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Boyne Valley Complex: Latest Posts |
Previous 10 | Showing 11-20 of 311 posts. Most recent first | Next 10 
Dowth I (Passage Grave) — Images (click to view fullsize) |
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Posted by ryaner18th May 2011ce |
Newgrange (Passage Grave) — Images |
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Posted by Howburn Digger1st April 2011ce |
Newgrange (Passage Grave) — News |
Slane Bypass may risk Boyne status, says expertCONSTRUCTION OF the proposed Slane bypass in Co Meath could have implications for the world heritage status of Brú na Bóinne, the site that is home to the megalithic tombs of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, a planning hearing was told yesterday. An international expert on heritage sites said construction of the bypass was likely to result in Unesco "monitoring" the impact on the world heritage site. Dr Douglas Comer told the An Bord Pleanála hearing that "failure to maintain the outstanding universal value of a world heritage site can threaten its status as such". Meath County Council is seeking permission from the board to build the road and the oral hearing is expected to continue until early next month. Dr Comer, an archaeologist and international expert on culture sites, said there could be "a very large adverse impact" on the site because of the proposed route of the road. He was asked by the council to prepare a heritage impact assessment of the road plan. He said "one might reasonably expect that the bypass will be seen as a further, incremental intrusion on the landscape". Dr Comer's report said that if assurances are given that the bypass will not stimulate new construction in the vicinity of the heritage site and if it is only visible from the top of Knowth, then it would represent a minor change with a moderate/large adverse effect. However, without such assurances and if the road can be seen from several locations in the Brú na Bóinne site, then it would have a "large/very large adverse impact", he concluded. The 3.5km dual carriageway would bypass Slane to the east of the village at a cost of €46 million and divert traffic from the village and Slane bridge where 22 people have died in traffic accidents in recent years. Archaeologist Finola O'Carroll, who assessed the scheme for the council, said the new road would be visible from Knowth and Newgrange but the long-term impact of this was "in the visual and landscape assessment deemed respectively to be 'medium and neutral' and 'low and neutral'." She said that the design of the bridge and the road seeks to minimise the visual disturbance in accordance with the principles of cultural heritage management. Landscape architect Declan O'Leary said that to reduce the impact of the 200m long bridge, it is designed to sit within the existing topography. It will be 21m above the valley floor and made from a steel/concrete composite. Its crossing is set at a level to reduce the cutting into the valley sides, "limiting the impact on the Boyne valley", he added. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0222/1224290514228.html |
Posted by moss22nd February 2011ce |
Ireland's Newgrange: Countdown to winter's magic momentOn the morning of 21 December, a select group of people made their way through a dark, narrow passage and gathered in a small cross-shaped chamber at Newgrange in Co Meath, Irish Republic, to celebrate the winter solstice. Why? Newgrange, located 40km north of Dublin and perched high above a bend of the River Boyne, is a prehistoric passage tomb, covered on the outside by a large grassy mound. At over 5,000 years old it is the older cousin of Stonehenge and it predates the pyramids by about 500 years. It is difficult to estimate how long it would have taken to build it. "They were a very sophisticated society with a sound economic base as they were able to divert a large number of people to the building of passage tombs," says archaeologist Professor George Eogan. "The ritual of the dead was very important in their lives and the site combines engineering, architectural and artistic skills." Shaft of light Newgrange is unique because the builders aligned it with the rising sun. Just after sunrise, at 0858GMT, on the shortest day of the year, the inner chamber will flood with sunlight, which enters through a 25cm (9.9ins) high "roof box" above the passage entrance. The phenomenon was discovered by archaeologist, Professor Michael J O'Kelly on 21 December 1967 during research on the site. "He found the roof box when uncovering the roof chamber but wondered about its purpose," says his daughter Helen Watanabe O'Kelly. Local people always said it was aligned to the sun but the measurements did not fit the summer solstice. "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." Ms O'Kelly recalls how she experienced it with him the following year. "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 the discovery of the winter solstice alignment, Newgrange has been developed as a major tourist attraction and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. Demand to attend the midwinter solstice is high and since 2000 it has been regulated by a lottery system. This year, more than 25,000 people applied but only 10 were selected to attend on 21 December. Each can bring one guest. The lucky winners - drawn by primary school children from three local schools - include people from Ireland, the US, England, Scotland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. In addition, 40 other winners and guests can attend on the days around the solstice, when some light enters the chamber. Clare Tuffy, the visitor centre's manager who has worked at Newgrange since the early 1980s, says