Brú na Búinne – Newgrange and Knowth

Brú na Búinne – Newgrange and Knowth

The ancient monuments of Newgrange and Knowth can be found a few miles east of Drogheda, just off the R161.

The megalithic tombs of Brú na Búinne predate Stonehenge by some thousand years, and are roughly four hundred years older than the ancient pyramids of Egypt. Thought to be built around 3200 bc, these enormous burial chambers are surrounded by large kerb stones covered with awe-inspiring ancient artwork.

Inside Newgrange, the best known tomb of Brú na Búinne, are long passageways leading to a main chamber where the cremated remains of the dead would be laid on large stones and left with any possessions they may need in the after-life.

The chamber is designed in such a way, that at dawn on 21^st December, the winter solstice, a shaft of light shines through a special opening to illuminate the chamber.

The mound at Knowth, to the west of Newgrange, covers two large connected passage tombs that are ringed by a further eighteen smaller tombs. 127 huge kerb stones surround the burial mound and over three hundred decorated stones make up the walls of the chamber, which give Knowth the largest collection of megalithic art in Europe. Inside Knowth, the chamber ceiling of the eastern tomb reaches up to almost six metres in height.

The Brú na Búinne Visitor Centre on site offers an audiovisual presentation explaining what is known about the tombs and allows visitors to book guided tours through Newgrange and Knowth, as well as arrange viewing of the third tomb of Brú na Búinne, Dowth.

To gain access to Newgrange, Knowth or Dowth; and get to see them up close and personal, please arrive at the Newgrange Visitor Centre as they provide the only guided tours of the tombs.