DAY 99-100: Newgrange

Me in front of Newgrange!

Oliver told us that one of the best things to see near Navan is a place called Newgrange. Apparently, it is one of the oldest man made structures in the world. So Oliver drove us about 40 minutes to the Newgrange land and museum which was located near Drogheda.

FUN FACT #65: Newgrange was built around 3200 BC making it older than both the Pyramids and Stonehenge. The site is essentially a large mound with a retaining wall around it along with large 2 ton rocks with ancient carvings on them. Newgrange is the largest of three such mounds; the other two being called Knowth and Dowth. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When we arrived, we walked around the museum for a bit until it was our turn to go on the tour. The museum was very interesting as Lizzy and I learned about people's lives at that point in time. When it was our turn to go on the tour, we crossed the Boyne on this huge foot bridge to get to the bus station. The bus took us to the hill that Newgrange rests upon.

FUN FACT #66: It was first discovered in 1605 when a local farmer was attempting to dig up a large mound on his property to use the rocks within. Over the centuries, dirt and vegetation had overgrown Newgrange to make it invisible to people. Newgrange has since been explored by archeologists and historians for many years and is now widely accepted as having been a crypt and/or a religious building. Human bones have been found within.

FUN FACT #67: What makes Newgrange so special is not only how old it is, but its astrological accuracy. There are two entrances to the mound. On the shortest day of the year, December 21st, the Winter Solstice, the sun rises and shined directly through the entrance hole. When it sets, it shines through the rear exit. This was first seen by an archeologist in 1968. Imagine being the guy who first saw that happen!

So Lizzy and I waited and listened to all of this information from the tour guide, along with some information about the artwork on the large megalithic stones in front. We then were led inside! It was a pretty long tunnel that was rather short- I had to duck quite a bit, I can only imagine how crouched Lizzy was...

When we got to the center chamber, lights had been installed for us to see. There were a few side chambers with some more spiral artwork. Above our heads was a huge ceiling that was built upwards by rocks that reminded me a bit of a cone. The tour guide explained that in this building's 5,000 year history the roof had never leaked. So. Cool.

The tour guide then shut off the lights and did a simulation of the Winter Solstice sun with a mechanical light that shone through the window and down the passage to the central chamber. I kind of felt like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark when he uses the sun to shine through Staff of Ra on the miniature display of the city of Tanis to find the Ark of the Covenant. (I know, I'm a dork, leave me alone...)

FUN FACT #68: The rocks used to build Newgrange were not from the area. They were brought to Newgrange from another part of Ireland about 20 kilometers away.  Historians think that the rocks were strapped to the underside of rafts while the tide was out. When the tide returned, the rocks were able to float down the Boyne to the area where Newgrange resides. What the scientists and historians cannot figure out, however, is how the hell they were able to get these 5 ton rocks up to the top of the hill.

Some horsies we saw on our walk!

Cattle Crossing!!

Anyway, we were able to walk around this giant mound of rock and look off it down on the Boyne. Unfortunately, it was a rather cloudy day, but the magnificence of this place was not diminished.

On Sunday, we spent most of the day relaxing at the B&B. We went for a very long walk around the area with Jake the Dog which ended up being incredibly beautiful. On our way home, we were stopped by a cattle crossing the stone bridge in front of the entrance to The Mill. They were all baby cows and so cute!!