NEWGRANGE AND HILL OF TARA, COUNTY MEATH, IRELAND

When Catherine and I were in Dublin last November taking a tour of St Michens’ small underground “catacombs”, we met a very interesting young lady.  Among many other enticing tidbits I remember one that struck my fancy.  She said if we liked St. Michens, we had to go see Newgrange, an ancient burial place. 

Thinking Newgrange was close by Cat and I decided it sounded like a good idea. Upon researching it, however, we found it was too far outside of Dublin for us to fit into our schedule. Thus I decided I would stay an extra day in Dublin before I was to come home from my “Playshop” at Creacon. 

Seamus, our van driver, agreed to stay up in Dublin when he brought us back from Creacon to our hotels and come get me on the following day to take the journey to Newgrange about 35 to 40 minutes outside of Dublin in County Meath.

The night before our adventure I researched County Meath and found that there are many wonderful ancients sites there.  Newgrange is one of three burial sites in the same area.  It is the largest of the three in size but held the least number of burials.  The other two, Knowth and Dowth are barely visible from Newgrange.  Only Knowth is open to the public and only from May through September. Among other treasures found in County Meath is the Hill of Tara.

That site caught my eye because it was the seat of Kings both in pre-historic and historic times.  It also caught my eye because of the Sister Fidelma books by Peter Tremayne (fiction based on historical facts) about an Irish nun and an advocate of the ancient law courts of Ireland during the mid-seventh century. She solved all kinds of crimes in that area.  She was also the sister of the High King and he ruled from Tara. My son Scott and daughter-in-law Sarah introduced me to these books. Anyway, nothing would do but to add that site to the next day’s adventures.

At the appointed time of 0930 I met Seamus in the lobby and off we went into the bright sunny day (yes, I am sure I was in Ireland!), out of Dublin and into County Meath.  The road signs are not the greatest and we got a bit lost partly because of that and partly because we were chatting away like old lost friends.  As we drove back from whence we came, I suddenly spied a green mound with a bright white front.  There it was, Newgrange and what an imposing sight it was. 

Front of Newgrange

Seamus had never been there and it seemed silly for him to wait for me like some chauffeur so I bought two tickets.  He was a great companion and very interested in learning all he could about the site.

While we were waiting for our allotted time to catch the bus from the visitor’s center to the mound itself we toured a small exhibit and watched a short film about the discovery.  We speculated about the symbols found on the kerb stones of the monuments and what they might mean.

Newgrange and her distant neighbors are still shrouded in mystery. The bodies were all cremated and there are no documents or pictographs telling the story behind these ancient sites. They do know it dates back to the Neolithic age in 3200 BC which makes it older than Stonehenge and older than the great Pyramid at Giza!!! Never did I think I would ever enter anything older than the pyramids.

Opening for Solstice Sun and Carved Kerb Stone

It is constructed as a cairn composed of 200,000 tons of rock and dirt. A small opening over the main doorway lets the sun shine in and flood the inner chamber with light on the Winter Solstice in ancient times as well in modern times. 

Ancient Standing Stones

It is time for us to catch our bus and the short ride to the site.  We are let off at the foot of a hill that leads to the small building where we turn in our tickets and we can buy post cards.  Newgrange sits on the top of the hill some distance away.  It’s quartz rock facade sparkles in the sun and the emerald green grass on top is a sharp contrast to the cerulean blue sky. There are ancient standing stones that are so prevalent at other ancient sites in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales on the grounds in front.

Side of Newgrange 

I could gaze on this site forever, but it is time to walk up the hill and go inside.  In front of the entrance is a huge carved kerb stone. To gain entrance in ancient times it was necessary to climb over the stone and move aside the very heavy stone covering the doorway. Wooden staircases have been built to the side to allow and up and over access to the area in front of the entrance to the passage leading to the inner chamber.

We are told that it is a low and narrow passage and anyone feeling they might have claustrophobia should take up the rear so they can easily execute a hasty retreat!  I’m thinking “goody, just like entering a pyramid”.

