THE Winter Solstice will be livestreamed from one of Ireland’s ancient landmarks this month.
Newgrange in Co. Meath has long been associated with the shortest day and longest night of the year due to the burst of light which appears in the prehistoric monument’s passage tomb as the sun rises.
On a clear Winter Solstice morning direct sunlight enters the monument to illuminate the chamber for 17 minutes through a small opening above its entrance called the ‘roof box’.
Newgrange is a prehistoric monument in County MeathThis phenomenon has drawn people hoping to witness it for themselves to the Meath site for centuries, and for the past four years it has been shared with the public more generally via a livestream feed.
That livestream will take place again in 2024, Ireland’s Office of Public Works (OPW) and National Monuments Services (NMS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have confirmed this week.
“Every year, the Winter Solstice receives much attention worldwide,” Rosemary Collier, Head of Heritage Services and Capital Works Delivery in the Office of Public Works, said.
“At Newgrange, visitors gather at the ancient tomb to celebrate and experience the illumination of this ancient passage tomb, just as people did over 5,000 years ago,” she added.
People taking part in a sunrise ceremony during the Winter Solstice at Newgrange on December 21, 2023“I am delighted to announce that the Winter Solstice at Newgrange will be livestreamed again this year.
“People can share in this experience by watching the livestream online and on television in the comfort of their own homes.”
Built during the Neolithic Period, around 3200BC, Newgrange is older than Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, and the pyramids in Egypt.
It is the main monument in the Brú na Bóinne complex, a World Heritage Site which also includes the passage tombs of Knowth and Dowth as well as other henges, burial mounds and standing stones.
Newgrange is part of the Brú na Bóinne complex in Co. MeathThis year the Winter Solstice falls on December 21, and the Newgrange livestream will be accompanied by narration by specialists, Dr Clare Tuffy and Dr Frank Prendergast, the OPW has confirmed.
“They will guide you through this spectacular event, providing unique insights and perspectives on the significance of the Winter Solstice,” they added.
“This December, we are inviting visitors from around the world to witness this ancient spectacle through the livestream link and experience the wonder of this celestial event and connect with a tradition that spans the millennia,” the organisation explained.
The livestream will be available to watch worldwide on the RTÉ Player as well as at gov.ie/opw, heritageireland.ie and at youtube/opw.