Dublin Day Trip To Newgrange

North of Dublin, lies a group of mysterious burial mounds, some of which are 500 years older than the pyramids of Giza. Thought to be entrances to the Fairy realm, a visit to Brú na Bóinne IS entering an enchanting world...of the past.

More Burial Mounds In Farmer's Fields

In a lush and tranquil green valley 48 km (30 miles) north of Ireland's bustling capital city Dublin, lies one of Irelands two UNESCO World Heritage Sites:  Brú na Bóinne.  Ireland's other incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site that I visit is Skellig Michael on the rugged West Coast.  The name Brú na Bóinne means "dwelling place of the Boyne" in Irish, after the first people that settled here along the Boyne River over 5,000 years ago.  Brú na Bóinne consists of a modern state-of-the-art museum/visitor centre and two massive passage tombs: Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth.  These passage tombs were built in the Neolithic age by the pre-Celtic indigenous people that the Celtic people called the Tuatha Dé Danaan or "The People of The Goddess Danu." The Celts believed the Tuatha Dé Danaan were a supernatural race of people that simply disappeared into the "Fairy Mounds" and live in another realm.  There is so much mystery surrounding these ancient pre-Celtic people!

Entrance To Visitor Centre

If you are heading to this historic site, there are a few things to note.  1. It gets hectic during July and August so try to arrive at the visitor centre before 10:00 am to avoid long lines.  2. You can not visit the tombs on your own, you must be a part of the formal tour group from the Visitor Centre.  3. Newgrange is open year-round, and Knowth is only open May-October.  So if you want to see both passage tombs, you must go during the warmer months.  Dowth is known as "The Fairy Mound of Darkness" and is aligned to the Winter Solstice sunset.  You can see the mound of Dowth by going directly to the site, but there is no public access to the tomb.  There has been an active areological dig there in the past year when in July 2018 a passage tomb was discovered in nearby Dowth Hall possibly connecting it to Dowth mound.


We arrived first thing in the morning before the Visitor Centre opened-and yes, there was already a line-up!  Once we got inside and purchased our tickets we had to wait a half hour for our shuttle bus, so we headed downstairs to the reasonably priced cafeteria for coffee and breakfast. Perfect.

THE VISITOR CENTRE IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED FROM MARCH 28TH 2019, FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS FOR RENOVATIONS.  THE TOMBS TOURS ARE STILL RUNNING FROM THE PARKING LOT.

Newgrange

Entrance To Newgrange

The Brú na Bóinne visitor centre is open 9am to 7pm in the summer months.  When you arrive at the visitor centre purchase your ticket for the tomb site of your choice; either Newgrange or Knowth (rhymes with South).  Newgrange is €7, Knowth is €6, both are €13, and just the visitor centre is €4.  When you purchase your ticket, you are assigned a time to board a shuttle bus that takes you to your selected passage tomb.  The shuttle bus takes about 15 minutes to drive out to the site, where an archeologist will then meet you and give you a 30-minute guided tour explaining the significance of the ancient burial mound.  For up to date information on the prices and times of tours visit the government website:  http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlands-eastcoast/brunaboinnevisitorcentre/

So, you may be asking what is the difference between the two tombs; Newgrange and Knowth? 

More Structures at Newgrange

Newgrange is older than Knowth and is aligned to the sunrise on Winter Solstice (December 21).  It dates from 3200 BCE, and you are allowed inside the central chamber with your tour guide. WARNING:  If you are at all claustrophobic you do NOT want to enter the burial mound!!    It's a tight squeeze down an 18 meter (60 foot) passageway into the central chamber.  Once everyone is inside the main womb-like cavity, there is a demonstration of how the Winter Solstice sunlight enters the sacred room through the roofbox above the entrance door.  The guide warns you that the lights will go out, and then you are in absolute darkness with 200,000 tons of dirt and stone above you!  Watching the sunlight slowly crawl towards the central ritual chamber to where the ancestral bones were kept was such a visceral experience that it actually moved me to tears!  The thought of experiencing this ritual like people did 5,000 years ago gave me a feeling of connection to the people and the land of the Boyne Valley.  

The OPW holds a yearly Winter Solstice Tour Lottery into Newgrange from December 18- 23, where a few lucky participants can witness the Winter Solstice sunrise at 8:58 am from inside the ritual chamber.  for more information on how to enter the Lottery see the OPW website here: http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/en/bru-na-boinne/winter-solstice/

Kerbstone With Geometric Patterns

Knowth is also a very impressive necropolis with it's superior geometrically carved kerbstones and passage tomb.  There are two entrances, one East and one West that are is aligned to the sunrise on the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes.  Unfortunately, you can not enter the actual burial mound, but there is a room built into the tomb where there is a cutaway so you can see into the passageway. You can also see how the mound was constructed with layers of rock and dirt that withstood 5000 years of the Irish elements.  

Willow Fencing

If you only have time (or patience) to see one of the Neolithic sites of Brú na Bóinne, then I would recommend NEWGRANGE.  Even if the line up to Newgrange is longer, the visit inside the passage chamber was phenomenal. But, if you are not interested in going inside a passage tomb, then Knowth would be a better choice to visit.

For more history on Brú na Bóinne visit the government website: http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/ 
or check out this fantastic website for everything you need need to know to explore this area: https://www.knowth.com/

There is a concentration of rich history to explore in the Boyne Valley beyond Newgrange such as The Hill of Tara, Monasterboice and Trim Castle just to name a few.  Having your own vehicle to discover the area would be ideal.  Otherwise, there are many tours of the Boyne Valley including Newgrange, that depart from Dublin each morning.  Check out boynevalleytours.com   they come highly recommended.

Have you visited Brú na Bóinne?  What passage tomb did you prefer; Newgrange, Dowth or Knowth?  Let me know in the comments below.

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