Bru na Boinne, Ireland

What Makes It So Special?

What is it about Bru na Boinne that makes it so special... so much so that it's one of the "must sees" of Ireland?

The site contains passage graves...

...standing stones,

...henges and other features.

It's a World Heritage site, and literature says it contains some of the world's most historically important Neolithic passage graves...

...most notably Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth.

OK... but... what is it about the site that "takes your breath away"?

Bru na Boinne - Begins In Irish Mists

I guess it's because it's origins are lost in Ireland's misty ancient history. Newgrange is mentioned in several Celtic sagas.

It is a thousand years older than Stonehenge in England.

That's a powerful and evocative testament to the mind-boggling achievements of prehistoric humans....

There's another reason it's so special... because it shows us what we can achieve.

I mean, if ancient peoples could do THAT... just think what we can do.

If You Love Ancient History and Legends

To a certain extent, you need to have a fascination with ancient monuments and standing stones.

If you do, then certainly you will enjoy Bru na Boinne.

The monuments at this site seem to have always been associated with "magic". They are also tied to astronomy... in this case mostly the Winter Solstice.

Through the centuries, they were woven into myths and legends and became regarded as the cemetery of the High-Kings of Tara and Ireland.

The main monuments here are Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth.

Newgrange

Newgrange is a passage tomb, but that sounds so...

...ordinary.

It is not ordinary... It is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world.

Newgrange consists of a mound which is 250 feet (76 meters) across and 40 feet (12 meters) high.

What makes it visually so impressive is that the front is faced with a wall of sparkling white quartz stones. Close up it is the art on the stones that will impress.

The burial chamber inside has remained intact for 5,000 years.

Knowth

Knowth is the largest of the passage graves here. Its large mound is impressive, but it lacks the spectacular white front of New Grange.

There is, however, an impressive amount of megalithic art in this tomb.

Dowth

Dowth is the oldest of these three, but it is the least attractive to tourists because it is less excavated.

Its decorations are not as complex, though it may once have been faced with quartz like Newgrange.

Newgrange and Dowth have passages that allow light in during the Winter Solstice.

A Magical Site

OK... a bunch of graves, right?

NO.... a magical site... ...Irish Fairies aside.

Try To Imagine...

Block out all of your fellow tourists and try to imagine yourself transported 4000-5000 years back in time.

You approach by boat on the River Boyne, through an ancient Irish landscape.

There, high on a hill in the distance you see the sunlight dancing off the white quartz and granite facade of a monument...

...something that is already ancient...

...that you know very little about.

Wouldn't that seem magical?

Let Yourself Feel It

Even now, approaching the monuments in Bru na Boinne, you can feel the sacredness of the site...

...if you will just let yourself.

That's the magic of it...

And THAT is why it's so special.

Happy travels... even if you don't travel the world... just remember that life is a journey... embrace and enjoy it! Judy and Mark

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Thanks, Judy and Mark

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