On the days around the Winter Solstice when the skies are clear, the rising sun illuminates the passage and chamber
of the 5,000 year old megalithic passage tomb at Newgrange in the Boyne Valley.
Conditions were good on Sunday, December 18.
There was some cloud on the horizon obscuring the rising sun at Newgrange on December 18.
The rising sun soon cleared the cloud to bathe Newgrange in golden light.
The white quartz on the Newgrange mound glows in the sunlight.
The sunbeam enters the chamber through an opening called the roof box over the entrance door.
It is the higher sunbeam from the roof box that illuminates the chamber inside Newgrange.
Ideal for a first visit to the Boyne Valley, this private tour explores the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of Brú na Bóinne.
Visit Newgrange and Knowth with the official site guides,
then discover places associated with Ireland's ancient kings, mythology, and Saint Patrick.
The day also includes the Hill of Slane and the Hill of Tara.
Price €675 for up to six guests, plus booking fees.
Above the entrance to Newgrange there is an opening called a roof box.
On mornings around the winter solstice a beam of light penetrates the roof box and travels up
the 19 meters (62 feet) passage and into the chamber. As the sun rises higher, the beam widens so that the
whole chamber is dramatically illuminated.
Access to the chamber on the solstice mornings is decided by a
lottery that takes place at the
end of September each year. All are welcome to gather outside the entrance to the Newgrange
mound on each of the mornings from December 18 to December 23 inclusive, sunrise is at 8.58am.
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) - Ireland's Ancient East
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) over Newgrange in the Boyne Valley on December 20, 2015.
My wife and I had an exceptional day with Michael. He brought a wealth of knowledge to enhance our experience and took us to all the main sites as well as several lesser known ones.
Read the full TripAdvisor review
There was some cloud on the horizon obscuring the rising sun at Newgrange on December 18.
The rising sun soon cleared the cloud to bathe Newgrange in golden light.
The white quartz on the Newgrange mound glows in the sunlight.
The sunbeam enters the chamber through an opening called the roof box over the entrance door.
It is the higher sunbeam from the roof box that illuminates the chamber inside Newgrange.
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) over Newgrange in the Boyne Valley on December 20, 2015.
Newgrange entrance and roof box.