Little Caroline Travels The Big World: Hanging Out in An Ancient Irish Tomb

The first stop on the Mary Gibbons Tour was to Newgrange. This was the focal point of the tour.

Mary stressed that it was important to arrive there early to make sure we were on the first tour group. She then gave us our money back for the tickets. Another thing I found sketch.

We literally arrived as they were opening the doors.

Mary had gone over what was going to happen, but I was confused. Luckily, the workers went over it again. When we bought the tickets, we were given a tour time. We then had to go downstairs and cross a bridge to get to a shuttle stop. These small shuttles would then bring us to the locational of the tomb site.

It turns out that we were on the first tour. I had some time to kill. I walked briefly around the visitor’s center; went to the bathroom and then decided to walk to the shuttle stop. It was a nice day and I wanted to be outside before the sun went into hiding again. The walk was not long to the stop, just a little longer then I thought. I am glad I gave myself extra time to find the stop.

My soon to be Italian friend was there and another family, who I could not place where they were from. They could not read the signs that were posted around the stop.

We waited 10 minutes and then boarded the shuttle to take us to the burial site. Just at the last minute, a group of older ladies came, laughing. I instantly knew that this group was going to be the ones to hold up our tour. Every tour has them.

After our 5 minute shuttle ride, we arrived at the tomb. It was very impressive and I was so thankful that I was able to be at such an interesting site. Of course I took a couple minutes to get some photos of the tomb and the surroundings.

Our tour guide then came over to greet us and took us over to the tomb to begin telling us about it…

Newgrange is a Neolithic Passage tomb. It was built around 3200 BC, which makes it older then the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge. The tomb takes up about an acre and it is estimated that it took a force of 300 at least 20 years to build it.

The most special feature of the tomb is that the chamber is lighted by the Winter Solstice sun. During the Winter Solstice, the sunlight shines through the roof box at the top of the entrance and lights up the chamber of the tomb. This lasts around 17 minutes.

No one really knows how the tomb was built or the exact purpose of the tomb. Many believe it has to do with a religious ceremony due to its connection with the Winter Solstice sun.

After telling us about the entrance of the tomb, it was now time to go inside! We all had to enter through the same door. Once we went through the door, it lead to a small passage way. It didn't seem to small to me. Maybe that is because I am a small person myself. The passage did look somewhat unfinished; it looked rough. The roof was not even throughout the whole passage tunnel. At parts it was a close squeeze; tight from the side to the roof.

The passage lead to a chamber. The chamber was able to accommodate our tour group of 25 people. The chamber was a circle with three rooms/niches on the perimeter of the circle. The niches were all different sizes. Each one had some kind of ancient art design sketched into the walls. Two of the niches were very simple with just some art designs sketched into the walls. The one of the right of the chamber was the most elaborate of the three. It had some designs as well as what looked like a slab of rock.

Our tour guide told us that the remains of humans have been found in the tomb along with other items like weapons, bowls, jewelry etc. The tour guide reiterated the fact that no one knows the exact purpose of the tomb.

After the tour of the tomb, we took the shuttle back to the visitor’s center. I still had time to kill before we left to our next location. I went to the visitor’s center to make sure that I had time to see the exhibit. They had multiple models of things found in passage tombs; history of Newgrange and information about the archaeologist work in the area. It was very interesting.

Later I was really hungry so I went to the café and just got a chocolate muffin and banana to hold me over until lunch time. I sat there for a little bit.

With nothing else to do, I decided that I would walk slowly out to the meeting point and just wait there. The sun was still out and I still wanted to enjoy its rays.

To my surprise, many people from our group were already there talking. The Italian guy was there at the center of the conversation.

This is my struggle: with a group like this talking, what do I do? I know the social thing to do would be to join in on the conversation, but I don’t want to be rude and just say some thing to say some thing. That is not me. I decided to join the circle, but just to listen.

A couple of minutes later the group piled into the bus, but we had to wait for some people who were late. Guess who we had to wait for? None other then those older ladies.

With the slow pokes and the punctuals on the bus, it was now time to go on to our next location…..

Leaving Dublin for the day.

County Meath

Cow!

More cows.

Newgrange! First look!

Newgrange

The entrance of the tomb and Standing Stones on the right.

Kitty enjoying the sun.

Surroundings of Newgrange.

The entrance of the tomb!

Standing Stone. Many believe that there would have been around 35 Standing Stones to create an arc at the entrance of the tomb. People still don't know the purpose of these stones.

Another passage tomb. Before people knew what these mounds were, many believed them to be fairy mounds; home of fairies.

Surroundings of Newgrange.

The entrance of the tomb. On the side of the tomb are kerbstones, the grey stones laying on their sides. There are estimates that there are around 97 kerbstones that surround the tomb. Many stones have designs that no one knows what the mean or represent.

Surroundings of Newgrange.

Standing Stone and surroundings.

Main kerbstone at entrance of the tomb. It is hard to tell by the photo, but there are multiple circular images on the stone. This design is unique to Newgrange. No one knows what these circles represent. Many have made connections to the alignment of the stars and even a map of the surrounding area.

The roof box. It is through this box that the sun of the Winter Solstice shines in and lights up the chamber for 17 minutes.

Entrance of the tomb. The roof box, the entrance door and the entrance kerbstone.

Our tour group entering the tomb!

Surrounding area of Newgrange.

Standing Stone.

Newgrange Tomb

Example of a Standing Stone in the visitor center.

Layout of the surrounding area of Newgrange.

Map where other passage tombs have been found.

Layout of Newgrange.

Where similar tombs have been found in Europe.

What county Meath might have looked like during the time when Newgrange was built.

Model of a skeleton. Skeletons can teach us a lot about the past and the person.

This is a horrible picture, but I took it because it reminded me that through the study of Ancient Egyptian mummies' teeth, we have been able to learn a lot about their diet. Also, the Ancient Egyptians had gum in the form of the pulp from a papyrus plant.