Brú na Bóinne national park

Brú na Bóinne is a Neolithic ceremonial and funerary landscape on the River Boyne in County Meath, eastern Ireland, encompassing a group of passage tombs and related monuments. It is recognized for its age and concentration of prehistoric architecture and art.

The complex includes the large passage tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth; Newgrange dates to about 3200 BC and is noted for its winter solstice sunrise alignment that illuminates the central chamber. Knowth contains a large collection of megalithic art and multiple tombs, while Dowth is another significant but less-visited passage complex.

The monuments were built by Neolithic communities for burial and ritual purposes and have been the subject of archaeological investigation and conservation in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Brú na Bóinne lies in the Boyne valley near the village of Donore and the town of Drogheda in County Meath, northeast of Dublin; a modern visitor centre manages guided access to the tombs.

• Newgrange alignment: Newgrange was constructed around 3200 BC and its main passage and chamber are aligned to admit direct sunlight at sunrise on the winter solstice.
• Visitor access: Guided tours usually operate from the visitor centre at Donore, which controls access to the monuments to protect the archaeology and manage visitor numbers.

What to See #

• Major monuments: A large complex of Neolithic passage tombs on the River Boyne including the major monuments Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, each with intact passages and burial chambers.
• Landscape: A cultural landscape aligning monuments, river meanders and burial mounds concentrated in the Boyne valley; the site is protected and interpreted from a modern visitor centre.