IronMan
In the field right next to the great circle lies this much smaller, less impressive site. On a normal visit this would be great, but it is difficult to be objective about it when you know that Grange lies only a few feet away behind you. On the hill, above the circle is a huge standing stone.
To gain entrance to Lough Gur C there is a slight gap in the fence.
The Lough Gur wedge tomb lies to the SSE of the great circle. The site is easy to find (it’s right by the roadside), and is clearly signed from the circle. As with the other sites in this area, this one has a truly magickal feel to it.
A fantastic place. The whole site is amazing, but the back stone of Cairn T has got to be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. We only made it to Carbane East, we’d been on the Newgrange experience in the morning, and were headed for Dublin the next day, so it was a case of getting what we could done before it was too late. I’d give the whole Loughcrew complex a day next time.
Our visit to Newgrange came after Dowth and Knowth. The contrast between these three sites is incredible. The white facade, is as the tour guides themselves admit pure conjecture, and was most likely chosen because it was the prettiest use imaginable. The truth is it looks way too modern in style. Too angular, too twee. Looking beyond this the decorated stones are wonderful, as is the large circle.
Our guide for Newgrange was like a slightly toned down holiday rep. She insisted on cracking jokes about Neolithic people, and at one point started making drumming sounds in order to get people to move clockwise round the chamber. I felt completely ridiculous being a part of the whole sham. Once the bored and claustrophobic tourists had left, I asked the girl a few questions. She had told us when we entered that it was possible to see the light coming through the box at the entrance if you lay on the floor. I did just that, and it turned out she’d never actually tried it herself. She didn’t try it this time either. She became impatient and kind of started moving us out. Along the passage way I stopped a couple of times to look at the carvings. She let out a sigh, and said something along the lines of “come on, there’s more people to come through yet”. Outrageous. We were probably the only people genuinely interested in the site, and yet we were treat with contempt. We were being processed and that’s for sure. It’s a real shame, because this place must once have been amazing.
One more thing – You cannot take photographs in the main chamber because, as our lovely guide said, some people still respect the dead you know. There are however a series of ten postcards for sale in the security hut/gift shop which have been taken within the chamber. Did a ghost perhaps take these shots?
Knowth inhabits a kind of half way point between the mysterious beauty of Dowth and the rampant commercialism of Newgrange. The reconstruction steers away from the flagrant conjecture of Newgrange, but is ill-considered enough to be annoying. For me the worst part is a green metal bridgeway over a couple of the kerbstones, totally unsympathetic. The reason for the bridge? Because people feel it neccessary to stand inside the monument, even if it is in a brand new chamber. Add to this the concrete support over the kerbstones and you start to get an idea of the damage that has been done to the site in order to make it tourist friendly. Access to the top of the mound is at present restricted, so it was funny to be asked by an American family one evening, on the road near Dowth, the way to ‘the mound you can stand on’. That is what people think about these sites. Stand on it. Stand in it. Run around it. Anything but feel it!
The site still retains an amount of dignity however, and is a must. The kerbstones alone make it worth the visit – the carvings are the best I’ve seen yet. At Knowth our guide (sorry I don’t know your name) was pretty good. She obviously loved the site, and at one point, out of earshot of the camcordering yanks turned to me and said “this place is just fucking amazing, isn’t it!” I’d have to agree, but it could have been so much better.
