Winter Solstice sees hundreds of visitors gather at Newgrange
Eva Osborne
The days are set to get longer from today, the shortest day of the year, as hundreds of visitors gathered at the ancient passage tomb at Newgrange, in Co Meath.
Physical access to the small chamber is limited to just 14 people - the guides, and the winners of a free 'solstice lottery'.
A narrow beam of sunlight lit up the inner chamber, continuing a 5,000 year-old ritual, saluting the turning of the year.
Sunday morning's livestream of the event was presented by Irish archaeologists Dr Clare Tuffy and Dr Frank Prendergast.
"We can see the light, very strong now and going up along the passage and I think that the people who are in the chamber are delighted," Tuffy said.
"In the Neolithic, the phenomen would have been even more spectaclur. With the more upright stones in the passage, which probably hadn't leaned inwards," Prendergast added.
Dr Prendergast ecplained how the chamber was constructed.
"Once we clear the passage, you then enter this magnificent chamber, which rises four metres or more above your head. And the technique of creating the passage is called corbelling," he said.
"Where each of the corbelling stones narrow and get closer together as you reach the pinnacle and the capstone overhead. All water tight.
"After 5,000 years, an incredible feat of engineering."
Earlier, guide Leontia Lenehan told of where the lottery winners had travelled from.
"Currently here at the moment we have about 1,500 people. We'll be going inside shortly with our lucky lottery winners. Half of those have travelled overseas. We have a sister from Germany with a brother from the US," she said.
"We have another father and daughter from the US. We have a couple from the UK. We have somebody from up the road, from Balbriggan. We'll go inside at about quarter to nine and all we want is for the sky to clear and for the sun to come through."
Each year, access to the chamber during the Winter Solstice mornings is determined by a public lottery.
This year for the first time, people interested in attending could apply online. Over 16,000 entries were received.