As we duck and squeeze our way through to the inner chamber, I note that some of the stones have carvings while most are plain and unadorned.  Once inside the chamber it opens up to a spiral shape ceiling soaring high above our heads.  The spiral is formed by large boulders and smaller rocks and is primitive but ingenious in construction.

The chamber itself has three alcoves formed beyond the walls of the main chamber.  Two of the alcoves contain a shallow basin stone where the ashes of the interred were found. The third alcove has a basin in a basin and lovely carvings on the wall.  Only 5 bodies were found and there is only one chamber in the entire huge mound/cairn.

To replicate the winter solstice sun shining through the small hole and into the chamber our guide turns off the lights leaving us in complete black.  A black so black your eyes will never adjust.  Using her flashlight she creates what seems like sunlight slowly filling the chamber. Whoa!  Goose-bump time.

After leaving the inner chamber we walk around for a bit drinking in more bits and pieces of the outside.  Then back to the bus and on our merry way.  Next stop a pub for lunch or at least that is the aim. If you want to learn even more about Newgrange, go to Wikipedia.

Seamus tells me that the pubs aren’t open for food like they used to be. The economy, fast food places and modern malls have taken care of that. Sadly, he is right as we stop by pub after pub in little villages and larger towns on our way to Tara.  If they are even open, and many are not, they aren’t serving food. Finally we give up and eat in the cafe at the visitor’s center on the Hill of Tara.  The food is excellent and reasonably priced.  The gift shops are fun and full of great stuff.  I restrain myself to a pamphlet on walking the hill, a green scarf, and a couple of gifts for folks back in Bend.

The Hill of Tara is one of the largest complexes of Celtic monuments in all of Europe! It was first settled 6,000 years ago and remained a special site of political and spiritual significance until 1169.

The weather has turned to grey and misty as we enter the walkway to the church that leads us to the hill itself. We clamber up and down hills that are really mounds that formed the Kings Seat and King Cormac’s Seat.  An aerial view shows the mounds and the trenches surrounding them which are the “hills” we are traversing.  

From the tops of these mounds it appears that you can see all the way to the Irish Sea.  Maybe not, but the view goes on forever in all directions. On top of the Royal(Kings) Seat is Tara’s royal symbol: The Lia Fail or the Stone of Destiny. The stone is said to roar when touched by the rightful king of Tara.


Some fabulous golden treasures have been found here called the Golden Torques of Tara.  They are made of twisted gold and date from about 1200 BC. The famous Tara Brooch (see picture in Dublin blog) was found in 1850 some 15 miles away from Tara at Bettystown Beach. All of these treasures are in the National Museum in Dublin.

Lia Fail: Stone of Destiny

The hill's 100 acres are too much for us to explore in the waning afternoon light.  We do pass by the Mound of the Hostages an ancient ritual and burial mound dating back to about 2500 BC.  It is under excavation and is fenced all around.  We wend our way back to the church to have a look at the grave stones.

The present church and wall date from 1822, but the very first church built here was built in the early 13th century.  You might say it was a meeting of Ancient Celtic Tara and Tara of the Christian era.

Old & New Together

Sarcophagus-like Grave Stone

I am fascinated by old grave stones and I am not disappointed.  The earliest grave stones date from the 17th century, but inside the church is a memorial stone of the local Dillon family dated 1595.  The graveyard is still used until today and is a strange mix of ancient and modern.  I especially am taken with a sarcophagus-like stone sitting in the middle of the lawn. 

Full of wonderful ancient Celtic energy we begin our way back to Dublin and my hotel. But before we leave the site we drive to one of the many ancient and holy wells on and around the Hill of Tara.  It is a strange grotto-like well with St. Brigid’s crosses hanging on the wall and other bits of tribute tied on the wire fence sealing off the entrance.

We chat about all we have seen and both agree it has been a magical day.  I have spoken about the Irish wit and how enchanted I am with it in past blogs. The wit hit again in the listing on the back of a catering van.  Take a look at this picture and see if you can see what I find to be a sample of that wit.

Catering Truck