Touring the Homeland

So, Newgrange at Bru Na Boinne. If you want to get an idea of how far back Ireland's past goes into pre-history this is the best way to do it. The three Passage Tombs in the Boyne Valley, Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, of which Newgrange is the most famous, carry this off spectacularly. If you can get the chance to go and see them whenever you're in Ireland take it. You'll be kicking yourself for tears if you miss it.

This was my third bisit to the region in the last 20 years and it was impressive to see how far both the restoration and the visitor information had come. Being declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO has done it no harm at all.

This time I went to seel Knowth for the first time. Bigger and more archaeologically siginficant than Newgrange it remains less well known despite it containing one third of Western Europe's megalithic artwork. This possibly due to the damage to the entrances to it's passages caused by early christian diggings that prevents the sun lighting up the central chambers at the equinoxes unlike Newgrange where the sun still lights up the tombs at the solstices.

I found the whole experience much more enlightening this time round. Possibly due to my age, possibly due to the excellent tour guides who had all the answers to your questions readily to hand. The only thing they didn't know was the significance of some of the art work. They had many theories and were quick to point out that some of the tourist's views were just as valid. The only thing they ruled out categorically to one set of American tourists was alien involvement.

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