on tuesday, i wandered off on my own to bru na boine (the dwelling place of the boyne).

this area is located between the towns of slane and drogheda where the river boyne meanders. here lies one of ireland most important archeological sites, the prehistoric passages tombs of newgrange, knowth and dowth. in addition to that it is one of the most fertile areas in ireland. the fields and sheep go on forever. and of course there are random stone things everywhere...this one was once a home.

this was exactly what i imagined ireland to be like...and i wasn't disappointed. you can see the boyne in the distance here.

newgrange is a passage tomb built over 5000 years ago. the burial chamber is entered through a long stone passage (hence the name).

the mound itself covers over an acre and was constructed from 200,000 tons of stone and earth. a lot of the stones aren't even found in the boyne valley. they seem to have no clue who built it or how.

the tomb is entered through this passage. when you get inside the passage goes back 19 meters to a small cross-shaped area with a high roof made entirely of stone. there are a number of carving decorating the stones inside and outside. one of the best examples is shown in front of the entrance.

no one's sure what the carved symbols mean but they are beautiful geometric shapes. of course there are other carvings inside...but those are from tourists in the 1800s.

the one thing people do know is that newgrange is aligned with the sun. at dawn on the winter solstice, a shaft of light enters through the window above the door and illuminates the inner chamber for several minutes. unfortunately they don't know why it is aligned but apparently there is a long waiting list to be there for the solstice.

it was overwhelming entering this ancient place. i can't describe it any better. and so i'll just head back to dublin now...

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