Newgrange Winter Solstice 2013

On the days around the Winter Solstice when the skies are clear the rising sun illuminates the passage and chamber of the 5000 year old megalithic passage tomb at Newgrange in the Boyne Valley. The weather obliged in December 2013 with clear skies on December 21st and December 22nd.

Newgrange, a 5,000-year-old solar alignment

Above the entrance to the Newgrange mound is a specially constructed opening known as the roof box. Around the time of the winter solstice, the rising sun aligns precisely with this opening. For a brief period each morning, a narrow beam of sunlight enters through the roof box, travels along the 62 feet (19 meter) passage, and reaches the central chamber deep within the monument. As the sun continues to rise, the beam gradually broadens and lifts, illuminating the chamber floor in a slow, dramatic sequence. This remarkable event demonstrates an advanced understanding of astronomy, architecture, and seasonal cycles by the Neolithic builders of Newgrange more than five millennia ago.

Access to the chamber during the winter solstice mornings is limited and allocated by a public lottery, which takes place at the end of September each year. While only a small number of people are permitted inside the chamber, everyone is welcome to gather outside the entrance to the monument during the solstice period. Visitors traditionally assemble each morning from December 18th to December 23rd, weather permitting, to witness the sunrise and the moment when the first light of the shortest days of the year reaches the ancient mound. Sunrise at Newgrange occurs at approximately 8:58am, and even when clouds intervene, the atmosphere and sense of continuity with the distant past make these mornings a powerful and memorable experience.