This is a piece I wrote six years ago, on the evening of 21 December 2004. 

I crossed the Boyne on the suspension bridge of the M1 this morning, at about ten past eight, just as the darkness of night was beginning to lift. This fine structure has become a symbol of Ireland’s recent prosperity, and we all marvelled at it when that section of the M1 opened in 2003. It looks very elaborate, but with modern construction techniques, bridges like these are relatively easy to build. Last week, an even more spectacular motorway bridge opened in France, designed by the celebrated British architect, Sir Norman Foster.

But as I crossed the bridge, my mind was drawn to another, more ancient monument scarcely a mile away. The morning sky was clear, ideal for the winter equinox in the Boyne Valley. A few lucky souls, chosen by a draw at the Brú na Boinne Centre would have the privilege of experiencing sunrise inside the Newgrange passage tomb on this day, the shortest of the year.

Newgrange, along with Knowth and Dowth, are the most important megalithic sites in Ireland. I have visted Newgrange a number of times, and every time, it just fills me with awe. I have brought friends from abroad there, all of whom came away speechless.

A quick explanation for anyone who may be unfamiliar with Newgrange: it is a cairn, dating from around 3000BC, made with a number of overlapping, corbelled stones, topped with a large capstone. The mound is covered in earth and all around it is clad in brilliant white quartz. At the base are 97 decorated kerbstones. The opening faces south and leads to a long narrow passage, at the end of which is a central cruciform chamber. When Newgrange was first excavated, cremated and partly-cremated human remains were found, so it is accepted that it was a burial chamber, probably for the most prominent members of the community.

Yet, it isn’t just a pile of stones, it is an incredible time-measuring instrument. Above the entrance is an opening, known as the roof-box. Every winter equinox, the rising sun casts a narrow beam of light through this aperture into the narrow passage, until it completely illuminates the burial chamber. The effect lasts for a few minutes and then the light recedes. The effect is visible for a couple of days either side of the equinox, but it is on the day itself that it is most spectacular.

It is mind-boggling that such a feat of engineering could be achieved by a community of people living in the area five thousand years ago. They hauled massive stones from as far away as Wicklow and the Mournes to build it. How did they take the measurements to ensure the accuracy of the monument? Did they do one or more and then discover they were out by a few feet? Remember they could only check the accuracy once a year!

To your average ancient man, Newgrange showed when winter had reached its peak and from then on the days would get longer and a new cycle would begin. Imagine, this was 5000 years ago, a millenium before Stonehenge and about 400 years before the pyramids of Egypt.

One visitor that I brought to Newgrange was a learned, well-travelled New Zealander. He had been to 3000 year old temples in Asia, and had visited major heritage sites all around the world, but had never heard of Newgrange. As we drove back to Dublin, he finally was able to articulate his thoughts about the place. He said “I can understand the hauling of the stones and the building of the thing. What amazes me is that someone actually had the vision, the idea, to do it.”

I crossed the Boyne this morning on my way to Donegal. From there I went to Sligo, Ballina and Boyle and got back to Dublin this evening at about 9pm. In all I covered 480 miles in just over 14 hours today, which is probably more than Newgrange man would have travelled in his life.

If Newgrange man could see our world today and the beautiful bridge over the Boyne, he would be astonished at what we have achieved. Yet, by looking at Newgrange today, I am no less astonished by what he achieved, 5000 years ago.