Our final 2022 adventure in Ireland was a bus tour to visit the most famous prehistoric monuments in Ireland in the Valley of the Boyne. I had climbed into Newgrange in 1956 with my father and a flashlight. He had visited with his father and an oil lamp in 1929. I have not examined her travel diary but suspect my grandmother visited in 1914. So, after an internet search suggested one must visit as part of a professional tour, I signed up with Mary Gifford. When I described my family history, she was more than welcoming. We boarded her tour bus in front of the Shelbourne Hotel in the fancy part of Dublin and heard an informative travelogue as we approached the Valley of the Boyne.
The Hill of Tara was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. It is not particularly high but from it one can see across much of the center of Ireland. We visited the Destiny Stone, Lia Fail, which may have been the site where the Kings were crowned.
From the Hill of Tara we bussed to Knowth, an impressive collection of ceremonial and probably burial structures built as early as 3200 BC, earlier than Stonehenge or the Pyramids.
Although the most visible signs of these paleolithic monuments consist of mounds of earth, they overlie complex stone constructions with interior chambers and stone-carved decorations. And besides the large boulders brought to the site and decorated with carvings, bright white stones emphasized the special nature of the place.
From Knowth, it is possible to look across a valley to the
third monument, Dowth. In the 19th century, an attempt was made to excavate the
site but it was generally unsuccessful and left such a mess that, although it
is still considered part of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is not on any
of the visitor itineraries.
The tour made its final stop at Newgrange, the largest and most excitingly developed site because it has the distinction of a solar alignment that shines a beam of sunlight into the depths of the mound around the Winter Solstice. This is of such significance for some that the chance to view it is available only through a national lottery. We approached Newgrange after a long walk uphill.
The white stones which originally enhanced the structure have been replaced but were not present when I visited in 1956. They lend a profound air of grandeur.
The doorway into the mound is low and requires stepping up and over the decorated sill stone. Above it is the narrow slot through which the Solstice sunlight illuminates the altar stone in the center of the mound. Mary Gibbons holds us at the wooden steps while she explains what we will experience in the darkness when the previous tour leaves and allows us to enter.
These repeated swirls and spirals have been repeated in Irish art for thousands of years.
We returned to Dublin after our Newgrange tour and had time to wander around the city. Not far from O'Connell Street, I noticed a Korean restaurant and was called over to see what it was offering. Just for fun, I took some pictures to enjoy the clash of cuisines and languages—two cultures I thoroughly enjoy.
