Brief travels in an ancient land

Last weekend I travelled to Dublin, Ireland to visit an old friend from university. Most of Friday was spent in the city, perusing Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the Chester Beatty Library and the National Museum of Ireland. And in the evening, the obligatory visit to an old pub to hear my companion's friend play some traditional Irish music, and obviously a pint (or few) of Guinness! Unfortunately my friend had to work, so Saturday I hired a car and visited a few places that I've wanted to go for many years. Needless to say, not a lot of reading was done!

The Boyne Valley or Brú Na Bóinne is known the world over for the iconic passage tomb of Newgrange, famed for its astronomical alignment with the winter solstice sunrise, but this particular tomb is only one of several ancient sites found in the present day County of Meath on the east coast of Ireland. The Boyne Valley mounds at Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth were built around 3200BC making them older than Stonehenge in England and the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Built by Neolithic farming communities, these burial mounds are suspected to be places of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance, much as present day cathedrals are places of worship where dignitaries may be laid to rest. The remains of over 150 people have been found in the region, but there is little evidence of anything else, leading to strong debate as to whether these megalithic structures were built primarily as burial tombs, or had some other religious or sacred significance.

Newgrange is the most famous ancient landmark in Ireland, allegedly attracting up to 200,000 visitors a year. Standing inside while the tour guides recreate the effect of the winter solstice is an unforgettable experience, surely only surpassed by being one of the lucky 50 people selected in the lottery each year to be present in the tomb during the actual solstice. At approx 8.58am on the winter solstice and two days either side, a shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber, including the Newgrange triskelion, a famed triple spiral.

Newgrange passage tomb

The entrance at Newgrange with the recognisable kerbstone

A fine example of kerbstone carvings at Newgrange

The famed Newgrange triskelion or triple spiral

However amazing Newgrange may be, for me, it really doesn't compare to the magic of Knowth. Far more underrated as a landmark, it is not possible to enter the passage at Knowth due to the fact that whole communities had lived on top of the mound for centuries, making the structure unstable. Built a few hundred years after Newgrange, and a short time before Dowth, Knowth has a far more interesting history. It is possible to track different communities living on and around Knowth since its construction, from the Neolithic period, through the Normans and even a Christian settlement. The beauty of Knowth is that the site gets very few visitors in comparison to Newgrange, and there were only 10 people in my group..quite magical. For a real piece of Irish history, this is the site to visit.

The passage tombs and tunnels at Knowth

Passage tombs at Knowth

Kerbstone carvings at Knowth

The Hill of Tara is believed to have been the seat of the High Kings of Ireland in the first millennium A.D., however Tara is also the site of a Passage Tomb known as the Mound of the Hostages that was built about 2,500 B.C. Far more impressive from the air, but there is still something quite eerie about this site. Unfortunately I arrived at the same time as a rather large tour group!

Aerial view of the Hill of Tara

I find it fascinating that such sites still exist today, and they can give us a really amazing insight into a world thousands of years ago. I try to make a point of visiting the many stone circles and burial mounds found in the countries I live and travel in. Nothing you read can ever compare to actually standing on these sites. So if anyone is planning on visiting Dublin or the eastern coast of Ireland, give these sites a visit! See here for more information.