Prehistoric Passage - Newgrange
Uaimh na Gréine (Cave of the Sun)
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Forty kilometers north of Dublin, in Co. Meath, is a tourist attraction so popular that on and around the Winter Solstice, it's booked for the next decade.
A Rare Glimpse of Sun
In Ireland, days end early in winter. Between mid-afternoon sunsets, daily drizzle, and a gray dome that replaces sky, sunlight is cherished. So it's understandable that what those tourists have reserved space for is a vision of light. From a small entry way, for a few minutes each year (with luck), a pitch black tomb is illuminated. The tour guides say it's bright enough to read a book -- but only if it's a sunny morning.
Fortunately, there's more to the passage tombs at Newgrange than an unreliable reading lamp.
Authenticity
The outside of the passage tomb at Newgrange has been reconstructed from materials found on the site. Except for the large slabs along the base, there is no reason to believe the exterior is arranged the way it was originally built.
The interior, on the other hand, is as it was, with minor exceptions. Most notable is the graffiti, but recent vandals have also broken one of the basins on which, it's believed, pre-literate religious leaders placed human ashes. Also, to permit viewing, there are discrete electric lamps.
Durability
One of the most remarkable features of the interior is that it's still intact and bone dry five thousand years after it was built. The corbelled roof still blocks water, with no signs of decay.
Unanswered Mysteries
Unfortunately, photographs are permitted only of the exterior, so little of the neolithic marvel is available to take home. One major exception is the much photographed stone with five spirals chiselled into it located in front of the entry. The meanings of these design elements and the explanation for the importation of non-native stones are two of the mysteries tour guides elaborate.
Our guide theorized that the spirals are two groups. Representing the three shortest days of the year, two days before and the solstice, is the linked group of three spirals. The two other spirals go the opposite direction, showing the beginning of the lengthening days.
The guide said neolithic Irishmen did not have the wheel, so they pulled tons of rocks on logs. Perhaps each of the area residents brought a stone as sacred obligation or pilgrimage. Perhaps several generations took part in the construction of this sacred place for the burial of local leaders.
In all, a structure so designed to let in light at a precise annual moment, coupled with stone working skill so great, modern roofing standards are put to shame, reminds the humbled visitor that we are no more intelligent than neolithic farmers.
Photographs © Paul Gill; Text © N.S. Gill
