Lunar eclipse and winter solstice at Newgrange

Ancient Celtic burial ground witness to history

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Light entering the chamber at Newgrange

Photo by The_Irish_Times

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The magic of winter solstice is created by the fact that its builders aligned it with the rising sun. At 8.58 on the shortest day of the year the inner-chamber of the tomb is flooded with light which enters through a “roof box” which is just 9.9 inches high.

This wonderful phenomenon was discovered by archaeologist, Professor Michael J O’Kelly in 1967.

His daughter Helen Watanabe O’Kelly told the BBC “He found the roof box when uncovering the roof chamber but wondered about its purpose…My mother, who worked closely with him, suggested that it might be connected with the winter solstice. And that was how he discovered it in 1967."

The next year Mr O’Kelly brought his daughter along. She described her experience “There were just the two of us. It was cold and dark - no razzmatazz, like you have now. I still remember sitting in the cold and we just waited.

"Suddenly this shaft of light came into the chamber and hit the back wall. I remember being quietly moved - it was like someone was speaking to you from thousands of years before. I still see it like a picture before my inner eye - it was a golden light."

Since Mr O’Kelly’s discovery Newgrange has become a major tourist attraction. In 1993 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Read more: Newgrange winter solstice to coincide with lunar eclipse for the first time in 450 years

Read more: Take a step back in time at Newgrange

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