Brú Na Bóinn e is about 8km inland from Drogheda an d Other Irish sites included on the World Heritage List are describes an area bet ween the towns of Slane an d Skellig Michael, Co. Kerry and the Gian t’s Caus eway Drogheda whe re the Ri ver Boyne meanders into a dramati c Co. Antrim. World wide the list includes Stonehenge an d loop or bend. Brú na Bóinn e – the palace or th e Avebur y, the Neolithic (New Stone Age ) mansion of the Boyne – is the name gi ven monuments of Or kne y, The Pyramids of Giza an d to one of the worl d’s most importan t the Acropolis of Athens. archaeological landscapes, dominated by th e spectacular prehistoric passage tombs of Today at Brú Na Bóinn e the remains of abou t Newgrange, Kn owth and Do wth. forty mounds which are the oldest survivin g traces of human activity in the area can be seen . In recognition of the international importanc e They remained the focus for activity an d of these monuments and the many othe r tradition long after their formal use as buria l archaeological featu res in the area, the Unite d places ended. Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultura l Organisation (UNESCO) has designated the The passage tombs and associated monument s Brú Na Bóinn e area a World Heritage Site. Site s are in the ca re of the Office of Public Works. selected for World Heritage listing are deeme d to be of outstanding uni versal value to

humanity and are app roved on the basis of

their merits as the best possible examples of

h t a e M . o C cultural or natural heritage.

e n n i ó B a n ú r B

Opening Arrangements of Brú Na Bóinne Visitor Centre

Date Time November - January: 9.00 - 17.00 February - April: 9.30 - 17.30 May : 9.00 - 18.30 June - mid Sept : 9.00 - 19.00 Mid Sept - end Sept: 9.00 - 18.30 October 9.30 - 17.30 Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre and Newgrange are open all year round except for December 24th, December 25th, December 26th and December 27th. Knowth is open from Easter until the end of October.

Last admission to the Visitor Cent re is 45 minutes befo re closing time. The shuttle bus for the last tour of the monuments lea ves 1 hour 45 minutes befo re the closing time of the Cent re. As the number of visitors that can be accommodated at Newgrange and Kn owth each day is limited, the re can be no guarantee that everybody will ha ve access to the sites. Visitors are the refo re advised to come as early in the day as possible. The re is no di rect access to the monuments. All access is th rough the Visitor Cent re and by guided tour onl y. Please note that groups of 15 or mo re must be pre-booked. Requests for bookings can be fa xed to: 041-9823071 or add ressed to Reser vations, Brú Na Bóinne, Dono re, Co. Meath.

For fu rther information contact:- "At 8.58 hours, the first pencil of direct sunlight The Manage r, Brú na Bóinne Visitor Cent re, Dono re, Co, Meath. shone through the roof-box and along the Telephone: 041-9880300 Fax: 041-9823071 passage to reach across the tomb chamber floor as far as the front edge of the basin stone in the end recess." Professor M. J. O’ Kelly 21st December 1969.

007/09 The passage tomb comple x Newgrange, the best kn own Irish passage tom b, is sur rounded Do wth is the least well kn own of the th ree great tombs of Brú Brú na Bóinne Visito r at Kn owth is at the wester n by a kerb of 97 stones, the most imp ressi ve of which is the Na Bóinne although it compa res in si ze with Kn owth and Ce nt re, si tua ted on end of Brú Na Bóinn e. Th e highly decorated Entrance Stone. The mound covers a single Newgrange. The mound is sur rounded by a kerb of 115 stones the south side of great mound of this mos t tomb consisting of a long passage and a cross-shaped chambe r. and has two tombs facing westwa rds. The smaller south tomb the Ri ver Boyne , spectacular site is outline d The re are the remains of two smaller tombs immediately to the has a short passage and a ci rcular chamber with a recess; the overlooking the co re by 127 massi ve kerbstones . west of Newgrange and at least one and probably two to the north tomb is cruciform in plan containing a la rge stone basin. of the archaeologica l Arranged around this are at east. The re are smaller satellite tombs to the east and south- west of landscape, wa s least eighteen smaller or the la rge mound. opened in 1997. It satellite tombs, at least tw o contains exhibition s of which were built befo re that describe th e the great mound. In 196 7 society that create d and 1968, Professor Geo rge the Neolithic tombs, their homes, dress, food, tools and weapons . Eogan and his team of Great emphasis is placed th roughout the exhibition on th e archaeologists disc overed building of the monuments; why they were built; how they were two tombs within the la rge used; whe re the building stones were found and how these were central mound, one of th e moved to the site. One complete room is dedicated to megalithi c featu res of which is the grea t art. The audio-visual display deals primarily with the sola r wealth of decoration on the structural stones. Ce remony an d alignments in the Boyne Valle y. The extensi ve exhibition als o settlement existed at Kn owth both befo re and long after the en d contains a partial full-si ze replica of the chamber at Newgrange as of the Neolithic period. well as a replica of one of the smaller sites at Kn owth.

The guided tour of The Cent re provides other facilities such as tourist information, te a Kn owth explains the room, toilets, picnic areas and pa rking. The Visitor Cent re is th e many phases of starting point for all visits to Newgrange and Kn owth and a Kn owt h’s complicated shuttle bus service runs to these monuments from the bus sto p histor y. It highlight s Newgrange was exca vated bet ween 1962 and 1975 by Professor situated 300m from the Cent re on the north side of the Ri ver tremendous examples M. J. O’ Kelly who disc overed the Roof Box th rough which the Boyne . of Neolithic art and mid-winter sun penetrates into the chambe r. Based on explo res possibl e archaeological evidence, he also designed the reconstruction of interp retations of their the white quartz façade. meaning. The re are also standing stones and settings of exotic stones outside the entrances of the tombs. Areconstruction of a Timber Ci rcle, which was originally built about 2,500 BC, dominates the eastern side of the site. Within the mound, a specially designed The la rge crater in the cent re of the mound is the result of room all ows visitors to see down the eastern passage. The exca vations in the 1840 ’s. The re has also been quarrying of the roo m’s main focus is a huge ditch built in the Early Christian Era. western side. The re are few surviving finds from this wo rk but it Els ewhe re on the site are the surviving foundations of an Early is kn own that quantities of human and animal bone were found Christian house as well as many souterrains. in the chambers. Like Kn owth, Do wth appears to ha ve been a focus of activity in the first millennium AD. One of the passages connects with an Early Christian souterrain or unde rground passage. Visitors to Do wth cannot enter the chambers although they are free to walk around the site.

• Please respect the Monuments and foll ow the instruction of Brú Na Bóinne sta ff.

• Please arri ve at the bus stop at your alloted time. The guided tour of Newgrange orientates visitors within the • Please place your litter in bins provided. ancient landscape. Do wth and some of the smaller mounds are pointed out as well as the course of the Ri ver Boyne. Befo re • Please do n’t enter pri vate land. going inside the 5000- yea r-old passage and chambe r, the • Remember that both Newgrange and Kn owth are outdoor significance of the famous Entrance Stone as well as the Roof sites and that the re is no shelte r. Wear app ropriate clothing Box are described. Inside the chambe r, the winter solstice and bring umb rellas. phenomenon is explained as well as the burial ritual. • Ask sta ff on duty for any information or help you requi re.