Destination Ireland - Summer 2021 - Destination Focus
Old Mellifont Abbey
Tayto Park
Bóinne , nearby equivalents Knowt and Dowth , and the settlements that sprung up around the fruitful Boyne Valley .
A bus then takes you up the road for a guided tour of Newgrange , where you will get time to both wander around the great monument and venture inside the tomb .
Our guide gave an insightful and entertaining account of the history and formation of the site and that newfound knowledge made the construction so much more impressive as you ponder the giant stones that support the structure , which had to be ferried huge distances over land and by boat , while the detail of the smaller bright stones of the façade also gave an indication of how important our ancestors considered the Boyne Valley site .
Of course , the really remarkable feature of the old monument is the design , illuminating the tomb ’ s inner sanctum around the winter solstice . A lottery remains in place for people who want to visit on December 21 .
The lottery gives you very little chance of winning and still it remains nature ’ s call as to whether you see the illumination first hand .
If you haven ’ t been to Newgrange since your school tour , take some time and pay a visit soon . Everything – except the chamber – will be illuminated .
Boyne Valley Attractions
Kells This county Meath town is considered to be one of the most important monastic sites in Ireland . The Kells Heritage Centre houses a fine exhibition of facsimile artefacts from monastic times including a copy of the Book of Kells gifted to the town by Trinity College . At the highest point in Kells you will find the paupers ’ graveyard , a permanent tribute to those who died in the Great Famine .
Hill of Tara As well as being the seat of the High Kings , the Hill of Tara has been an important site since the late Stone Age when a passage-tomb was constructed there , before becoming a political and religious centre in the early centuries after Christ .
Loughcrew Cairns Also known as the ‘ Hills of the Witch ’, Loughcrew Cairns are a group of Neolithic passage tombs dating back 5,000 years . They are situated three kilometres east of Oldcastle . The tombs are spread out over three different hills and inside Cairn T , one of the largest tombs , visitors
Newgrange
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