Clare Tuffy, manager of the Bru na Boinne Visitor Centre, Newgrange invites you to come and see the Equinox Sunrise from Loughcrew!
September 20, 21 and 22, 7.30 am
Meet at Cairn T; dress warm and with good walking shoes; bring a torch
Although the Winter Sunrise phenomenon at Newgrange is well known and well documented, the Equinox sunrise effect at Loughcrew is less renowned. For archaeo-astronomers, the alignment at Loughcrew is regarded as less significant than that at Newgrange as the passage at Loughcrew is shorter and wider.
The beam of light, which enters the chamber at Cairn T and highlights the art on the back stone of the end recess, shines in for almost an hour in comparison to the 17 minutes illumination that happens at Newgrange during the Winter Solstice dawn.
While the alignment may not be regarded as being of as great significance, because it lasts for so long, it means that everyone who gathers on the hill gets to see the effect at some stage. Small groups of five or six people go inside the chamber at a time, everyone cheerfully taking turns and letting others take theirs.
Attending Equinox dawn at Loughcrew is not for the faint hearted. Having arrived at the car park in the darkness, there is still a very steep hill to climb before you arrive at Cairn T. For those who make the effort the reward is great.
There is a feeling of being on top of the world тАжthe surrounding countryside below is in darkness except for the lights of Oldcastle town as you climb up the hill. From the top of the hill gazing eastwards, the outline of Patrickstown Hill is all that is clear. The wind is often bitter as the group waits for dawn in a good-humoured huddle.
The sky brightens before dawn and if the group are lucky, the sun breaks through and first lights up the hilltop where they are standing and then the rest of the world below.
Five thousand years ago, our ancestors probably gathered on the same hill for the same event. The Equinoxes indicate when the seasons of spring and autumn commence. The farmers who helped to build these wonderful monuments would have gathered there to mark the continuing cycle of the year and of their lives.