The mothership of Ireland’s ancient monuments

Newgrange is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is part of a complex of over 35 similar types of monuments built along the bend of the River Boyne. It was built around 2700 BC 500 years before the Great Pyramid of Giza and its corbelled roof has never leaked. It was not only a passage tomb but also a place of astrological, spiritual, religious, and ceremonial importance similar to a present-day cathedral. It covers one acre and has 97 kerbstones, some of which are richly decorated with megalithic art. The inner passage is 40 feet long that leads to a cruciform-shaped chamber. In the late 1960s, a small light box above the main doorway was uncovered and it was discovered that on the shortest day of the year, a shaft of light from the rising sun lights up the chamber for about 17 minutes. This makes it one of the oldest accurate time clocks in the World.

Thanks to National Geographic for top class video

Planxty was formed in 1972 and is regarded as Ireland’s ‘traditional music supergroup’. Its members have changed over the years but has included the likes of the brilliant Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn, Johnny Moynihan, Paul Brady, Matt Molloy, Bill Whelan, Nollaig Casey, Noel Hill, and Tony Linnane.