5 Best Ancient Celtic Sites for your Bucket List

Newgrange

The Megalithic Passage Tomb at Newgrance, Co Meath was built circa 3200 BC. The elliptical shaped mound covers an area of over one acre and is encircled by 97 kerbstones, bearing megalithic art. The 19 metre long inner passage ends at a cruciform chamber with a corbelled roof. Astonishingly the inner chamber has remained bone dry for millennia! Such was the engineering prowess of its builders. Many historians believe that the construction of the Newgrange Passage Tomb would have taken a work force of 300 at least 20 years!

The passage and chamber were designed to be illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise. A thin shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box at the entrance and permeates the passage and chamber with light. This phenomenon lasts for 17 minutes at dawn on the Winter Solstice. Thousands apply annually to witness the event, and a lottery decides the fifty lucky winners!