Ground-breaking technology shows no second chamber at Newgrange
The technology used in an attempt to find out whether a second passage tomb, which may also be aligned with a solstice event, exists at Newgrange had proved its worth during experimentation by a Slovakian team of scientists who visited the Boyne Valley, an Irish archaeologist said this week. Dr Conor Brady, archaeologist and lecturer at Dundalk Institute of Technology, who lives at Slane, said that while there would be no "dramatic announcements" about discovery of a second chamber at Newgrange at this stage, the microgravitational technology used in the experiments had proven valuable to archaeologists and scientists. Read more
Tomorrow, December 21, marks the winter solstice and the one day of the years when, World Heritage site, Newgrange's inner chamber is flooded with sunlight. This year is particularly special because for the first time in 450 years a a total lunar eclipse will coincide with the winter solstice. Read more
It was a clear frosty night on the eve of the Winter Solstice at Newgrange and expectations were high for a good sunrise. By the morning of the Winter Solstice a bank of misty cloud had moved in to block the sunrise, leaving the dignitaries and solstice lottery winners inside the chamber in darkness. Read more
Admission to the chamber of Newgrange for the Winter Solstice sunrise is by lottery. Application forms to witness what surely must be the world's oldest calendar clock, are available at the reception desk in the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre. Read more
A special exhibition to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy is being held at the Bru na Boinne visitor centre in Ireland. The free weekend exhibition "From Earth to the Universe" will host workshops, talks and various activities. This exhibition features some of the best astronomical images ever taken.
9am to 6pm on 22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30 August
Access to the monuments at Newgrange and Knowth is only by guided tour from the Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre on the south side of the river Boyne. Newgrange and Knowth are on the north side of the river, a limited number of visitors per day cross the river by pedestrian bridge and take a shuttle bus to Newgrange or Knowth. There is no direct public access to Newgrange or Knowth by road, except for the mornings around the Winter Solstice when there is free access to Newgrange. Read more See more