Brú na Bóinne County Meath

UNESCO World Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne contains over 90 Neolithic monuments dotted across the River Boyne Valley, including Ireland’s most famous Neolithic site Newgrange passage tomb.

Brú na Bóinne is among the most important Neolithic sites in the world and contains the largest collection of megalithic art in Western Europe. These sacred sites date back over 5,000 years to approximately 3,200 B.C. That makes it older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.

Any visit to Newgrange must start at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre. Here you can learn all about the history of the site in an interactive exhibit which explores Neolithic culture, landscape and monuments.

Standing 80-metres high and encircled by painstakingly engraved white stones, the mound of Newgrange is a sight to behold, and once looked like a natural extension of the green countryside, and alien from it. The most famous attraction is the roof box, which aligns with the rising sun on the winter solstice (21st December) filling the chamber with sunlight. Very few people are able to witness this sacred event, with a lucky few chosen by lottery each year, but the rest of us can at least experience the next best thing with artificial lighting.

Pre-booking tickets is essential when visiting Brú na Bóinne.

 

Photo Credit: Tourism Ireland

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