Welcome to Newgrange!
The passage and chamber of this incredible structure was built approximately around 3200 BC. This Megalithic Passage Tomb covers one acre and is beautifully decorated with megalithic art work. The Megalithic mounds entered Irish mythology as fairy mounds. Newgrange was to be home of Oenghus, the god of love. It has been calculated that Newgrange would have taken 20 years to construct. The passage and chamber of Newgrange is famous for the what happens during the Winter Solstice. The interior is illuminated by the sunrise. A beam of sunlight shines through the top of the entrance and penetrates all the way until the end of the passage. Since it was not winter solstice this weekend, we had a simulation of what it would look like. It was incredible to see how the small shaft of light illuminates the entire chamber. This event will last for seventeen minutes at dawn on the Winter Solstice. Each year Newgrange has a lottery for people to be entered to receive a spot in the chamber to watch the phenomenon. 25, 000 people apply annually and, there is only room for 50 people to be chosen.
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| Bottom of the Mound |
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| Entrance for the Light to Come in During Winter Solstice |
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| Blue Skies. Sunny Skies. |
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| Ready for Flight |
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| Full Speed of...fun! |
In addition to the incredible tour that we had at Newgrange, we also had a tour guide on the drive to and from Newgrange. She was incredible and provided us with thousands of years of history. After leaving Newgrange all the students had the chance to watch their first Gaelic football match.
Gaelic football is played with teams of 15 on a rectangular field with H- shaped goals at each end. The object of the game is to score by kicking or striking the ball with the hand and getting it through the goals. The team that has the highest score, wins. You are also allowed to carry, soloing (dropping and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands), kicking and hand-passing to your team-mates. Gaelic Football can be compared to a combination of rugby, soccer and basketball. Here, take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEAbWrdB9XU
Gaelic Football Photography: Jenn Piersma
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| Gaelic Football, Dublin |
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| Devoted North American Fans |
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| Number One Canadian Fans |
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North American Fans!
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Megalithic, Fairy Tales, Irish Stadiums, Sun...
