors to see down the eastern passage. The room’s main focus is a huge ditch built in the early Christian era. There are many souterrains and the surviving foundations of an Early Christian house. There are of course, examples of Neolithic artwork. Ceremony and settlement existed at Brú na Bóinne both before, and long after the Neolithic period. At ground level, a reconstruction of a Timber Circle originally built c. 2,500 B.C. dominates the eastern side of the site. 

This is a ‘must see’ for any visitor to Ireland!!

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