Ireland 2023 - Day 14 - Boyne Valley - Tara & Nowth/Newgrange

return to Ireland 23 index

return to mdimage index

Bru na Boine

On Thursday four of us checked out of Camden Court & took a cab to Dublin airport, where we crammed our stuff into a modest rental car, such that our driver Roger had no rear view other than side mirrors.

Once we escaped the airport industrial complex, we drove into the nearby town of Swords, and stopped for coffee & to get our bearings. Mary synched her phone with the car monitor, which worked well for the rest of our 3 day driving trip.     

Then we were on back roads for an hour north, to the Hill of Tara, a historical & mysterious place. It is a little odd that on the drive there, you don't see a single reference to Tara on any sign.      

The entrance to Tara is through an old churchyard.

	entrance		fall light
		Tara mounds in the distance		from 1822

The Hill of Tara is an ancient ceremonial and burial site, a ruling place for the Kings of early Ireland. Aerial photography has found 60 burial mounds, the most important being The Mound of the Hostages, which has the cremated remains of hundreds of high-status individuals, going back 5,000 years, to the Neolithic era. Later it was a Celtic stronghold.

Tara is an impressive topographical high point, with excellent 360 degree views, an easily defendable place of power.  

	the mound of the hostages				mounded earth
		views to the north (a bit hazy)		church  ruin, a mile to the south
	Stone of Destiny		Mary & Doris		exiting the place

The Nowth/Newgrange monuments are about a 45 minute drive east from Tara, on the banks of the Boyne River. 

When we arrived at the modern & impressive Nowth/Newgrange visitor center, we were early & enjoyed soup or a scone (or both) at the amazing cafe.   

We were on time for a guided tour with a shuttle taking about 15 tourists to each site. 

	Mary & Roger at the visitor center		crossing the River Boyne		looking downstream, see note
		a comfortable cap in this weather		burial mounds at Nowth		construction details
	stairway to the top of Nowth		Newgrange is a  5,000 year old passage tomb		the mound front wall
		spiral patterns		Neolithic tomb construction
	entrance to Newgrange passage tomb		group photo

note - a guy who worked at the Newgrange site said to me (on the bridge) that a lot of rain in the last two weeks brought the Boyne River up & out of its banks, filling local floodplain areas, as the photo shows. (It reminded me of potholes near Killorglin, due to the same storms.)

The docent took us into the center of the Newgrange Monument, a 100 ft. long passage, and I had to duck repeatedly to avoid hitting my head on large slabs. It was also quite narrow in two or three places. Once we were in the small central chamber, the Docent turned all lights off, for a few minutes, and then the group saw a representation of how the first rays of the rising sun might look, a finger of intense light, illuminating the center of the tomb, on the winter solstice day (Dec. 21), for only a few minutes, once a year.   

Later we drove NE for an hour to the tiny town of Carlingford, in a mountainous coastal setting. We checked into the comfortable Mourneview B&B, and once freshened up, drove into town for dinner at the Carlingford Arms. 

A charming woman from Ghana in colorful dress served us and you could tell she was well-liked, and the drinks & food were flowing. An old Irish man at a counter with a money box was using a pencil stub to add up how much patrons owed & they preferred cash. It was a vintage modern Ireland....the old & the new.   

Across the cobblestone street (no cars are allowed in town) was a Pub with live music. The small-town-ness was refreshing; people wanted songs to sing or clap along with. We were up late that night, like 11 pm. 

Go to next page - Carlingford

return to Ireland 23 index

return to mdimage index

Postscript -

Hill of Tara - all Tara info above is from Wikipedia. At the site, there's no visitor center, no historical display or handouts, and you're on your own. Go walk around & wonder what it means, like I did. 

But even without info, it is an intriguing site; the view is vast & you can let your mind wander, imagining the past. The site evolved into an important Celtic site, so Game of Thrones, anyone ?....minus fantasy elements.

Newgrange - To think that a large group of organized Neolithic people who lived 5,000 years ago constructed this immense burial monument and oriented its one & only entrance to align perfectly with a single day's sunrise, in the solar year, the main effect lasting only a few moments, is astounding. 

Yet what a moment it is ! ....the transition from the old year to the new, a profound cosmic symbol of rebirth, brought about with amazing precision....and so reliable ! 

The Neolithic people were the first humans to collectively grow crops & raise herds of animals, and the Dec 21 winter solstice must have provided basic re-assurance that winter will end, and planting season will come, no matter how bad the present winter may be !  

Go to next page - Carlingford