that guests are kept outside for as long possible on the solstice morning. Even though the passage way and chamber are only 24m (78ft) long, once you enter you are cut off from the outside world and lose a sense of time passing. "When the sun clears the horizon you can hear a big cheer from those gathered outside. "We have to wait four minutes after sunrise to experience the light entering the chamber because the earth's angle has changed since it was constructed 5,000 years ago. The light remains in the chamber for 17 minutes before retreating." The centre's staff do not orchestrate what happens in the chamber. Sometimes people ask to sing a song, say a poem or chant, but any activity is done with the agreement of the group. Those not lucky enough to get a place in the draw are welcome to gather outside. People are motivated to come by the symbolism of the light and dark and the turning of the year. Some have made it a tradition and come year after year. Druids also assemble outside, chanting and singing. Even though she is a veteran of the experience, Clare Tuffy is still moved by it and she is keen to make it special for the lottery winners. "I get very excited and anxious every year that it will all go well. My husband calls it 'solstice fever'. It starts in early December and doesn't finish until Christmas." Lunar eclipse Irish weather is frequently inclement, but there will not be any drips inside Newgrange to dampen the enthusiasm of the solstice watchers. The ancient engineers designed it to be waterproof, packing sand and burnt soil among the roof stones and even cutting channels into them to direct water away from the passage and chamber. But the privileged few who will come to marvel at this masterpiece of human creativity are counting on "third time lucky". The past two years have been cloudy and overcast on 21 December, which means the chamber remains in darkness. This year they hope for clear skies and a bright solstice sunrise. To add extra excitement to this year's experience there will also be a lunar eclipse on the morning of the 21st. The moon will start to brighten again just as the sun starts to enter the inner chamber. It is the first time in over 450 years that a lunar eclipse and the winter solstice have coincided. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12018432 |
Posted by goffik21st December 2010ce |
Newgrange (Passage Grave) — Images |
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Posted by listerinepree13th December 2010ce |
Newgrange (Passage Grave) — News |
Slane By-pass shelved.It's painful to watch Ireland's troubles; their future looked so bright when they joined the EU; now the N2 Slane By-pass has been shelved as part of the 4-year cost cutting plan. As reported in the Irish Independent: " ... there will be no major schemes starting in 2012 or 2013. This means the N5 Ballaghadreen bypass, N4 Downes upgrade, N2 Slane Bypass, N22 Macroom to Ballyvourney, N8/N25 Dunkettle Roundabout and Enniscorthy/New Ross bypass are shelved." However, the report continues: ...."high priority schemes will proceed as funding becomes available and planning permission is granted". |
Posted by tjj27th November 2010ce |
Newgrange (Passage Grave) — Images |
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Posted by Chris Collyer27th November 2010ce |
Newgrange (Passage Grave) — News |
Public consultation on bypass threat to Bend of the Boyne World Heritage Sites reopenedNew round of public consultations ordered for proposed Slane bypass http://www.savenewgrange.org/2010/09/20/the-irish-times-new-round-of-public-consultations-ordered-for-proposed-slane-bypass/ The Irish Times – Monday, September 20, 2010 FRANK McDONALD Environment Editor A NEW round of public consultations on controversial plans for a dual-carriageway bypass of Slane, Co Meath, has been ordered by An Bord Pleanála, with October 15th set as the closing date. A public notice advertising the new round of consultations was published recently in national newspapers. The original consultation period closed on February 25th last. An Bord Pleanála had sought additional information from Meath County Council on the road scheme, including whether an alternative route running to the west of Slane had been examined. The current proposal, which is being advanced on behalf of the National Roads Authority (NRA), would run to the east of Slane, some 500 metres from the boundary of Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site. The appeals board also sought alternative designs for a new bridge over the river Boyne, noting that the cable-stayed bridge originally proposed would be visible from the World Heritage Site. It also wanted the council to produce more detailed archaeological and geophysical reports on investigations of 44 archaeological sites that would be affected by the original scheme. The information was sought "in order to clarify certain points in the environmental impact statement [EIS] and assist the board's assessment of the likely effects on the environment" of the road. This followed complaints to An Bord Pleanála by the Save Newgrange group, former attorney general John Rogers SC and leading archaeologist Prof George Eogan that the EIS was flawed. Save Newgrange spokesman Vincent Salafia said: "We will be waging an international campaign over the next month, particularly in Northern Ireland, to get as many objections as possible filed with An Bord Pleanála." FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO MAKE A SUBMISSION PLEASE VISIT http://www.savenewgrange.org |
Posted by TaraWatch 21st September 2010ce |
Knowth — Images |
 
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Posted by GLADMAN22nd August 2010ce |
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