Tonight (Friday) is my last oyster hurrah. Tomorrow night I am in an airport hotel. I am sorry that I am not staying in the city but I have a no refund reservation which I made before I changed my plans around here.
We started the day by going to Tara which is now just a hill overlooking 2/3 of Ireland. There was once a castle, the Vikings took it over in, I think, the 11th or12th century. There are no structures left. The Vikings were not interested in the view. It was very windy and had a great view.
I went to a Stone Age Astrological Burial Passage. It is from 3500 BC and predates the Pyramids. These ceremonial chambers were found around Europe but New Grange is probably the best preserved. Once a year, at the winter solstice, the sun comes through into the inner chamber. It sends a bright beam of light that totally illuminates the interior. There are other burial passages nearby, where the light comes through on the spring and fall equinoxes.
The other ones nearby are not as large as the one at New Grange. There are also artistic designs made with stone on the outside and inside as well. I am sending the pictures of the outside. Pictures inside are not allowed. The top rectangle is where the sun comes in at sunrise on the solstice. From the outside the structure is not very exciting. Inside is quite incredible.
They. built the inner chamber with stone, stone that is standing in its original construction. There are three chambers inside with basin-like structures. They believe there were cremations and that the ash and bones were left in the basins. The outside has been rebuilt but the inside is the real thing. You can only see it on a tour and only about 12 people can enter at one time. When you walk in it actually goes up hill which you don't realize as you are walking.
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