Re: Recreating Passage Tombs | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

Loughcrew Complex 11

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Recreating Passage Tombs

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FourWinds Oct 28, 2008 12:34:18

Replying to Stoneshifter

Stoneshifter wrote:

What was the alignment?

FourWinds wrote:

This morning Ken and myself met up at Loughcrew before sunrise to test out one of Martin Brennan's suggested alignments in Cairn H.

Solar. Dunno why, though :-)

Stoneshifter Oct 28, 2008 12:43:58

Replying to FourWinds

With an immense amount of luck I might get to the stone row in Bolton that has the sun rising from behind a big round hill on the horizon, twice a year. May Day and All Saints Day. The latter is friday the 7th, though I'll try a day either side (it's a big hill). I'm envious of you having passage tombs to observe from, and it's a strange feeling imagining that nobody's watched from there for at least two and a half thousand years - like waking them up again ...

CianMcLiam Oct 28, 2008 12:49:58

Replying to FourWinds

Brennans theory is that the cairns work in a sequence, the position on the horizon of the sun is tracked from one cairn to the next leading to the astronomical events used to divide the year (solstice, equinox, cross quarter days). Cairns I, H, F and U he believes were used to 'warn' of approaching events, Cairn I 'warns' of approaching equinox (marked by Cairn T) and Cairn H 'warns' of the approaching cross-quarter (marked by Cairns L and U).

I have been tracking this for the past couple of years to see if he at least has his calculations and observations correct (since he was out at Knowth which is not accurate for the equinox as he claimed) and to get some half decent pics so at least it can be considered with good documentation. And it's always a very special way of spending a morning whether you think it was intentional or not, the effect is spectacular!