BRÚ NA BÓINNE – NEWGRANGE
Neolithic site of the Boyne Valley
The legend of the Boyne River tells of a Celtic goddess
named Bóann,
the wife of an ancient king, who peered into a forbidden magical well
of wisdom. The well burst forth and drowned her, rushing to the sea
to become a river. It is not claimed the goddess and her royal husband
lived at Brú na Bóinne – the Palace of the Boyne,
but the people who told of the legend were buried there. Named as a
UNESCO world heritage site in 1993, the sprawling collection of stone
works and burial tunnels in County Meath is one of the most important
and complete megalithic society sites in Europe.
Sometimes
referred as Newgrange, which is actually only the largest of the
tombs and passage tunnels, the site dates
back before the Egyptian
pyramids, around 5,000 years, with the principal chambers built around
3,200 year ago. Despite the Gaelic name of “palace”, the
Bru Na Boyne sites were not the homes of the living but the remnants
of the dead. The passage tombs are formed of a central burial chamber
reached by a long straight passage lined with decorated stones, deep
within a vast earth mound known as a cairn. The cairns are mostly set
on hilltops and grouped in cemeteries. The complex is decorated by
almost 700 carved stones, mostly of distinctive spiral designs unique
to the site. The most famous stone is the one marking the entrance
to the New Grange.
They were built by an agrarian society who possessed knowledge of
engineering, geology, art and astronomy. At dawn on the morning of
the winter solstice the main chamber at New Grange is lit by a beam
of sunlight for 17 minutes. Older than Stonehenge (see Stonehenge Mystery Wiltshire), it is thought to
be the oldest existing aligned structure in the world. A second mound
tomb called Knowth is thought to be aligned to the equinox. The third
main chamber site is Dowth. The sites were inhabited through the Iron
Age and into the early medieval age, by those who did not build them,
but found them. It did become a palace for a time under a the King
of Brega in the early Christian period
Visiting Bu Na Boinne
The
actual sites can only be reached through a shuttle bus tour from
the visitor’s center located near the village
of Donore and not far from Drogheda. The tours take from 2 hours
to 3 hours, depending
on how many of the sites are included, but plan on spending another
hour waiting for the start time, even more at high summer season. The
site can get very busy. The Bu Na Boine Visitor Center is worth a visit
in itself, taking about an hour to explore, with exhibits of life and
death in the Neolithic age, ideas of construction of the megaliths,
and a full size replica of the central Newgrange Chamber.
The
Bru Na Boinne Visitors Center is open daily 9:30 am to 5:30 pm February-April,
9 am to 6:30 pm in May, 9am to 7pm
June to September,
9:30 to 5:30 in October and 9 am to 5 pm November to January. Admission
prices depend on the tours taken. The last tour departs an hour and
45 minutes before closing, so allow plenty of time, a good half day
to really see the site. For the Visitors Center only, entrance
is €3
for adults 2€ students
and seniors. Including Newgrange is €6 for adults €5 seniors
and €3
students and children. A visit included the visitor’s center
and both Newgrange and Knowth is €11 for adults €8 seniors
and €6
students/children. Family tickets are available. A visit to Newgrange
and the Bru Na Boinne
site can be combined with the nearby sacred site and the seat of pre-Christian
kings, the Hill of Tara (see Hill
of Tara - Sacred Seat of Kings)
and the location of the Battle of the Boyne (see Battle
of the Boyne Monument). Coach Tours from Dublin are offered
through Bus
Eireann and other companies. © Bargain
Travel Europe
Find best travel deals in County Meath on TripAdvisor
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Info
Bru
Na Boyne Heritage Ireland
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SEE ALSO:
TRIM
CASTLE – COUNTY MEATH
TRINITY
COLLEGE LIBRAR BOOK OF KELLS
US PRESIDENTS IRISH ROOTS
