|
The area known as Bru na Boinne comprises a landscape made up of a group of forty or so related prehistoric monuments caught in a curve of the river five miles west of Dundalk between the villages of Tullyallen and Slane. The three most important of them, Dowth, Knowth and Newgrange, are what are known as passage graves - high round mounds raised over stone burial chambers. They predate the pyramids by several centuries, and although there's no comparison in terms of size or architecture, there are certain parallels. Just as the fertility of the Nile floodplain helped create the great Egyptian culture, so the lands of the River Boyne and its watershed have been proved to have had some of the richest soil in Europe (and considerably higher temperatures than today) around 3000 BC. On the banks flourished what seems to have been the most advanced Neolithic civilization in Europe. Physically, the tombs' size and solidity are what impress most; beyond the massive, bare stones there's not much to be seen, but there's plenty of scope to try and disentangle the various theories about these structures, to work out who built them, where they came from and where they went. Access to the site is via Bru na Boinne Visitors' Centre on the southern side of the river. It's signposted from Slane town centre and is on a minor road off the N2. From the visitors' centre (daily: March, April & Oct 9.30am-5.30pm; June to mid-Sept 9am-7pm; May & mid- to end Sept 9am-6.30pm; Nov-Feb 9.30am-5pm; tel 041/982 4488) - a well-organized place that provides background information on the construction, artwork and religious significance of the tombs and also contains a reconstruction of a passage grave - tour buses run to Newgrange and Knowth. The third site, Dowth, remains closed to the public while lengthy excavations are carried out. A ticket which includes entrance to the visitors' centre and a shuttle bus to Newgrange costs GBP5/?6.35 while the same for Knowth is GBP4/?5.08 (both include a guided tour). Tickets for both Newgrange and Knowth cost GBP7/?8.68. It would be an understatement to say that the visitors' centre is controversial and there has been much argument about how best to preserve the tombs. One of the main arguments for building the centre was that, with the increase in numbers visiting the site, a scheme had to be devised to protect it from destruction; however, since its opening and the intense marketing of Bru na Boinne the amount of visitors has increased enormously, though the number of people allowed to visit the Newgrange tomb is limited to six hundred per day. Consequently, long delays for the Newgrange tour are common, especially in high season, a problem further compounded by the fact that you can't book a tour in advance of your arrival. While the sites themselves, especially Newgrange, are extremely impressive, the overcrowding and slight theme-park approach tends to detract somewhat from a true appreciation of their significance. The best advice is to come as early in the day as possible, book a place on one of the later tours and, if you have transport, spend the intervening time exploring the surrounding area. If you want to visit a comparable yet unexploited site head north to the Sliabh na Caillighe complex .
Your Tip for Bru na Boinne
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Bru na Boinne - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Bru na Boinne - visit the main Bru na Boinne forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Bru na Boinne webguide section below! Thanks.
|
