April 13, 2016

Today we went to Newgrange, a Neolithic tomb older than the pyramids. Before we went, we learned a bit about the significance of the tomb. Mr. McGonagle showed us some literature concerning Newgrange, and a teacher from Belvedere, Ms. Redmond, taught us about the layout of the tomb, who built it, and when. Then, we got on a tour bus to Newgrange. We stopped at several places along the way. The first stop was the Hill of Tara, which held some ruins, but most were covered by the countryside. It was nowhere near as intriguing as Newgrange, and the tour guide felt the same way. We got back on and stopped at a farm near Newgrange. We had lunch, and then went off to see the farm. There were all kinds of animals: sheep, cows, chickens, and ducks. There was one very annoyed sheep that was literally screaming at us, and some ducks started attacking each other. We also found some pedal carts and got some sick drifts on them. We then got back on the bus and went to Newgrange.

We then made our way over to Newgrange which looked magnificent in the sun. We climbed up a pathway,

and we could see the beautiful quartz that lined the outside. Our tour guide brought us to the entrance and told us about the history of the ancient tomb. Right in front of the entrance, there was an entry stone which had many designs that were chiseled into the stone. There are many theories about what the designs mean but no one is for certain. She told us how it was constructed about 3,200 years before the birth of Christ. She began to describe the methods that were used in order to place the heavy stones together. The Neolithic people would carve out the stones and bring them 80 kilometers to the site. The tomb was definitely constructed for someone important in their community as the tribe took years to assemble the structure. As years passed, the tomb was eventually abandoned and was left to the elements. The site was rediscovered but was not excavated until Professor O'Kelly began his work. O'Kelly took massive measures in order to restore the tomb as it was thousands of years ago. Next, we made our way into the tomb. We all made sure to duck our heads especially Troy because the ceiling was so low. The path into the tomb stretched 19 meters and was extremely narrow and crooked. We made it into the chamber which was interesting as the ceiling was designed in a unique way in order to keep off the rain. Our tour guide then demonstrated how the light would come through the roof-box during the winter solstice. A streak of light came into the room which was spectacular. The use of the sun definitely exhibits how the tribe must worship and respect the sun. We then exited the tomb and had some free time around Newgrange. Later, we all piled into the bus and made a quick stop to eat and grab something from the gift shop. We finally made our way back to Belvedere and split up and meet with our host brothers. We truly had a fantastic day as we experienced a tomb older than the pyramids in Egypt.