Brú na Bóinne — Attraction in The Municipal District of Laytown — Bettystown

Location The area is located eight kilometers west of Drogheda in County Meath, Ireland, in a bend of the River Boyne. It is around 40 kilometers north of Dublin.

Brú na Bóinne is surrounded on its southern, western and eastern sides by the Boyne; additionally, a small tributary of the Boyne, the River Mattock, runs along the northern edge, almost completely surrounding Brú na Bóinne with water. All but two of the prehistoric sites are on this river peninsula.

Description The area has been a centre of human settlement for at least 6,000 years, but the major structures date to around 5,000 years ago, from the Neolithic period.

The site is a complex of Neolithic mounds, chamber tombs, standing stones, henges and other prehistoric enclosures, some from as early as 35th century BC - 32nd century BC. The site thus predates the Egyptian pyramids and was built with sophistication and a knowledge of science and astronomy, which is most evident in the passage grave of Newgrange. The site is often referred to as the "Bend of the Boyne" and this is often (incorrectly) taken to be a translation of Brú na Bóinne.The associated archaeological culture is often called the Boyne culture.

The site covers 780 ha (1,927 acres) and contains around 40 passage graves, as well as other prehistoric sites and later features. The majority of the monuments are concentrated on the north side of the river. The most well-known sites within Brú na Bóinne are the passage graves of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, all known for their collections of megalithic art. Each stands on a ridge within the river bend and two of the tombs, Knowth and Newgrange, appear to contain stones re-used from an earlier monument at the site. Newgrange is the central mound of the Boyne Valley passage grave cemetery, the circular cairn in which the cruciform burial chamber is sited having a diameter of over 100 metres. Knowth and Dowth are of comparable size. There is no in situ evidence for earlier activity at the site, save for the spotfinds of flint tools left by Mesolithic hunters.

The passage tombs were constructed beginning in around 3,300 BC and work stopped around 2,900 BC. The three largest tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth may have been constructed to be visible from each other and from northern and southern approaches along the River Boyne, as part of a scheme to "bind the previously disparate elements of the extended passage tomb cemetery into a more clearly defined prehistoric numinous precinct".The area continued to be used for habitation and ritual purposes until the early Bronze Age, during which a number of embanked, pit and wooden post circles (collectively referred to as "henges") were built. Artifacts from the later Bronze Age are comparatively inconspicuous: some cist and ring ditch burials and burnt mounds. For the Iron Age there is only evidence of sporadic activity, such as burials near Knowth and at Rosnaree. Valuable items from the Roman period such as coins and jewelry were found as votive offerings near Newgrange.

Numerous other enclosure and megalith sites have been identified within the river bend and have been given simple letter designations, such as the M Enclosures. In addition to the three large tombs, several other ceremonial sites constitute the complex including. Each of the three main megalith sites have significant archaeoastronomical significance. Newgrange and Dowth have winter solstice solar alignments, while Knowth is oriented towards the March equinox (spring equinox) and the September equinox (autumn equinox). In addition, the immediate environs of the main sites have been investigated for other possible alignments. The layout and design of the Brú na Bóinne complex across the valley has also been studied for astronomical...

I was fairly disappointed by Newgrange. We visited this site immediately after visiting Knowth, and while Knowth has some very helpful illustrations of what the site may have looked like at various points in time, Newgrange did not really have anything to put it in context. The history at Knowth was presented well and had a lot of layers to the history of the site used over millennia, while Newgrange really only focused on the one point in time.

The only advantage to Newgrange is that you can go inside, though they pack about 20 people into the small chamber for their demonstration of the light coming in at the solstice, recreated with a lamp, then rushing everyone out for the next group. It doesn't really give you time to look around and appreciate the tomb. The outside facade is the interpretation of how it might have looked according to the archeologist who excavated the site in the 1970s, and many researchers disagree that it would have looked like this; I could not get an explanation of how the facade is theorized to have been created. The arrangement of the quartz at Knowth is much more compelling, if less spectacular for tourists.

Overall, I would compare Newgrange to Pompeii and Knowth to Herculaneum; Newgrange had been visited by tourists for centuries and feels like it, while Knowth feels more undisturbed and gives you a better insight in many ways, despite being lesser known (and having the satellite tombs mostly rebuilt). If you can only visit one, I would strongly...

We had a fantastic experience! Heavy traffic in Dublin made us 40 minutes late for our scheduled visit but the staff let us go through, just in time to catch the last shuttle bus to the first site. It was a dry clear days so we had spectacular panoramic views in every direction. The guides were all friendly, knowledgeable and chatty, pointing out places of interest & encouraging us to take our time. In 2019, this World Heritage site had 300,000 visitors. When we were there, only 2 other people were visiting the SE ancient neolithic mounds. I can honestly say it was a privilege to visit it in those conditions. The whole place has had a great rest because of the lockdown & now, at the beginning of the Summer, it's absolutely at it's best. The only thing to disturb the silence were the swooping swallows & birdsong. Our magical moment was seeing a beautiful brown hare sitting at the entrance to the mound, gazing fearlessly at us from the long grass. As these are creatures sacred in Celtic mythology & known as shape-shifters who can travel between worlds, it felt like a touch from the Old People. No matter what the weather, this is an ancient site worth connecting with. Make sure to book a slot so you can board the shuttle bus. Give yourself plenty of time to get there, even if you're early, the visitors centre is also worth your time. If you can, stand barefoot in the grass at the top of the mound and connect to the earth, the Ancestors and the magic of this unique place...