Newgrange (Sí an Bhrú)

A prehistoric monument in County Meath, older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.

Newgrange is a grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC. It is famous for the winter solstice illumination, where the rising sun shines through a 'roof-box' above the entrance and floods the inner chamber with light.

The mound is ringed by 97 large kerbstones, some of which are engraved with megalithic art. It is part of the Brú na Bóinne complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At a glance

• Age: Built c. 3200 BC
• Features: Winter Solstice alignment
• Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site

In County Meath

Newgrange is in County Meath, An Mhí in Irish, which means “the middle (the middle kingdom)”.

More in Meath

• Ráth Chairn (Ráth Chairn): Ireland's youngest Gaeltacht, created in 1935 when Irish-speaking families were resettled from Connemara.
• The Hill of Tara (Teamhair na Rí): The ancient inauguration site of the High Kings of Ireland, rich in myth and archaeology.
• Trim Castle (Caisleán Bhaile Átha Troim): The largest Norman castle in Ireland, on the banks of the Boyne.

Other places of this kind

• The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair): Sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region.
• The Giant's Causeway (Clochán an Aifir): Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Antrim coast, a UNESCO site wrapped in the legend of Finn McCool.
• Glendalough (Gleann Dá Loch): A beautiful glacial valley of two lakes, home to one of Ireland's most important early monastic settlements.
• The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig): A dramatic outcrop crowned with medieval buildings, once the seat of the kings of Munster.
• Clonmacnoise (Cluain Mhic Nóis): A great early monastery on the banks of the Shannon, once a renowned centre of learning.
• Navan Fort (Emain Macha) (Eamhain Mhacha): The legendary ancient capital of Ulster, home of the Red Branch Knights and Cú Chulainn's tales.

The Irish name

The Irish form of Newgrange is Sí an Bhrú. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.