Is this Friday?? Oh Yeah we're at New Grange.

Well as much fun as we have had it's Friday and we are really beat and I think just about ready for home.  Today, however, we are at a site that is a UNESCO world heritage site and is actually older than the pyramids of Egypt.
This is actually part of a complex of 3 tombs built by the first people to live in Ireland almost 5,000 years ago. It is believed that when people died they were cremated and once each year to great ceremony their ashes were taken inside the tomb.

The lower entrance is a passage to the tombs where the remains would have been taken. The upper entrance is a shaft which penetrates to the deepest part of the tomb, and once each year on the winter solstice as the sun comes over the horizon a beam of sunlight enters the tomb.  It goes through the upper shaft and lights a symbol at the very back of the tomb. It only happens once each year, and some say it was used as a way of marking time. Others say that part of the ancient faith involved veneration of the Sun God Lugh.  Each year Lugh entered the tomb and gathered the souls of those who had died the previous year. A somewhat romantic notion, but just as acceptable as any other theory. You can go into the tomb which we did but photographs and video are strictly forbidden because of the fragility of some of the ancient artwork inside.

We had absolutely wonderful weather today so we traveled along the Boyne Valley taking in the scenery and getting some great nature shots.

Until we arrived at Monasterboyce site of one of the greatest remaining collections of medieval high crosses left in Ireland. I'll show you that later.