Don't expect too much spirituality here. Newgrange is a spectacular structure, now rebuilt and turned into a major (fee paying ... grrrr) tourist attraction. My first impressions where "WOW! What an amazing thing". The problem is, though, the fact that you have to go there via the visitor center and on an organised tour of the site. The guides are well informed, well meaning sorts and after all only doing a job, but you are not allowed to experience the site for yourself. Only 50 or so people are allowed there at once (a good thing) and they split the party into two halves to enter the passage itself. Once in the cruciform chamber you are told about the building methods used in constructing it and about the finds that were made during excavation. You are then 'treated' to a simulation of the sunrise through the roof box on Winter solstice. This, by their own admission, is a poor substitute for the real thing. The passage and chamber are beautifully decorated with spirals and lozenge carvings. One of the three sub-chambers has a highly carved ceiling and a bowl with cup marks.
At the entrance to the passage is probably the finest carved Neolithic stone in existence. The stunning carving continues around the base of the mound (which apparently contains over 250,000 tons of material) on the kerb stones. The fascia to the monument is a wall of quartz studded with round pebbles which produces an stunning effect even on a dull day.
Around the mound there is the remains of The Great Circle, a stone circle of immense proportions. There is also the site of a wood henge and several buildings from later occupations.
Access is via the Interpretation Center (O 027 727 sheet 43).
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_The tour has changed slightly, reducing the amount of time you get to wonder around. When not in the passage I went looking for the cursus (which is still visible) and the satelite tombs to the south.
It is still hard not to be effected by the presence of this monument but the commercialism still stands proud.
The guide today was much more pleasant than on my first trip and the whole experience was much better this time. The new bussing practices and the fact that we were here on a relatively quiet day certainly helped.
Once again it rained while we were here but I did still enjoy this trip more than last time.
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_All Sites Visited On 12th April 2002 « Previous Site Next Site »
Today I had a "New Agey" tour guide! Very unusual. Very entertaining. However, I'm sad to say that the tour seems to get shorter. This time we were ushered out of the chamber without having chance to look around it after the little talk. Again, like some of the 'improvements' at Knowth, very disappointing.
Since moving to Ireland and starting megalithomania I have resisted the urge to join the masses at Newgrange, but this year I had tons of holiday left and took the plunge. The weather let us all down and low cloud foiled the light show. How sick must the people who'd won an opportunity to be inside the chamber this year have felt?
Because of the lack of a light show, we decided to wonder around outside to see if we could take some decent pictures of the carved stones.
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_The only way to reach this place is via the visitors center at O 026 727. Follow the N2 north from Dublin towards Slane. Approximately 2.5 km south of Slane turn right towards Dunore. The visitors center is about 6 km along this road on the left.
The first 'proper' report on Newgrange was by Edward LLhwyd, keeper of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, in 1699. He wrote:
"I also met with one monument in this kingdom, very singular; it stands at a place called New Grange, near Drogheda, and is a mount, or barrow, of very considerable height, encompassed with vast stones, pitched on end, round the bottom of it, and having another, lesser, standing stone on the top."
"The entry into this cave is at bottom, and before it we found a great flat stone, like a large tomb-stone, placed edgeways, having on the outside certain barbarous carvings, like snakes encircled, but without heads."
A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
 Baltinglass Hill (Co. Wicklow) |  Matthewstown (Co. Waterford) |  Clover Hill (Co. Sligo) |
 Carrowkeel - Cairn H (Co. Sligo) |  The Giant's Ring (Co. Down) |  Sheemore (north tomb) (Co. Leitrim) |
