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Prehistoric Ireland Newgrange Passage Grave, Brú na BÓinne |
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| Visit my other Travel Guides - "Traveling In Spain" • "Traveling In England" |
| Newgrange was on my must see list for this visit to Ireland. One can see a castle almost anywhere in Ireland, but where else but Newgrange can one enter a restored Passage Grave that pre dates Stonehenge. |  First view of New Grange after being dropped off by the bus. |
 Entrance to New Grange tomb - The top window above the entrance is unique to New Grange and is used only by the sun during the winter solstice. |
After taking in the size of the mound, one of the first things one notices is the white quartzite rock on the face of the mound. Over the eons, the edges of the mound eroded. |
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| When excavations were commenced, white rocks were found lying under the sides of the eroded mounds. Some believe the white rocks originally were not an exterior facing of the mound wall but perhaps the paving of a sacred pathway leading up to the tomb. | ||
 Surrounding the mound are several large standing stones. The standing stones are thought to be younger than the mound and may not have been used by the same Neolithic culture that built the mounds. |
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As we line up to enter the tomb, our guide announces, "If you are not comfortable in tight, close places, please either remain outside or be the last in line. The tunnel in to the mound is very narrow, once you enter the tunnel you will not be able to turn around until you have reached the inner chamber." It has been estimated, in 3000 BC, it would have taken 300 people working for 20 or more years to construct the 300 ft.+/- elongated dome at Newgrange. A large stone basin (alter?) was put in place first, then the central chamber was built. Each stone for the chamber was carefully laid, like over lapping roofing tiles, so that each would direct moisture away from the chamber. With completion of the chamber layers of earth, stone and clay were used to complete its water proofing, bringing the height of the mound to around 36 feet. The tunnel in to the tomb is just shoulder wide and not quite high enough for us to walk up right. Walking slowly up a slight incline, for 60 odd feet, we finally found ourselves in the inner chamber. |
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Most of the information on this website was gather during my families July 2004 visit to Ireland