Monday, May 6, 2024

Newgrange and the Hills of Tara

Tickets are hard to come by for seeing the premier archaeological site in Ireland. They are released to the public at 9am sharp, and you'd better have your click finger ready - Kelly was ready!

Newgrange

Newgrange is a World Heritage site in County Meath. It was constructed about 5,200 years ago by stone age farmers. It is a mound 13 metres high, and 85 metres in diameter, covering about one acre. Famously its Passage Tomb aligns with the rising sun around winter solstice.

The perimeter is marked with 97 kerbstones, some decorated with megalithic art.

Similar mounds are at nearby Knowth and Dowth, as well as 35 smaller mounds.



Hill Of Tara

Not far from Newgrange is the Hill of Tara. A passage tomb was built there in the late Stone Age. During the Iron Age and into the Early Christian Period, it rose to supreme prominence as the seat of the high kings of Ireland. All old Irish roads lead to this critical site. Its halls and palaces have now disappeared and only earthworks remain. 

On a clear day you can see half of the counties in Ireland from the hill. The region includes some of the richest farmland in Ireland.







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