Newgrange

Sheep at the Hill of Tara



This is the Hill of Tara. From this hill you can see 16 of the 32 counties in Ireland. Supposedly, if this rock roars at you it means you are the true king of Ireland...we waited patiently...



We ARE the true kings of Ireland!!!



The entrance to Newgrange. These carvings on the front stone can be found inside the chamber as well as at the back of the mound.



Look how huge this thing is!!! I stood by it so you can do a comparison.



Newgrange! It's an archaeological site older than the pyramids. Stone age people built it over 400 years as a burial chamber. At the winter solstice the light travels along the walkway to illuminate the ceremonial chamber for about nine minutes...I thought about going this December, but there's a waiting list of 36,000 people for next year!



This tower is one of the only structures left standing. If the monastery was under attack then the monks would take cover in here. If it got too scary then they monks could flee from here in a secret, underground tunnel.



One of the best examples of a Celtic cross in Ireland. It is covered with carvings from the Bible. They used to let cattle graze in the monastery for a thousand years, but they stopped when they noticed that they were scratching themselves and wearing away the base:)